High Society — found at wearehighsociety.com — sits in the fitness and wellness membership space, but it doesn't try to be another gym app or class aggregator. The concept is closer to a curated social club for people who take their well-being seriously, blending movement-based events, brand partnerships, and a concierge-style experience into a single membership structure.

Founded by Erin Schirack, a Balanced Body–certified Pilates educator with over two decades of experience spanning hospitality, brand strategy, and wellness consulting, the platform reflects a clear point of view. Schirack's background shapes the whole thing — this isn't a startup built by tech people guessing what wellness communities want. It's built by someone who has actually worked inside the industry, which tends to show in the details.

The core offering revolves around live, in-person events held at carefully selected venues across Chicago. Think Pilates sculpt pop-ups at trendy West Loop spots, yoga and recovery mornings at luxury hotels like The Gwen, or rooftop Pilates sessions with a live DJ at ROOF on theWit. Each event pairs movement with a social element — bottomless mimosas, flower bars, curated wellness treatments — which separates them from a standard fitness class. It's less "burn calories" and more "have an actual good morning with people worth meeting."

Membership comes in three tiers. The Insider List is free and covers wellness content, behind-the-scenes previews of upcoming events, and occasional invitations to digital experiences. It's a solid entry point for anyone who wants to get a feel for the community before committing. The Core membership, priced at $75 per month or $999 annually, opens up full event access, partner brand discounts, and exclusive content. Platinum, at $2,999 per year, adds a real-time concierge matching service, early event registration, free event access, and invitations to Platinum-only experiences — including opportunities to review and test products from premier partners.

The partner network is worth paying attention to. Studios like Barry's, Zen Yoga Garage, Btone Fitness Lakeview, and Sweat Sessions Studio are listed alongside recovery-focused brands like Hyperice and Aire Ancient Baths, and wellness product brands like Vital Proteins, ARMRA, and Ritual. Members get tangible discounts — 25% off first-month memberships, introductory class packs, priority spa booking — rather than vague "exclusive access" promises that don't translate to anything real.

As a reviewer, the concierge matching service stands out as a genuinely useful feature that most wellness platforms skip entirely. Rather than dumping members into a catalog and leaving them to figure it out, High Society's team helps match individual members with the studio, class format, and instructor that actually fits their preferences. It's the kind of personalized touch that's easy to undervalue until you've wasted three months trying classes that weren't right for you.

The quarterly wellness kit is another perk that separates the annual Core and Platinum tiers from a standard event pass. Members receive curated product selections from partner brands — a nice way to stay connected to the community between events and discover products that are genuinely vetted by the team rather than random sponsorships.

High Society also offers corporate packages, positioning wellness as something businesses can integrate into their culture rather than treat as a perk afterthought. Given Schirack's background working with hotels and lifestyle brands, this arm of the business appears to be a natural extension of her consulting work rather than a tacked-on revenue stream. Organizations looking to build genuine wellness programs — not just a Peloton bike in the break room — seem to be the target here.

In my opinion, what makes the whole model interesting is that it treats social connection as a feature, not a side effect. A lot of fitness memberships accidentally create community; High Society seems to have built the community first and structured the fitness experiences around it. Whether that resonates depends entirely on what someone wants from their wellness routine — but for people who find solo gym sessions isolating, the appeal is clear.

Overall, High Society occupies a specific niche: premium, experience-first wellness membership for urban professionals who want something more intentional than a traditional gym or class pass. The partner network is real, the events are thoughtfully curated, and the tiered structure makes it accessible at different levels of commitment. It's a model that leans on quality over volume, which isn't for everyone — but for the right person, it likely delivers well beyond what the price tag suggests.

---