Woman Wins Membership to a $10,000/Month Private Club in NYC. Then They Collected All Her Biological Data: ‘They Bring You Into the Red Light Room’
Too good to be true.
A woman has detailed a bizarre and unsettling experience at a $10,000-per-month private members club in New York City, and her story is blowing up online.
In a nearly 10-minute TikTok video posted over a year ago on January 13, 2025, creator Linds (@life.with.lindz) detailed how she was lured into an exclusive athletic challenge, won a free month of membership, and then found herself subjected to invasive biometric testing.
The video has racked up millions of views, sparking widespread concern about data privacy, wellness industry scams, and the lengths some high-end clubs will go to collect personal information. Linds’ story starts with an unexpected DM from the club, inviting her to an athletic competition despite her having no prior connection to them. A ‘fitness girly’ as her bio says, she decided to go, competed while injured, and won a free month of membership valued at $10,000.
The perks sounded incredible – unlimited massages, red light therapy, physical therapy, personal training, cold plunges, and saunas. But from the moment she arrived, things took a strange turn. After postponing her start date due to surgery, she finally began her membership, only to be hit with a barrage of personal questions about her diet, height, weight, activity level, social life, medications, and more.
The red flags kept coming
The club insisted she undergo a full week of biometric testing before accessing any amenities. This included blood work, a resting metabolic rate test with a VO2 max mask, a DEXA scan (where they strapped her ankles together for no clear reason), and a sleep study requiring her to wear a large ring every night for three nights. They even set up an account for her on a sleep-tracking app, watched her enter the password, and refused to let her see her own data afterward.
During her VO2 max test, Linds felt her throat tightening, her eyes burning, and her nose irritated – symptoms she later discovered were likely caused by a medical-grade cleaner meant for endoscopes and catheters, not the gentle dish soap recommended for the equipment. After using the club’s antiperspirant, her armpit became so swollen she needed antibiotics. And when she tried the float tank, the water was a freezing 81 degrees instead of the promised 93.5.
The most unsettling part was the club’s obsession with whether she was staying awake. Staff repeatedly asked if she had fallen asleep during massages, therapy, or tests. When she pressed for her biometric results, they dodged her requests, insisting she wait for a full presentation that never came. By the time her free month ended, Linds had received none of the promised perks, just a growing unease about why they had collected so much of her biological data.
The video’s caption hints at darker theories
However, Linds focuses on the sheer weirdness of the experience, from the club’s pushy behavior to the invasive testing. Viewers have latched onto her story, sharing their own suspicions about high-end wellness clubs and the risks of handing over sensitive health data. In an era where AI and biometric tracking are becoming more common, her account feels like a cautionary tale about what happens when luxury services cross the line into exploitation.
Linds’ experience taps into broader anxieties about data privacy, especially in wellness spaces where personal information is often treated as currency. She posted a follow-up video where says the club did finally respond. They sent her all her data and said they deleted everything from their accounts. Linds said she has no way of confirming this.
The video struck a nerve, particularly among those who’ve encountered similar high-pressure tactics from exclusive clubs. Comments range from outrage to empathy, with many urging her to stay away from the club for good. Others have shared their own stories of being lured into “free” memberships or wellness programs that turned out to be scams. Linds’ account feels like a wake-up call, reminding everyone that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
What’s especially frustrating is how easily Linds was drawn in
The promise of luxury amenities and personalized wellness care is enticing, especially in a city like New York where self-care often comes with a hefty price tag. But the moment the club started demanding her biometric data without clear justification, the whole thing started to feel like a bait-and-switch.
The most unnerving detail? The “red light room.” Linds describes being brought into a loud, dimly lit space where staff seemed unusually interested in whether she fell asleep. Combined with the repeated questions about her alertness during other treatments, it paints a picture of a club more interested in gathering data than providing services. And while Linds doesn’t outright accuse them of anything illegal, the lack of consent around her biometric information is deeply troubling.
Her story also highlights how easily wellness culture can blur the line between self-improvement and exploitation. Many high-end clubs market themselves as holistic health hubs, but few are transparent about how they use the data they collect. The video’s virality speaks to a growing distrust of exclusive wellness spaces, especially those that operate behind closed doors.
For now, Linds has no plans to return to the club, and after hearing her story, it’s hard to blame her. The idea that a place promising relaxation and rejuvenation could instead leave her feeling violated and paranoid is the ultimate betrayal.
(Featured images: @life.with.lindz on TikTok)
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