How to Price Lifestyle Club Memberships and Door Fees

This guide is for owners of private lifestyle clubs in the US and Canada who are setting, or rethinking, what they charge: memberships, door fees and event tickets, for couples and singles. The market figures come from the Find Lifestyle Clubs price index, which tracks the advertised prices of 135 US clubs (September 2026). It is general information, not legal or tax advice.

What clubs charge today

Door fees

A couple's standard door fee at a US club has a median of $50, and half of clubs charge between $30 and $70. The median for a single man is $70 and for a single woman $20. In Canada the medians are $40 for a couple, $40 for a single man and $20 for a single woman. By state, the median for a couple runs from $20 to $80.

These are each club's lowest standard entry prices, so Friday and Saturday prices usually run higher. Multi-night packages and hotel takeovers aren't included.

Memberships

Most US clubs are private membership venues. Trial or short-term memberships commonly run $20 to $60, with annual memberships higher. In ten clubs' own price lists we read in September 2026, eight required a membership to enter, and annual memberships ran from about C$60 to US$420 for a couple. Three sold a year-long pass that covers every door fee.

Nights and extras

Saturdays usually cost the most, and midweek and first-timer nights less. Of 400 clubs with a known bar policy, 48% are BYOB (Find Lifestyle Clubs statistics). A BYOB club earns from admission and memberships rather than a bar, so those prices carry the business.

Start from your costs and your room

Split your costs in two. Fixed costs stay the same however many people come: rent, staff, security, insurance, software. Per-guest costs rise with each person: mixers, towels, food, laundry.

Then work out your break-even point: fixed costs divided by what each admission leaves after its per-guest cost (SBA). For example, if a night costs $3,000 to open and each couple costs $10 in mixers and towels, at $50 a couple you need 75 couples to break even.

Memberships pay for the month, and door fees pay for the night. Traditional private clubs set dues to cover the cost of membership and review them once a year. Decide how many people make a good night in your space, and price so the nights you most want to fill sell out first.

Choose your memberships

Trial and one-night memberships

A trial lets people try your club before they commit. But a membership anyone can buy at the door on the night is what courts point to when they refuse to treat a club as private (see the legal section below). Consider approval before a first visit, or a trial that counts toward a regular membership. In one study of a subscription TV service, customers who joined on a free trial were worth 59% less over their lifetime than regular customers, so a trial works best as a step into a real membership.

Monthly, annual and longer

Offer more than one billing cycle, and show the monthly equivalent of the longer ones. In a study of three health clubs, monthly members were 17% more likely than annual members to still be members after a year, while annual members pay up front. Renewals have their own rules (consent, reminders, canceling online), covered in payments for lifestyle clubs.

Lifetime memberships and passes

A lifetime membership is one payment for as long as your club runs. Limit how many you sell and say what they include. Passes for a fixed number of days suit visitors from out of town. In a study of ski passes, multi-day passes led to more skipped days than single-day tickets, so expect some no-shows on nights covered by a pass.

Couples and singles

In the clubs we read, one membership held by two people was the most common structure. Some clubs price per person, and a few charge a single the same as a couple. Say in your terms what happens to a couple's membership if the couple separates.

Tiers, caps and waitlists

Keep to a few tiers that differ in what they include. Cap the number of members in a tier and keep a waitlist. A cap keeps the room right, and real selectivity is also what courts look for in a private club. An invitation-only tier works the same way.

Door fees and event tickets

Price the night, not the person

Give every guest the same reasons to pay less: a cheaper weeknight, a first-timer night, an early price for booking ahead. An early price works when members believe the price at the door will be higher. Selling at a few price levels rather than one earned concerts about 5% more in one study.

Member prices

Half of the ten clubs we read gave members or pass holders a lower ticket price. Set a member price for each membership type, and make some nights members-only.

Tickets that admit two

A couple's ticket can admit two people on one purchase, with the second guest's name added after checkout.

Pricing couples, singles, men and women: what the law says

Many clubs charge single men more than single women, and some admit single women free. Of 332 clubs with a stated singles policy, 45% admit single men at least some nights, 46% restrict them, and 8% are couples-only (Find Lifestyle Clubs statistics). Whether prices may differ by sex or marital status depends on where your club is.

In the US, states decide

The federal public-accommodations law covers race, color, religion and national origin, not sex, so the question falls to states and cities.

California's rules are the clearest. The Unruh Civil Rights Act covers every business establishment and protects both sex and marital status, and the Gender Tax Repeal Act bars charging different prices for similar services because of gender. In Koire v. Metro Car Wash (1985), the California Supreme Court held that a nightclub's free entry for women violated the Unruh Act, and it rejected the club's reason of bringing the sexes together. In Angelucci v. Century Supper Club (2007), men charged more than women could sue without first asking for the women's price. Each person charged more can claim at least $4,000 plus attorney's fees.

Courts or agencies in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota have reached similar results. Washington's Supreme Court (1981) and an Illinois liquor-law case (1981) allowed discounts for women, and Nevada's law expressly allows promotional pricing based on sex. New York bars different prices for similar services based on gender.

Does being a private club change it?

Only if your club is private in fact. Courts ask above all whether membership is genuinely selective. They also look at whether anyone can buy a membership at the door on the night, whether the fee is nominal, whether the club advertises to the public, and whether members have any say. A federal court in Arizona (1999) and a New York court (1984) looked at clubs that sold memberships at the door and treated them as businesses open to the public; the Arizona court called their membership "more fiction than reality". In California, a truly private club is generally not a business establishment, but regular business with nonmembers makes it one.

In Canada, the provincial codes decide

Provincial human rights codes cover sex and marital status in services. Ontario's code lets a recreational club set dues and fees by sex or marital status (s. 20(3)), but it doesn't define a recreational club, and no decision says whether a for-profit lifestyle club qualifies. Saskatchewan allows fee preferences based on marital status, not sex. Alberta's human rights commission says businesses can't run promotions based on a protected ground. A 2013 Ontario tribunal ruling found that a lower cover charge for women at a bar was not discrimination.

Couples and singles

Marital status is protected in public accommodations in several states, among them California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Maryland and Colorado, and in Canada's provincial codes. We found no court ruling on couple and single prices at clubs. A couple's price open to any two people doesn't depend on sex.

Prices courts have called lawful

The California Supreme Court described the kind of pricing that applies alike to everyone: the same price per person, a cheaper night for everyone, and discounts for booking early or buying more. A member price against a guest price, and approval applied to every applicant, work the same way. Before you publish prices that differ by sex or marital status, take your price list to a lawyer in your state or province.

Show one all-in price

Every fee a member has to pay belongs in the price you show: admin, booking, processing and service fees alike. California requires the posted price to include all of them, and disclosing a fee later at checkout isn't enough (California Attorney General). Colorado, Minnesota and other states now have similar rules, and the FTC requires all-in prices for live-event tickets. In Canada, a price that leaves out a fixed fee other than a government tax is misleading (Competition Bureau), and a C$38.9 million penalty was imposed in 2024 over a C$1.50 online booking fee. How taxes work is covered in the payments guide.

Changing your prices

Review prices once a year. Give members notice before a renewal price changes: California requires 7 to 30 days' notice for automatic renewals. Keeping existing members at their current price when you raise it for new ones is a common way to reward loyalty.

Setting it up in Enclave

Memberships on Enclave come as membership types with their own perks, a cap on numbers, invitation-only visibility and approval of each application. Each type can have several billing cycles: weekly, monthly, quarterly, four-month, semi-annual, annual, lifetime, or a pass for a fixed number of days. Members can move between plans with a prorated charge, and a reminder email goes out 30 days before each renewal.

Tickets can carry a member price for each membership type, be members-only or hidden, have a limit on numbers and a sales window for early prices, and admit two people with guest names. Coupons can apply to one night or a whole series, and a couple can share one profile.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a lifestyle club membership cost?

Trial or short-term memberships commonly run $20 to $60, with annual memberships higher. In ten clubs' price lists we read in September 2026, annual memberships ran from about C$60 to US$420 for a couple.

How much do lifestyle clubs charge at the door?

In the US the median standard door fee is $50 for a couple, $70 for a single man and $20 for a single woman; in Canada, $40, $40 and $20. Weekend nights usually cost more.

Why do single men pay more at lifestyle clubs?

Clubs say they price this way to keep attendance balanced. In the US a single man pays a median of $70 against $50 for a couple, about 2.8 times as much per person. In Canada a single man pays the same as a couple. Check the law where you are before pricing by sex.

Is it legal to charge men and women different prices?

It depends on your state or province. California's courts have held that it violates state law for businesses, Nevada's law allows promotional pricing by sex, and Ontario has an exception for recreational clubs. Ask a lawyer before you publish prices that differ by sex.

Does being a private club change the rules?

Only if your club is private in fact: membership that is genuinely selective, not sold to anyone at the door on the night, and not advertised to the general public.

Should I offer monthly or annual memberships?

Both. Annual memberships bring money in up front, and in one study monthly members were more likely to stay beyond a year. Show the monthly equivalent of every longer cycle.