New ads from Equinox show gym-goers at peak absurdity.

Walking into E at Equinox, nothing seems out of the ordinary from a normal trip to the Columbus Circle gym location – that is, until you approach the retina scanner. There’s no bothering with a plastic membership card for those with the exclusive, $26,000 gym membership offered at just two locations in the world.

The training area itself is nondescript, not unlike any other fitness club a typical New Yorker – or resident of Greenwich, Conn., where the other E club is located — would belong to, albeit with more expensive machinery, changing cabanas complete with private shower, personal hygiene products, a freshly laundered robe and workout apparel, and complete privacy from other Equinox members.

But according to Rolando Garcia, III, the Columbus Circle E Manager, instead of focusing solely on diet or on fitness, what has set E apart from a normal gym experience since it was founded in 2004 is the robust focus on movement, nutrition and regeneration, all in one place. With this health management approach, trainers aren’t necessarily concerned with how much members can lift or how fast they can run a mile, but rather on their overall quality of life.

“The last true luxury we have in this millennium is the ability to control our own health,” Garcia says. “That’s the real luxury we offer here at E: How healthy are you? And how much of a priority do you want to put that at, and how much support do you need? And that support is what you get here.”

To that end, members are paired with “Tier 4” personal trainers, the most experienced trainers Equinox has on staff, who craft collaborative, specialized workout regimens based on the member’s personal fitness level and targeted fitness goals. While a member works with one trainer at a time, the entire team of five to six Tier 4 trainers are on hand to offer different perspectives on the regimen. ”When people come in, we want to ensure there’s an appropriate balance and an appropriate intelligence applied to their movement,” he says.