Lululemon isn’t just an athleisure retailer — it’s the athleisure brand. The multibillion-dollar global empire pioneered the athleisure-wear trend, a style that combines fashion and fitness and can seamlessly travel from the office to the gym to the grocery store. Athleisure took off during the pandemic and is now the unofficial uniform of busy professionals forever en route to their next yoga class.
In the 25 years since the Vancouver-based brand opened as a design studio that happened to host yoga classes at night, Lululemon has amassed a devoted fan base and a reputation for the finest, swishy, sweat-wicking pants in town. The athleisure juggernaut has carved out a space for fashion-forward, functional pieces; whether you’re scaling bouldering walls, rolling around on jujitsu mats or jogging around your neighborhood — Lululemon’s got the outfit for you.
Between their buttery (albeit pricey) leggings, their viral belt bag and their discounted “We Made Too Much” section, you probably don’t need another reason to love Lululemon. “No more!” we hear you cry. “I already love Lululemon so much I could explode.” Well, brace yourselves because we’re hitting you with another one: Lululemon has a membership program called Lululemon Essential that’s free to join and packed with perks.
What Is the Lululemon Essential Membership?
Lululemon Essential is a loyalty club that hooks members up with benefits like early access to new products and easier returns. The program is free to join and available to every Lululemon shopper. If you have a Lululemon account, you’re already a member!
The Lululemon Essential membership launched in October 2022. It was released alongside a premium, paid membership program called Lululemon Studio, which was discontinued in 2023 (more on that later).
What Are the Benefits of Lululemon Essential?
The Lululemon Essential membership club comes with a host of benefits designed to “enhance guest experience,” according to the brand. We’ve broken down the best of these benefits below.
Early Access to Product Drops
Early access to new arrivals might just be the best perk of the Lululemon Essentials membership. As any Lululemon fan will tell you, popular items — like the Everywhere Belt Bag, Fast and Free high-rise tights and Align Dress — tend to sell out fast. A Lululemon Essentials membership gets you a better chance at nabbing a cult favorite before the masses of Lululemon fans snatch them up.
As a member, you’ll get alerted when a new product drops or a popular style is restocked via the Lululemon app. The app is free to download, and doubles as your Membership pass for ultra-easy account access in-store. The Lululemon app also gets you access to free digital fitness classes from Peloton.
Access to the Receipt-Free Lululemon Membership Return Policy
The Lululemon regular return policy is a fairly reasonable one, letting you make returns and exchanges on eligible items within 30 days of purchase. To qualify for a return, products must be unworn and unwashed with their original tags and packaging. Typically, they must be accompanied by a receipt or proof of purchase — but not so for Lululemon Essential members, who enjoy receipt-free returns.
Another perk of the Lululemon membership return policy is the option to return or exchange sale items. Lululemon sale items are traditionally final sale — meaning you can’t return or exchange them, barring a major defect. But as a Lululemon Essential member, you get to bypass this rule and exchange unwanted sale items you purchased for a Lululemon gift card or new find. You can exchange final sale items you bought in-store via the app or Lululemon.com. The one catch is you have to visit a Lululemon store to conduct an exchange — no online returns are allowed.
Free Hemming
Once available to all Lululemon shoppers, free hemming is now an elite perk offered exclusively to Lululemon Essential members. It’s a particularly attractive option for people on the shorter side or who like a cropped cut. This perk can be applied to new or used Lululemon leggings and — according to former employees — can even be used to repair ripped seams or holes in your Lululemon items.
To access free hemmings and repairs at Lululemon, bring the item you want to be altered to a participating Lululemon store. (Lululemon outlets typically do not offer hemming service.) A store attendant will note your preferences and a tailor will hem the item in the next three business days.
Access Select Peloton Classes
As a Lululemon Essential member, you get free access to select fitness classes on your Lululemon app. Peloton fitness instructors conduct these workouts and include a regularly updated collection of strength, cardio and yoga classes.
Invitations to Membership Events
Lululemon membership events are live, in-person events available exclusively to Lululemon Essential members. At Lululemon events — which range from 10K races to in-store yoga to mat Pilates classes — you can meet and move with fellow fitness lovers in your area.
What Is Lululemon x Peloton?
The new Lululemon and Peloton partnership was announced in September 2023. As part of the five-year strategic partnership, Peloton will develop digital workouts for the Lululemon app, and Lululemon will become Peloton’s main provider of athleticwear.
Under the agreement, Peloton content will be accessible through the Lululemon Mirror. In addition, Lululemon will offer access to select Peloton content to Lululemon Essentials members for free via the app.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lululemon Memberships
Is Lululemon Membership Free?
The Lululemon Essentials membership is 100% free. To sign up and unlock all of the benefits, all you have to do is create an account by supplying some basic information, including your name and email address. You also have the option to sign up for free in-store.
For a few years, Lululemon offered a paid membership called Lululemon Studio — however, this option is no more.
What Is the Lululemon Studio Membership?
Way back in 2022, when Lululemon first introduced Lululemon Essentials, it also launched a second, paid, elite-tier membership: Lululemon Studio. The now-discontinued membership connected members to premium fitness content accessed through the Lululemon Studio Mirror, a fitness device that displayed workout videos you could follow along with from your home.
The Lululemon Studio All-Access membership was $39 per month and required you to purchase the Lululemon Studio Mirror (which retailed for $995). The all-access membership included all the benefits of a Lululemon Essential membership, in addition to unlimited access to content from Lululemon Studio and its partners, 10% off at Lululemon and discounted in-person classes at Lululemon Studio partner locations.
What Happened to Lululemon Studio?
Lululemon announced plans to stop selling the Mirror device by the end of 2023. In the announcement, the brand also said it will stop producing Studio content in spring 2024. Lululemon has partnered with exercise media and equipment brand Peloton to replace its Studio membership. As part of the partnership, Lululemon will offer Peloton classes on its Mirror device and the Lululemon app.
Today, you can no longer sign up for Lululemon Studio or purchase the Mirror. However, existing Mirror owners will still receive service and support for technical issues and warranties and access to fitness content on the Lululemon app.
The post Everything You Need to Know About the Free Lululemon Membership appeared first on The Real Deal by RetailMeNot.
