- Founded by a former bank executive, Luminary is a two-story, ultra-chic members space for women in New York City's NoMad district complete with a beauty salon and brand new "Glass Ceiling" rooftop lounge.
- Since opening in November 2018, it has gained over 600 individual and corporate members.
- Individual membership costs between $150 and $450 per month for varying levels of access to Luminary's programming and spaces. Day passes are also available.
- I spent a day at Luminary, during which I met women of all ages who work across industries. I left thinking that a membership would be a smart investment in both my professional and personal development.
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"Come sit at our table," one wall read in large, elegant black letters. "In this together," said another in gold cursive. "You're a '#boss,'" the tabletop sculpture told me.
Nowhere in recent memory have I felt as affirmed as I did visiting Luminary NYC last month.
Founded by former bank executive Cate Luzio in November 2018, Luminary is a two-story, ultra-chic members space for women located in Manhattan's NoMad district.
In the wake of the Me Too, Time's Up and Women's March movements, a handful of members spaces geared toward women have cropped up within the United States and overseas. In New York City, these include Luminary; The Wing, which opened its first location in October 2016 as a coworking and community space geared towards women; Chief, a Tribeca-based members club for high-powered women executives; and Maison, a members club on the Upper East Side geared toward mothers. Both Chief and Maison opened in 2019.
Luminary defines itself as a "collaboration hub for women to develop, network and connect" as opposed to a coworking space or a club. What also distinguishes Luminary from other women's spaces is that while it requires its members to pay dues, it doesn't require them to fill out an application.
"You can no longer wait for your job or boss to give you a career roadmap," Luminary's website states. "We are cultivating the learning community and networks you have been looking for."
The above piqued my interest. Could $150 a month fast-track my career and network development? Could it save me precious time, spare future headache?
I spent a day at Luminary to see for myself. Here's what Luminary NYC is like:
Luminary NYC occupies two stories, plus a rooftop, in a building on Broadway in New York's NoMad district.
I visited on an overcast Monday in December, and the space was a welcome change from the weather outside.
Luminary's new "Glass Ceiling" rooftop lounge, which opened earlier this month and looks out over the Empire State building, was not yet finished.
The space opens at 8 a.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m. on Saturdays, and is closed on Sundays.
Walking in, everything was — fittingly with its brand name — luminous. Bubble-like lights hung from the ceiling, and the front desk sported a glowing "Luminary" sign.
According to Luminary's website, the definition of "luminary" is "a person who inspires or influences others; a guiding light, an inspiration, a role model, a heroine, a leader, a legend."
I arrived in the morning and sat down with Cate Luzio, Luminary's founder.
My gaze wandered to the mint-green couch, which was adorned with a decorative pillow embroidered with the words "BOSS LADY." Everything in the room was clean, polished, and exceptionally chic.
Cate and I spoke about her reasons for founding Luminary.
In short, after two decades working as an executive at HSBC, JP Morgan and Bank of America, Cate was not seeing enough investment in female talent.
"If I hear one more time, 'she's just not quite ready yet,' you know, I want to punch the person because the reason she's not ready is because you're not investing in her and developing her," she told me.
Cate then gave me a tour of the space, introducing me to other members of the Luminary team and a few members before leaving me to my day.
Past the lobby is a kitchen with a long white marble island and several bar-style seating areas.
Coffee, tea and wine are offered in the kitchen and are complimentary for members. Snacks under $10, like nuts and wraps, are available for purchase.
I noticed women of all ages entering the space. Many people greeted each other by name. Luminary has over 600 members now — a mix of entrepreneurs, corporate professionals and students, Cate told me. Male allies are welcome as well.
Luminary's membership options make it accessible to a wide range of people.
Individual memberships range from $150 to $450 per month and offer varying levels of access to Luminary's spaces and events. Luminary offers discounted plans for students, members under 25, seniors, and those working in the non-profit space. Additionally, it grants membership to one "woman in need of a community" for every 10 memberships purchased. Day passes are another option, costing $40 for adults and $20 for students under 21.
Companies can purchase memberships for their employees as well. Current corporate members include JP Morgan and UBS.
Beyond the kitchen is Luminary's largest room. Mint-green couches line the windows, and earth-toned seats fill the space in between.
This is where most people gather for socializing and connecting, and where Luminary hosts many of its larger programs. During the day, the volume ranged from hushed to coffee-shop-level.
To date, Luminary has hosted more than 200 events and workshops, 70% of which are member-led. Programs focus not just on networking, but also on building personal and professional skills like "Hacking the Fear of Public Speaking."
The concept of "collaboration over competition" is integral to Luminary's DNA, Cate told me. "I still think there is this idea that there can only be one woman that's successful in a company, in a field. And I don't buy it. I think we're successful if we work together," she said.
I camped out at one of these tables for the majority of my morning and was quite comfortable.
In the far corner is another seating area and a row of phone booths.
Beyond the main room is a salon, where members can book hair and makeup services with Glam+Go beauticians.
Services range from a 15-min blowout ($29) to one-hour wedding day makeup application ($250).
There is also a fitness studio, open to members and non-members. "Drunk yoga," I was told by several members, is a popular offering.
A Drunk Yoga class costs $45. Other options including DivaDance ($24 per class, and the first class is free for members) and Body by Fleur ($28 per class for members; $35 for non-members).
Esteem-boosting details are spread throughout the entire Luminary space.
I wasn't feeling so glam the day of my visit — a bad hair day, and my jeans shrunk in the wash, but seeing this made me smile.
The downstairs rooms lend themselves to more focused work. Overall, the lower level was quieter.
Two rows of rooms feature a mix of phone booths, conference rooms, a lactation room, and a wellness room.
The wellness room can be used for prayer or meditation, and is, like most spaces, tastefully decorated.
Beyond the conference rooms were three art-filled rooms as well as a second kitchen, where members can store personal food.
One of my favorite details was this pair of books sandwiched between pineapple bookends in the largest conference room.
"The Myth of the Nice Girl" and "Leaders Eat Last" are two titles about succeeding in the world of business. In the former, author Fran Hauser "proves that women don't have to sacrifice their values or hide their authentic personalities to be successful," according to the book's Amazon description.
Then there's the pineapple, the traditional symbol of Southern hospitality.
Whether or not the combination of traditional symbol and forward-thinking books was intentional, it indicated to me what Luminary sets out to do: to embrace all that women are.
This #goaldigger sign, a play on "gold digger," was another nice touch.
As I wandered through the space, multiple members stopped me to ask who I was and what brought me to Luminary.
That's one of the biggest reasons why women join Luminary, Cate told me. In the workforce, women usually find themselves surrounded by people similar to them — caught in the same circles. Luminary brings people from across industries together into a single space.
"Women are looking to invest in themselves and further develop their skill sets, wanting access to other ideas and perspectives ... They want that opportunity to cross pollinate with one another," she said.
It didn't take me long to feel at home at Luminary, and by the end of the day I really felt like I was part of the community.
One member, an entrepreneur I met in the morning, returned in the afternoon with a pair of her designer comfort pumps for me to try on.
I witnessed interactions like this taking place throughout the day. The desire to connect, share, and help was palpable and genuine.
By way of decoration, Luminary feels similar to other women's space I've visited and read about. In the fall, I toured Maison as part of Open House New York, and in 2017, Business Insider visited The Wing's Dumbo and SoHo locations. All interiors feature glowing orbs of light suspended from the ceiling as well as earth-toned furniture with accents of green, pink and gold. Both Maison and The Wing also offer programming for members.
While I have not experienced Maison or The Wing's community, after speaking with Luminary members and guests who either belonged or belong to The Wing, I got the sense that Luminary's community is a large draw.
To preserve the feeling of community, Luminary has no plans to build a new location in NYC, Cate told me, but she isn't ruling out other cities in the future.
I can see how Luminary's single location would be inconvenient for members who do not live close to NoMad. But as someone who lives nearby, I believe that a membership would be a worthwhile investment.
Luminary's starting memberships for adults over 25 is $150 per month, or $5 per day. To put that in perspective, The Wing's membership starts at $185 per month, and Maison's starts at $275 per month.
While events and fitness classes are not included in the $150 per month, I would consider joining for the sole reason of infusing my life with the type of women I met during my visit — kind, interested, supportive. I have a hunch that spending time here would create connections I didn't even know I needed.
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