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Forbes
15-07-2025
- Health
- Forbes
8 NYC Wellness Clubs To Restore And Refresh This Summer
Prior to the pandemic, you likely worked at your workplace, worked out at the gym and socialized at a members-only club. But as people continue to work from home and rates of loneliness are on the rise, the boundaries that previously separated these different areas of our life have blurred. Enter: the wellness club. A place where you can sweat and socialize, without the effort of a laborious workout or, in some cases, the commitment of a pricey membership. Blending spa facilities with the atmosphere of a social club, wellness clubs cater to rising demand for connection and self-care. Othership While wellness clubs are popping up around the world, New York City is a hotbed, catering to an increasingly stressed out and lonely population. 'New York City is one of the more socially connected places in the world, but social connections are typically occupied by drinking and partying,' says Remedy Place founder Dr. Jonathan Leary. Sarrah Hallock, co-founder and COO of THE WELL, echoes this sentiment. 'In cities like New York, socializing often revolves around late nights, heavy drinking and fast-paced routines. Wellness clubs offer a space where you no longer have to choose between their health and their social life.' Emily Bent, the co-founder of Othership, agrees, 'a lot of people feel stuck between two options: go out and drink, or stay home and be alone. That's the gap wellness clubs are filling—we're creating a third space where people can connect in a real way, without alcohol or tech in the way.' Blurring the boundary between one's wellness routine and social life, wellness clubs offer a more integrated lifestyle. Moss By blurring the line between one's wellness routine and social life, these wellness clubs envision a more integrated lifestyle. 'Gyms are great if you want to work on your body and co-working spaces are great if you want to work on your output, but there's nowhere to go when you want to work on how you actually feel ,' explains Bent, who envisions Othership as a place where people can regulate their nervous system, release emotion and connect with others. 'Wellness clubs give a certain set of people who have the time and money to focus on health and wellness on a more comprehensive scale,' says cityWell founder Liz Tortolani. THE WELL founder Sarrah Hallock agrees, 'wellness becomes a shared experience that seamlessly blends into all aspects of life—whether it's starting your morning with a Mindful Movement class, dropping in for a steam and sauna session with a friend, or seeing one of our functional nurses for a vitamin infusion drip to nourish your body at a cellular level and boost overall well-being.' "Wellness clubs offer a space where you no longer have to choose between their health and their social life,' says Emily Bent, co-founder of Othership. Othership Acknowledging that self-care looks different for everyone, New York's wellness clubs offer a range of wellness services—from hyperbaric chambers to float tanks to cedar saunas. Recognizing that some people may not where to start, some wellness clubs—like THE WELL and Recoverie, offer expert guidance. 'There's a lack of clear, accessible education around wellness-based lifestyles,' says Recoverie founder Siobhan Peterson. 'We provide the tools and guidance to help them make meaningful, sustainable changes, and because everyone's wellness journey is unique, we work with members to create personalized plans tailored to their individual needs, goals, and rhythms.' "Because everyone's wellness journey is unique, we work with members to create personalized plans tailored to their individual needs, goals, and rhythms," says Recoverie founder Siobhan Peterson. Recoverie What sets wellness clubs apart is that treatments don't have to be experienced individually—instead, socialization is encouraged with co-working spaces and communal lounges, group sauna and bathing sessions, and helping guests reserve private parties or date nights. Some clubs even host events, such as The Moss, where art exhibitions, musical performances, supper clubs and evening salons are held in their upstairs space. Some wellness clubs, like Brooklyn Wellness Club, emphasize community-building over cutting-edge spa facilities. Brooklyn Wellness Club These wellness clubs draw on the ancient tradition of wellness as a shared experience—for centuries, people around the world have practiced communal bathing—but they are distinctively designed for the modern age, with cutting-edge A.I. technology and in person-experiences that satiate our desire for social connection beyond the screen. While no two wellness clubs in New York look the same, they all aim to leave you feeling less tired and less alone. Read on for the top wellness clubs to find connection and restoration in the city that never sleeps. Othership The hydrotherapy circuit at Othership. Othership When co-founder Emily Bent felt burnt out and disconnected, she discovered healing in hot and cold therapy. Recognizing that others felt like her—stressed, overstimulated and craving community—she was surprised with the lack of spaces catering to this need. 'There was nowhere to do it that felt welcoming, intentional, and community-based, so we built it,' says Bent. 'A space to drop in, reset, and be with others—without alcohol, without phones, just real presence.' Guests can choose between a private or shared circuit which includes saunas and ice baths, as well as access to the social commons and expert guides. Essential oils, immersive music and techniques such as visualization and breathwork enhance the experience. 'We're seeing people cry, connect, regulate, heal—all in one session,' says co-founder Bent. 'They're coming back not just for the sauna or the cold, but because it makes them feel something. We've created a space where people can actually process what they're carrying and connect in ways that matter.' Remedy Place Hyperbaric chambers at Remedy Place. Remedy Place When Dr. Jonathan Leary created Remedy Place in 2012, he hoped to fill a void he witnessed in conventional medicine of places where patients could take agency over their own health. 13 years later, Remedy Place has exceeded his original vision. As one of the city's original wellness clubs, Remedy Place combines technology-driven remedies and alternative medicine to take a holistic approach to treating the body. Whether you have a specific health concern or are simply seeking restoration, their vast range of services led by knowledgeable practitioners meet you where you're at. Remedy Place has locations in Manhattan, Los Angeles and Boston. BENJAMIN HOLTROP Ice baths, hyperbaric chambers, lymphatic compression, AI massages, red light therapy, acupuncture and IV drips—there are few treatments they don't offer. Equally as important as the treatments is the social element, 'Instead of centering around food and alcohol, we offer experiences that amplify not only you, but also the people you share them with,' says founder Dr. Jonathan Leary. 'When everyone is elevated, so are the relationships.' While they have two locations in Manhattan, you can now find Remedy place in Boston and L.A. too. Moss Moss. Moss Recognizing the lack of holistic spaces that integrate physical fitness, mental well-being and social connection, sisters Colleen and Hailey Brooks created Moss to fill the gap with a place for finding connection, relaxation and personal development. 'Our inspiration for Moss stemmed from a desire to create a club where members could gather in the shared pursuit of intelligent leisure—our vision of thoughtful, thought-provoking programming—and physical culture—our holistic approach to the individual and social sides of wellness, fitness, and recreation,' says Colleen and Hailey Brooks. Spanning five floors on the corner of Fifth Avenue in Midtown, the club's wellness offerings are expansive, including three thermal pools, a longevity clinic, hammam, cold plunge, spa, training gym, Pilates reformer studio, and sports courts. The upper two floors are devoted to socializing and creativity, with a library bar, symposium, recording studio, piano lounge, and private dining rooms. While still in its final development stages, the main clubhouse is set to open in the fall of 2025, and the pre-opening space on the 59th floor at 500 Fifth Avenue is already hosting events. cityWell Brooklyn cityWell Brooklyn. cityWell If your idea of self-care is a steaming hot bath, this is the wellness club for you. Founder and licensed massage therapist Liz Tortolani was inspired by the ancient tradition of communal bathing to create a bathhouse in Gowanus, Brooklyn, that offered something different from the typical Russian and Turkish bathhouses in the city. 'I wanted to create a space for like-minded wellness seekers to come together and take care of their bodies and minds; and find solace in this demanding city.' The outdoor oasis specializes in hydrotherapy circuits which includes a dry cedar sauna, cold plunge, hot bath, outdoor rain shower and aromatherapy steam. What sets the bathhouse apart from other spas in the city is their $25 community hydrotherapy sessions, which include complimentary towels, snacks and tea, and their massages, which take place in cedar cabins during the winter and outside during the summer, and can be reserved for one or two people. Tortolani's own aromatherapy line of massage oils, body washes and sprays enhances the experiences. Even if you visit outside a communal hydrotherapy session, the safe space encourages community with its LGBTQ+ hydro-sessions, and inviting outdoor lounge space complete with a yoga platform, fire pit, hammock and sun benches. THE WELL THE WELL. THE WELL The idea for THE WELL came from co-founder Sarrah Hallock's personal journey battling an autoimmune condition. When she found that combining Eastern and Western medicine worked, she joined forces with Rebecca Parekh and Kane Sarhan to create a collaborative space that could offer personalized, holistic care from expert practitioners and doctors. 'The science behind what it means to be well is advancing rapidly,' says Hallock. 'We're committed to bringing the most effective new longevity treatments, workout and recovery modalities, and emerging wellness technologies that enhance how we heal and perform while honoring the time-tested systems of Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda.' THE WELL. The Well From IV vitamin drips to acupuncture; health coaching to vibrational energy healing—THE WELL offers a wide range of services, which you can choose from with the assistance of your dedicated wellness concierge. Beyond your personal concierge, a team of experts, led by chief medical officer Dr. Frank Lipman, oversee the programming, offering a level of exerptise and guidance you won't find at your typical gym or spa. 'Wellness isn't just what happens in a doctor's office once a year, it's how we live the other 364 days,' says Hallock. 'People want access to wellness where they live, work, and travel—that's what we're building: communities and environments that support whole-person health as a natural part of everyday life.' Recoverie Recoverie. Recoverie The loss of a close family member during the pandemic forced Siobhan Peterson to reflect on her own health. Realizing her physical and emotional wellbeing had declined due to prioritizing work over her health, she began committing to wellness and was so inspired by how her lifestyle change improved her energy, mindset and relationships, she opened the first wellness club of its kind in Brooklyn to offer her own experience to others. With a goal to 'make wellness feel essential, not exclusive,' and emphasize community over prestige, Recoverie's monthly memberships start at $200. Recoverie. Recoverie Services range from red light therapy to cryotherapy to infrared saunas, and aim to complement, rather than replace the gym. Wellness clubs are often the entry point for people to begin improving their health across multiple dimensions—movement, nutrition, sleep, recovery, and community,' says Peterson. 'We help our members explore those areas in a supportive environment and even organize group workouts at local gyms to lower the barrier to trying something new.' While Peterson initially envisioned Recoverie as an active, health-conscious community working out in Brooklyn Bridge Park, years later, she finds members return for the mental clarity and emotional relief their therapies provide. 'People are carrying so much, stress, self-doubt, emotional fatigue, and when they find a space where they feel safe, supported, and at home, they open up to the possibilities of what real self-care can do. The Brooklyn Wellness Club The Brooklyn Wellness Club. The Brooklyn Wellness Club The co-founder of the first Black, woman-owned yoga studio in the country, Paris Alexandra is expanding her vision to provide a supportive, safe environment for wellness and connection with her latest venture: The Brooklyn Wellness Club. While you won't find spa facilities here, the space acts as more as a wellness hub hosting daily yoga classes and monthly events, such as a Black Men Resting Yoga Class, as well as a co-working space. Their programming also includes offsite events with community partners in Brooklyn. It's this emphasis on community-building that makes owner Alexandra especially proud, 'Seeing the impact on our members and the impact we have in collaborating with our community partners makes this calling well worth it.' Continuum Club Continuum Club. Continuum With over 20 years of experience in the wellness space, founder Jeff Halevy saw the need for a wellness club that utilizes individualized data for a personalized program that delivers measurable results. So he created this members-only club in Greenwich Village that uses the latest AI technology to assess your biometrics and determine which treatments will be most effective in addressing your health concerns. Members programs are powered by wearable health technology connected to the Continuum app, tailoring training, recovery and nutrition to the individual's physiology. From red light therapy to hyperbaric oxygen tanks to cold plunge—you'll find all the latest tech-driven treatments here. A calming oasis that blends co-working, relaxation and socializing coupled with top-notch amenities and a cafe serving a rotating menu of nutritious eats, make the club's air of exclusivity (they cap membership at 250) understandable.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Saunas are the hot new hangout spot, so I tried a $44 social cold plunge class. It was awkward — until I took an ice bath with a stranger.
"Social wellness," which blends socializing with health and fitness, is becoming more popular. A Business Insider health reporter went to a social sauna and ice bath class designed to reset the nervous system. At first it was awkward, but that changed when she got in an ice bath with a classmate. I turned right at Barry's Boot Camp and arrived at my destination: Arc, a communal sauna and cold plunge studio in London's financial district, which markets itself as a place for people to connect. You can start your week there with a guided contrast therapy class —that is, switching between extreme heat and cold— at 7:30 a.m. on Monday morning, and see it out with a sauna party on Saturday night, complete with DJs, aromatherapy, and of course, cold plunges. While saunas and ice baths aren't new (they're known to help athletes recover faster and are a must in any bougie gym or spa), they're quickly becoming a staple of social wellness: the blending together of socializing with wellness activities, such as running clubs and longevity retreats. The merging of these trends makes sense. The global wellness industry was valued at $6.3 trillion in 2023, up 25% since 2019, and after being starved of social connection during the COVID-19 pandemic, people are becoming more aware of the link between socializing and longevity. Social saunas are popping up everywhere. Rebase, another self-proclaimed "social wellness" club, opened in London last May, while Othership, a Toronto-based "social sauna" and ice bath studio, launched its first US spa in July with more than 20 locations across North America expected to follow in the next five years. Bathhouse, a New York-based spa with two locations, just added four additional pools and two saunas to its Williamsburg branch. Arc opened in London's Canary Wharf in January and calls itself a community-focused space, where guests are guided on "a journey of self-discovery, personal growth, and meaningful connection within themselves and others." I was there to attend Dopamine Reset, a guided contrast therapy session that promises to "reset the brain's reward system," "break old habits," and "unlock new levels of growth and peak experiences" — a tall order for a 50-minute class. I wanted to try it for two reasons. Firstly, as a woman in my twenties I naturally spend too much time on the internet and have anxiety. So, I'm always keen to experiment with something that might snap me out of my thought spirals. But secondly, and most importantly, I wanted to see if meeting new people while exposing myself to extreme temperatures, almost nude, would be as awkward as it sounds, or actually provide an opportunity for bonding. Breaking the ice, if you will. So I took the plunge and booked the £35 ($44) class. I felt uncomfortable walking into the class Excited and nervous, I left the chic changing room in my swimsuit and entered a dimly lit ampitheatre-cum-cave called The Lounge: a terracotta room big enough for 50 people, with a tiered conversation pit at its center. I sat near three young women, all wearing smartwatches that were most certainly tracking their biometrics. So far, so awkward and lonely. Of the 12 out of a possible 40 of us in the 12:30 p.m. class, there was only one man, who was taking a break from training for Hyrox, a buzzy, intensive indoor fitness competition. (You'll notice that there are no people in the photos accompanying this piece — the sauna understandably didn't want us to take pics of guests in their swimsuits, or disrupt their journeys of self-discovery). After a few minutes, our teacher — or "sauna master" in Arc lingo — appeared mic'd up and wearing a one-piece swimsuit and a long sarong to explain the structure of the class. We would be led through breathwork, meditation, and gentle stretches in the sauna for around 15 minutes before hitting the ice baths. There, we would submerge ourselves in freezing water (a maximum of 42 degrees Fahrenheit) for two minutes. The magic — the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps the body relax — starts to happen after the 30-second mark, she said. We spread out along the benches of the sauna built to could accommodate 65 people The 65-person wooden sauna was wide and tall enough for the twelve of us to spread out along its three benches. Our teacher started the class by throwing a snowball filled with essential oils onto the coals at the center of the room and whipping a towel in a circular motion in the air to spread the floral aromas. The room was heated to a near-uncomfortable 200 degrees Fahrenheit, and I started sweating almost immediately. Breathing exercises in extreme heat weren't relaxing As we started the breathwork —which involved rounds of inhaling, holding our breath, and exhaling for four seconds each — I loosened up a bit, mainly because we were encouraged to close our eyes. I'm used to breathing exercises like this in my weekly yoga classes and know my way around the Headspace app , but holding my breath in the extreme heat was strenuous and frankly unpleasant. I didn't feel particularly relaxed yet and hadn't shared so much as a smile with anyone. This all changed when we moved on to the next section of the class. I shared my ice bath with a fellow classmate After a quick post-sauna rinse in the shower room adjacent to the sauna, where I slathered myself with complementary Malin+Goetz shower gel, it was time to get chilly. In a charcoal-colored room made entirely out of stone were eight ice baths. It had a harsh feel compared to the light natural materials of the sauna and the lounge. Each bath was large enough for two people, and I partnered with Carli Wheatley, 42, who I later found out is a lymphatic massage therapist and has worked in the wellness industry for years — a theme among my classmates. I felt apprehensive as we assumed our positions and at the count of three, all stepped inside the icy vats and sat down. The pain hit my feet, legs, and hands immediately, and I had to fight the urge to get out. But lo and behold, after about 30 seconds, my muscles started to relax, and I felt calmer. Wheatley and I intermittently shared exasperated looks, which reassured me. A gong signaled that two minutes were up, and we stepped out. My legs felt numb, and it was as if currents of electricity were zapping me. I felt awake from the inside out: an awakeness I had never felt before. Like an espresso entering your bloodstream, but without the mania. After the ice bath, I started to feel more comfortable and chatted with the people around me Re-entering the sauna, the atmosphere had softened. Everyone's body language was more open, and we started chatting about our shared experience (trauma). The intensity of the ice bath served as a welcome social buffer. I asked people why they decided to come and if they enjoyed it. Those I spoke to (I wasn't able to chat with everyone in the class) were either into health and wellness or worked in the industry. They had come for the sauna's physical and mental benefits, not to socialize, but I do wonder if this would've been different had I come to an evening event. Renata Bianchi, a 38-year-old hypnotherapist from Brazil, said that she found Arc online, thought the facilities looked beautiful, and wanted to try it. She told me she'd like to come back again next week. One woman, who wants to train as a sauna master and is a fan of the cult health-optimization podcast, the "Huberman Lab," told us that she had been to Arc about seven times in the three months since it opened. She grew up using saunas and loves the high she gets from contrast therapy. "I've heard it's good for metabolism and brown fat, but that's not why I do it," she said. I went for a second dip, with friends! Although no one had come for the social aspect, they were all up for chatting, and a group of us decided to give the ice baths a second go. We exhaled loudly and giggled to get through round two. It reminded me a little of summer camp. We popped into the sauna again to warm up, shared some last-minute reflections on the state of the world, and gradually dispersed. As I made my way back to the changing area, I realized that I hadn't thought about anything outside of these three rooms for at least 20 minutes. That was a huge win, which told me I had been in the moment and felt calm. The social sauna class got me out of my head I felt calmer and more grounded leaving Arc than I did walking in. I also had some pleasant conversations and enjoyed myself. But, as is the case with many wellness treatments designed to help you destress and boost your sense of well-being, the effects were short-lived. After I left the luxury subterranean spa, I rejoined the real world: the cause of my stress. I felt that I could've achieved that calm feeling for less money, or even for free, if I put my phone down and started each morning with a sunrise walk. But it's easier to go to a sauna class than to delete your Instagram account or confront a demanding boss. If I had the money and the time, I could see myself becoming a regular, albeit more for the relaxation than the connection. Did I leave with a new group of friends? No. But it got me out of my head and chatting to people, which is a difficult feat in our fast-paced, digital-first world. Read the original article on Business Insider
