Have you overheard chatter around the bathhouse about Sauna House growing? Noticed the coming-soon locations recently listed on our website?

Well, our team is finally ready to formally announce that we’re daring to dream big.

Sauna House will be breaking ground on new locations in 2023

When I founded Sauna House, I knew we could help people heal, create a thriving wellness community, and deliver sauna and cold therapy in a simple, approachable, egalitarian kind of way. Four years later, I think we’ve achieved that goal!

In working to realize this vision, we’ve learned a thing or two about this industry. We care deeply about our community, the sauna experience of everyone who comes through our doors, and the future of social wellness in America.

The challenge has become: how can we bring this experience to more people? How do we capture and infuse the magic we’ve created in Asheville throughout different locations across the country? How do we provide the most up to date science and the best sauna and cold plunge experience possible?

People always tell us, “Sauna House would be so great in [insert hometown here]!” And we’ve been listening.

Sauna House is Partnering with Local Operators to Open New Locations across the US

After lots of meetings about how to enter this new phase of growth, we’ve decided to start franchising! I’m sure some of you grimaced just while reading the word “franchise” and believe us, we did too. But over the last year, we’ve listened and learned from some incredibly cool businesses in the franchise community that have leveraged the franchise system to make a positive impact and grow sustainably. We’ve made a commitment to ourselves, and are now making the same commitment to you, to do this thing right.

Here's what franchising done right looks like for us:

01. Livable Wages

New locations will not only provide access to contrast therapy, they will also create new job opportunities. While many franchises out there are lobbying congress for a lower minimum wage to cut labor costs and increase profit margins, Sauna House is going in the opposite direction. All starting employees will be paid no lower than $15 an hour. Combined with tips, we’re seeing starting wages of $28+ an hour.

02. Amplifying our Environmental Initiatives

Growing means our impact grows too! As a member of 1% for the Planet, 1% of our franchise fees will be donated to environmental causes in the form of cash, co-branded advertisements, and community service work. We talk about 1% for the Planet a lot because their mission statement echoes our own: putting people and the planet over profit. Our company has been a proud member since the day we opened our doors and has donated over $25,000 to environmental conservation efforts to date. Through franchising, we’ll be able to give back even more.

03. Sustainable Bathhouse Practices

Since bathhouses inherently use a lot of electricity and water, we make offsetting that footprint a number 1 priority. Here in Asheville, our bathhouse has a compost program, avoids single-use plastic and unnecessary paper waste like the plague, uses clean products from B-corps wherever we can, installed low water use toilets and showers, and more. All future locations will follow in these same footsteps, perpetually looking for ways we can reduce our environmental impact in a world that desperately needs us.

04. Sharing our Ethical Franchise Model

Sharing stories, ideas, and leveraging damn good PR to educate our fans about the benefits of franchise systems done right. Not only do franchises build an amazing community internally, but they are fundamentally more sustainable and scalable, as well as proven to lower the risk of starting your own business.

05. Local Partnerships

We’ve been interviewing and getting to know potential partners for more than a year now – it’s important to us that the people who join our team align with our commitment to communal wellness, sustainability, and inclusivity. All Sauna House locations will be banded together in vision, quality of services, commitment to community wellness, and green initiatives. Each individual location will embrace the vibes and communities of sauna bathers and cold plunge junkies that each city uniquely brings together.

Our search has introduced us to many new faces and cool places. After lots of get-to-know-you’s, legal paperwork, financial projections, and following our hearts, we’re officially spreading our wings to build our community of Hot-Cold-Relax-Lovers.

Sauna House will be starting work on five new locations in 2023 and 2024 - Keep an eye out for announcements about specific cities!

Supporting Sauna House is supporting the future of wellness and wellbeing. Help us come together, find balance in opposites, and build stronger more resilient communities one sauna and cold plunge at a time. Check out more information on up-coming new locations including Charlotte, Durham and Bonita Springs.

Want to get on board this wild sauna bathing journey with us? Or do you know someone who does? Apply and join us at the next group webinar.

Sincerely,

Andrew Lachlan