From Luxury Spa to Weekly Ritual: The Democratization of Recovery
Recovery used to mean a quarterly spa trip. SWTHZ has turned it into a weekly ritual with 100 private contrast therapy studios across 25+ states.
Published March 31 2026, 7:30 p.m. ET
Not long ago, sitting in a sauna or plunging into icy water felt like a luxury reserved for spa weekends and celebrity wellness escapes. It was an occasional reset—once a quarter if you were lucky, maybe twice a year if you were being honest. Now, recovery is becoming routine, and SweatHouz (SWTHZ) is helping drive that shift.
The contrast therapy franchise opened its 100th studio on March 13 in Kansas City's Power & Light District, just seven years after founder Jamie Weeks launched the concept in 2019. Each location features private suites with an infrared sauna, cold plunge and vitamin C shower, all bookable through an app and designed for a self-guided 60-minute session. Memberships are month-to-month and valid at every studio nationwide.
"We hear it all the time from members. This used to be their birthday treat or their vacation splurge," CEO Nico Varano said in a statement on Thursday, March 26. "Now it's their Tuesday morning. That tells you everything about where wellness is headed."
The data backs him up. SWTHZ delivered over 2 million hours of private recovery sessions in 2025, and the global wellness economy hit a record $6.8 trillion last year and is projected to reach $9.8 trillion by 2029. That growth tracks with consumer behavior. McKinsey reports that 84% of U.S. consumers now rank wellness as a top priority, and research published in JAMA Internal Medicine has found that the benefits of regular sauna use compound with frequency. People are moving away from occasional indulgences and toward recovery practices they can maintain week after week.
"An hour in one of our suites resets your body in a way that builds over time. Members tell us they're sleeping better, recovering faster, handling stress differently throughout the week," Varano said. "That kind of feedback is what keeps us opening studios."
SWTHZ now operates in more than 25 states with new territories in development across Virginia, Utah, Colorado, Connecticut and New York. Through its strategic partnership with cold plunge brand Plunge, the company projects up to 12 million cold plunge sessions across all studios in 2026.
"We're still early," Varano said. "A hundred studios is a milestone, but the goal was always to make recovery as accessible as a gym membership. We're building toward a world where contrast therapy is something every city has and every person can afford to keep up with."