Alexa Mikhail

<p>Sweating and screaming alongside 30 strangers while moving from a group sauna to a group ice-bath plunge—in a hushed and sprawling studio below the frenetic streets of Manhattan, no less—was never on my bingo card. And yet there I was, yelling along with the crescendo of electronic dance music in a eucalyptus-scented sauna before dropping into a painful 32-degree <a href="https://fortune.com/well/article/cold-plunge-sauna-kids-safety/">cold plunge</a>.</p><div class="paywall-selector"></div><div class="paywall">



<p>But it was just another day at<a href="https://www.othership.us/"> Othership</a>, a wellness company that likes to call itself a pioneer in &#8220;social <a href="https://fortune.com/well/article/burnout-prevention-self-care/">self-care</a>.&#8221; And the $64, 75-minute class I took, “All Around: Inner Power,” certainly provided a novel approach to improving emotional regulation and connection.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Cofounded in Toronto in 2022 by its CEO Robbie Bent and four partners, Othership is a pioneer in providing group experiences that combine hot and cold sessions with immersive music, guided breathwork, aromatherapy, and group therapy-like opportunities for open sharing. </p>


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-src="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/060524-Othership6539_Final_2-e1735067364493.jpg?w=1024&#038;h=683" alt="" class="lazyload wp-image-4106634" src="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/060524-Othership6539_Final_2-e1735067364493.jpg?w=1024&#038;h=683" width="1024" height="683" original-width="2800" original-height="1867"><figcaption>Othership&#8217;s NYC space contains a handful of ice baths, some for two and some for four, all of which plummet to 32 degrees, making them among the world’s coldest in existence.</figcaption><div class="image-credit">Courtesy of Ian Patterson</div></figure>



<p>When it first opened, “There was no such thing as a sauna- or ice-bath class,” Bent, 40, tells <em>Fortune</em>. “The goal was to <a href="https://fortune.com/well/article/loneliness-5-for-5-challenge/">connect people</a>.”</p>



<p>Now it offers guests what Bent describes as a “stadium sauna” experience—like in my class, which included a 30-minute guided schvitz in a sauna that can fit 90 people and reach 185 degrees.&nbsp;Our leader wore a special cloth sauna hat adorned with the company’s logo: a futuristic spaceship, symbolizing the club&#8217;s ideology of pushing the limits of self-exploration.</p>



<p>“There are full-blown performances,” Bent says. “It’s almost like combining <a href="https://fortune.com/well/article/stigma-men-mental-health-awareness-group-therapy-masculinity/">group therapy</a> with this amazing physical experience. It&#8217;s theatrical in some ways as well.” He acknowledges that the approach has drawn some critics, including some early social media commenters who said people who take group sauna classes are “bozos” eager to join the latest cult-like wellness obsession. &nbsp;</p>



<p>But there are plenty of fans, as well: Bent says that within two months of the 2022 Toronto opening, he was booked out three weeks in advance—and not necessarily with the type of meditator or <a href="https://fortune.com/well/2023/01/21/how-yoga-affects-your-body-and-brain/">yoga</a> guru you might imagine. Rather, he saw the average stressed-out banker, lawyer, parent, and teacher eager to take the plunge.</p>



<p>“I was surprised at how mainstream classes like ‘Heart Opener’ or ‘Release’ or ‘Love and Kindness’ are. People are hungry to connect,” he says, adding that the more emotionally-driven classes were the ones most sought-after, which surprised him.&nbsp;</p>


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-src="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Copy-of-DOWN-Class.jpg?w=683&#038;h=1025" alt="" class="lazyload wp-image-4106640" style="width:600px;height:auto" src="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Copy-of-DOWN-Class.jpg?w=683&#038;h=1025" width="683" height="1025" original-width="1000" original-height="1500"><figcaption>An Othership sauna class. </figcaption><div class="image-credit">Courtesy of Othership and Max Borges Agency</div></figure>



<p>Even though it may not have been his original intent, Bent acknowledges that Othership’s initial success was intrinsically linked to the up-and-coming “biohackers” who swore by wellness and longevity podcasters like Andrew Huberman and Mark Hyman. They were touting the benefits of cold plunges for activating the body’s “<a href="https://fortune.com/well/2023/07/15/mark-hyman-healthy-stress-live-longer/">longevity switches</a>”—which heat does, as well—by putting healthy stress on the body, releasing endorphins, and instilling alertness. (Still, those with underlying heart conditions should speak to a professional before plunging).&nbsp;</p>



<p>Following the opening of the flagship location, Bent raised $2 million to build a second studio in Toronto followed by an $8 million space twice the size—7,000 square feet—in New York City this past summer. A Brooklyn outpost is coming in&nbsp;2025. And Bent says the ethos really works in NYC.</p>



<p>“To scream in a class was really weird at first,” he says. “Some people will be like, ‘It&#8217;s weird.’ But in New York, people are like, ‘Oh, scream. Let&#8217;s get into it.’”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>How Othership all began</strong></h2>



<p>In his 20s, Bent struggled with drugs and alcohol, and eventually used a patchwork of meditation and therapeutic psychedelics to get sober. After that, traditional bars and even restaurants made him uncomfortable. It’s how he wound up taking his now-wife on a first date to a Russian bathhouse for a cold plunge.</p>


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-src="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/060524-Othership_NY_People-560-Final.jpg?w=683&#038;h=1024" alt="" class="lazyload wp-image-4106641" src="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/060524-Othership_NY_People-560-Final.jpg?w=683&#038;h=1024" width="683" height="1024" original-width="5049" original-height="7570"><figcaption>Othership &#8220;journeyers&#8221; plunge with a partner. </figcaption><div class="image-credit">Ian Patterson</div></figure>



<p>“It was an amazing first date,” he says, explaining that the experience alleviated any initial social anxiety. “You kind of do the cold plunge together, and you feel amazing. You&#8217;re not on your phone. That turned into something we did every week for years.”</p>



<p>The couple, who lives in Toronto (following stints in San Francisco and Berlin), began gathering friends to join them for cold plunges. “We would build these communities on WhatsApp, and go out with 30 people to the bathhouse every week. It&#8217;s just an awesome way to connect,” says Bent, who was with the Ethereum Foundation, a non-profit technology company, at the time.</p>



<p>He eventually&nbsp;constructed an ice bath right in his backyard. “The idea was just to build a healthy community in Toronto,&#8221; he says. &#8220;You could just come into the gate at any time and use it, and then we&#8217;d have towels, and at night, a fire.”&nbsp;</p>



<p>What started as a way to connect with friends sans alcohol turned into a larger community of neighbors, local gym goers, and restaurateurs who routinely joined in to soak and chat. “Every day there&#8217;d be like 20, 30 people there using the ice bath, hanging out,” he says.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Then, for $80,000—all split among the founding group of social plungers—Bent transformed his garage into a tea room for socializing and an additional indoor ice bath for plunging. “This was just for fun,” he says. The community soon grew to over 1,000 people, some of whom began dating each other.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>The Othership NYC experience</strong></h2>



<p>The Manhattan space contains a handful of ice baths, some for two and some for four, all of which plummet to 32 degrees, making them among the world’s coldest plunges in existence. In my class, we were to do three rounds each of 30-seconds. Easy peasy, I thought.</p>



<p>Oh, was I wrong.</p>



<p>After being coaxed into the tub,&nbsp;the pain of the water hit me immediately. I gasped, feeling as if a million tiny shocks rippled across my body. I was instructed to open my mouth and hold a “shhhhh” sound to alleviate the effect, but I could only focus&nbsp;on how long we had left.&nbsp;</p>


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-src="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Copy-of-Self-Hug.jpg?w=819&#038;h=1024" alt="" class="lazyload wp-image-4106639" style="width:600px;height:auto" src="https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Copy-of-Self-Hug.jpg?w=819&#038;h=1024" width="819" height="1024" original-width="1200" original-height="1500"><figcaption>Classes at Othership often end with a meditation and a moment for sharing. </figcaption><div class="image-credit">Courtesy of Othership and Max Borges Agency</div></figure>



<p>But by the third plunge, I could feel my heart rate calming down. And while it was still instantly painful, I also felt a release, most intensely in my chest.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“It&#8217;s hard to find out how to get into your emotions without being like, ‘I&#8217;m sick. I need to see a therapist,’” Bent says of the frequently intense reactions to plunging.</p>



<p>After our cold plunge, my class returned to the sauna for the final 20 minutes. Everyone felt much more comfortable and loose now that the hard part was over. Good thing, because as the music heightened and the guide began swirling a towel overhead in a rhythmic motion, we were guided through an inner-child meditation. Many cried, including me, as we were instructed to imagine greeting our 10-year-old selves at the door and to say something kind—something we’d want them to know.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“When you see other people being human and open with a big vulnerable share, it&#8217;s like a really magical experience, and something that humans don&#8217;t really see in their daily lives anymore,” says Bent.&nbsp;</p>



<p>After the meditation, about 10 people shared their experiences, with some saying they felt more gratitude and joy and others saying the space helped them cope with a difficult relationship. I was beginning to appreciate the multifaceted benefits of mindfulness, cold therapy, hot therapy, and connection. And while I don’t see the therapies as replacement for traditional mental health care, the experience most definitely took me out of the day’s stress and into a reflective headspace.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Monthly Othership membership costs about $400 for 12 monthly classes—one of which, a social, is Bent’s favorite. An ode to the company’s origin story, it’s the health club&#8217;s alternative to the night club scene, complete with comedians, magicians, and DJs to entertain members who come to sweat, freeze, and dance together.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“Something core to Othership is sharing the plunge, maybe looking at each other, doing this hard thing together to connect, and then share after,” he says. He recalls a special Valentine’s Day plunge he once had, inviting&nbsp;couples to plunge together. “You come into the sauna, and the couples would share their story of their first date,” he says. People are crying, and we&#8217;re like, ‘Holy shit, this is crazy.’”&nbsp;</p>



<p>Since its start, over 300,000 people have sweated and been frozen together in one of Othership’s studios. And Bent hopes there’s more to come.&nbsp;</p>



<p>He also hopes to expand Othership to all 50 states. “I want to be the person that puts [group] emotional wellness on the map,” he says. So far, he&#8217;s off to a strong start.</p>



<p>More on wellness:</p>



<ul>
<li><a href="https://fortune.com/well/2024/12/27/pilates-health-benefits-classpass-fitness-trend/">Pilates dominated fitness trends this year. 4 health benefits of the workout that will make you a convert</a></li>



<li><a href="https://fortune.com/well/article/weighted-vest-women-over-40-menopause/">Women over 40 swear by a simple hack to build strength and counter aging</a></li>



<li><a href="https://fortune.com/well/article/bryan-johnson-travel-food/" data-type="link" data-id="https://fortune.com/well/article/bryan-johnson-travel-food/">Tech millionaire who spends $2 million a year to live forever says he packs ‘every calorie’ while traveling abroad—including to India for a week</a></li>
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Othership's "social self-care" experience is an antidote to stress—and maybe loneliness, too.

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