How Popular Is Social Wellness, Really?
As the concept gains traction, experts predict new trends and continued expansion in 2024.
In 2023, social wellness gained lots of buzz, but has the concept caught on?
Increasingly, it seems that the answer is yes, driven by the search for solutions to the loneliness epidemic that continues in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the predilection for new ways to socialize as alcohol consumption decreases.
“Social wellness is a backlash to the desensitizing nature that an on-demand culture has created,” said futurist and founder of firm Light Years Lucie Greene.
In the last 24 months or so, several social wellness models have gained traction, including Remedy Place, Othership, Peoplehood and more, a surge that is expected to continue into 2024.
While different models have popped up like Peoplehood, which was created by the founders of SoulCycle and hosts “gathers” where groups practice listening skills, one social wellness trend has reigned supreme: bathhouses. The hashtag on TikTok has 71 million views and the expansion of sauna and ice bath spots reflects increased adoption.
Toronto-based Othership, which has saunas, ice baths and social events, is heading to New York City with major plans for expansion for Manhattan and Brooklyn, while New York-native wellness spots Remedy Place and Bathhouse are expanding throughout the city and beyond. Bathhouse cofounder Jason Goodman attributes the model's popularity to the increased knowledge around cold therapy. Remedy Place founder Dr. Jonathan Leary believes self care has gone from alone time to social time.
“More people are coming with somebody than by themselves,” he said.
While New York is experiencing a bathhouse craze, locations are popping up across the U.S., like Biân in Chicago which has saunas and cold plunges. Plus, the New York cohort is eyeing key markets across the U.S. in 2024.
As bathhouses continue to open, one component has become key: structure. Many of the companies have created a specific protocol — think 20 minutes in the sauna and three minutes in the cold plunge followed by 15 minutes in the sauna and two minutes in the cold plunge. For Othership, that structure is taken a step further with meditative classes that center around specific themes.
“The standard customer comes once a week and they're generally coming to a class,” said Othership founder Robbie Bent, pointing to a level of consistency within the category.
With structure in mind, Peoplehood is also doubling down on cohort programming, where groups of people meet regularly for six to eight weeks. Specific themes are also key — think “gathers” for mothers and couples.
“We all need accountability,” said Peoplehood cofounder Julie Rice. “This programming teaches people how to be in a practice of Peoplehood meaning you commit to doing it a certain amount of times.”
Although social wellness might be considered a luxury in the midst of economic downturn, experts say people are willing to pay for it and the trend will only grow. For example, Othership has 1,000 customers who have visited more than 22 times.