As SWTHZ changes temperatures, humidity levels, lighting and more, it’s also changing our overarching perception of what health and fitness can be. With its infrared saunas, cold plunge tubs and vitamin C showers, the contrast therapy franchise is weaving self-care, mental health and more into the wellness web on top of helping individuals live better and longer.
“When I think about whole person wellness, it’s sleep, it’s nutrition, it’s mental health, it’s weight lifting, it’s Zone 2 cardio, it’s VO2 Max cardio, it’s all these things combined into one,” said Jamie Weeks, SWTHZ founder and CEO. “I think gym owners and trainers are starting to realize that whole person wellness is really what we’re trying to strive for.”
Improving Life from Multiple Angles
While we’re often quick to relate recovery with the body, in actuality, it goes well beyond that. To view mental health and self-care as separate concepts from recovery has long been a common misconception — and an important one to recognize as such.
“It’s funny, recovery for so many years had a connotation of just physical recovery,” said Weeks. “But mental recovery, taking a minute for yourself, putting your phone away, not looking at text messages, emails and all that stuff, that’s a big deal. That’s mental recovery.”
Helping members disconnect, whether from screens or life’s other stressors, leads to a better quality of life.
“It’s going to improve your sleep,” Weeks added. “It’s going to improve your endorphins and dopamine. You’re going to feel happier.”
But while SWTHZ prioritizes mental recovery, the body is by no means forgotten. Helping individuals sweat out toxins, lower inflammation and more still lie at the forefront of the brand’s offerings. It’s this blend of mental and bodily recovery that makes the brand a unique hub for holistic health.
“The science is there,” said Weeks. “It proves that you’re lowering your stress and lowering your inflammation as well. You combine that with a cold plunge and a vitamin C shower for your skin, what it’s doing for your skin health, what it’s doing for your body to lower inflammation, you’re getting the best of both worlds — lowering stress and inflammation holistically, while also working on your mental health in a private space to yourself. That’s really what we’re providing here.”
Establishing a “Third Space”
SWTHZ’s ability to create this private space that blends physical recovery, mental recovery and more makes it a foundation for wellness in its most comprehensive sense. It’s also meeting the demand for a place to spend time between work and home.
“SWTHZ is increasingly becoming people’s third space,” said Weeks. “Prior to SWTHZ, where can you go be alone for an hour in a confined space that isn’t your office, house or your car, where you can meditate, do breath work, sleep, read a book or watch TV? You don’t have it. It’s providing something we haven’t had before.”
The demand for such a space, or essentially any with wellness offerings, is so substantial that SWTHZ invites other brands to join them in their efforts to meet it.
“I’m all for more saunas and more plunges everywhere — more competition,” said Weeks. “This total addressable market is massive. It is not just fitness. Remember, 25% of our members are coming for physical recovery from fitness, the other 75% of our members are coming for different reasons. So, even if there are 70 million people in America that have a gym membership and a lot are coming to SWTHZ, think about the other 280 million people that also need SWTHZ for mental health or from sitting at a desk all day and want to do something different.
“I’m all for fitness and gyms and everybody having a sauna and a plunge at home, wherever it is,” Weeks went on. “This is a big market, and it’s big enough for everybody.”
Built to Last
SWTHZ doesn’t expect that market to begin shrinking anytime soon — or even decades down the line. If anything, the brand anticipates growth alongside the fitness industry’s most promising age group.
“What we’re finding is that the younger generation, Gen Z, is all about health and wellness,” said Weeks. “You can see the stats. They’re drinking less alcohol, they’re doing drugs less, they are much cleaner.”
That established interest from younger crowds positions wellness, and SWTHZ by extension, to remain popular regardless of what Father Time throws their way.
“When you’re all-in on health and wellness at 18 years old, you’re all-in on health and wellness at 40 as well,” said Weeks. “You don’t pivot at some point and say you want to go the other way. That doesn’t happen. We’re truly a lifestyle brand — so this is going to be around for a while.
“We’re not even in the first inning of this game,” Weeks added. “You can’t get what you get from a cold plunge or a sauna in a pill, so this isn’t going anywhere. This thing’s got a lot of upside, a lot of legs. It’s gonna be around for a long time.”
This article originally appeared in ATN’s 2025 State of the Industry Outlook Report, a go-to guide for understanding the next generation concepts that will shape the fitness and wellness industry in the upcoming decade. Download the free report.
