Why Wellness Clubs Like Bathhouse And Othership Are Becoming America’s 'Third Place'

TL;DR

Wellness clubs are replacing bars and coffee shops as community hubs because the pandemic and social media created a loneliness epidemic people are desperate to escape.

Key Points

• 1.Bathhouse and Othership (opened 2019–2020 in NYC) offer sauna-based social events including dance parties, comedy, and live music in alcohol-free environments, targeting the sobriety trend as an alternative to bar culture.
• 2.Bathhouse projects ~$120M in revenue by end of 2026; Lifetime Fitness doubled down on premium wellness and its stock price more than doubled since October 2023, proving the model works financially.
• 3.The major barrier is cost — memberships run hundreds to thousands of dollars per year, and high fixed costs make pricing hard to lower, though frequent-user discounts are used to retain loyal customers.