Popular Asheville bathhouse Sauna House brings its communal saunas and cold plunges to Charlotte
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The cold plunges in the public bathhouse range around 45 to 50 degrees (the smaller one is colder). Photo: McKenzie Rankin/Axios
Sauna House, the Asheville-based bathhouse known for its communal saunas and cold plunges, opened its first Charlotte location in Wesley Heights over the weekend.
Why it matters: Hot and cold therapy is one of Charlotte's fastest-growing wellness trends.
What to expect: The centerpiece of the 5,000-square-foot Charlotte location is the public bathhouse, with two massive saunas and in-ground cold plunges that can accommodate 30-50 people at once.
There are also two private bathhouses, each with a sauna and cold plunge, which can hold six to 10 guests.
The intrigue: Sauna House is designed after the communal bathhouses you'd find in Nordic countries — think Finland or Sweden.
- In these settings, participants follow a circuit of hot, cold, rest, repeat (Sauna House's tagline is "hot, cold, relax, repeat") in an open, shared space.
How it works: Showering and changing into a bathing suit is required when you arrive. Then, you'll spend about 15 minutes in the sauna, three minutes cold plunging and then recovering on heated benches before repeating the cycle two to three more times.
- A typical visit lasts around two hours.
Context: Sauna House CEO Andrew Lachlan opened the business in Asheville in 2019. Lachlan, who's been sober for 11 years, wants the experience to deliver a dopamine hit, just not in the typical ways we might think of it — like alcohol or social media (Sauna House is a tech-free zone). — but instead through saunas and ice baths.
- Sauna House claims the wellness benefits of these types of therapies include improved cardiovascular health and a boosted immune system and nervous system reset, plus the social wellness component of connecting with those around you.
Between the lines: Social wellness clubs have surged in popularity. Last year, the U.S. Surgeon General declared a loneliness epidemic, citing the need for connection. Sauna House's leadership is hoping to address both of these trends as it opens its social wellness clubs.
Zoom out: The kind of experience offered at Sauna House— also known as contrast therapy—isn't entirely new to Charlotte. Recovery studios offering saunas and cold plunges have been popping up across the city over the last year.
- Two locally-owned studios offering contrast therapy include The Plunge House in Lower South End and Sauna Culture in Cotswold.
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What's next: Lachlan tells Axios he hopes to open four more Sauna House locations in Charlotte within the next five years. Charlotte will be a corporate location, meaning these locations won't operate under separate franchise owners.
- Sauna House is in the midst of major growth. In 2024, it opened locations in Durham and Bonita Springs, FL, and is now expanding to cities like Raleigh, Greenville and Summerville, S.C., Austin, T.X., and Knoxville, T.N.
If you go: Founding memberships range from four visits/month ($150) to 15 visits/month ($300).
- An individual drop-in pass is $50 with four- to 12-pack bundles also available.
Stop by: Find Sauna House Charlotte at 1500 W. Morehead St, in the same strip as Rhino Market and across from Town Brewing.
- Open Monday-Tuesday 10am-7pm, Thursday-Friday 1-10pm and Saturday-Sunday 9am-10pm. Closed Wednesday.
- Walk-ins are accepted, but appointments are recommended. Check booking availability here.
Editor's note: This story was initially published in Jan. 2024 and updated Jan. 2025 to reflect the business opening.