The communal bathhouse makes its way to the Triangle

Driving the news: The Asheville-based spa company Sauna House is opening a location in Durham — inside a remodeled 1940s building at 326 W. Geer St. — next month, Gavin Jocius, chief digital and marketing officer for Sauna House, told Axios.

• It's one of several new locations the company plans to open across the Carolinas, including in Charlotte and Charleston. Already, it is doing mobile sauna pop-up events in Durham on the weekends.
• And in Raleigh, the company Sweathouz recently opened a location at Seaboard Station.

Zoom in: The Durham Sauna House is around 7,000 square feet, with two cold plunge pools, several wood-paneled saunas and a capacity of up to 50 people — about twice the size of its Asheville location, Jocius said.

• While there are private rooms, most of the space will be shared saunas and plunge pools. Each user must shower before entering, and bathing suits are mandatory.

• Sauna House liked the location in Durham, Jocius said, because it will be near hundreds of apartments that are nearing completion.

What they're saying: Jocius said he believes communal bathhouses are making a comeback because after the pandemic people are searching for more spaces to come together that aren't dependent on alcohol.

• "Our whole bet is that the world needs this right now," he said. "There's an epidemic of loneliness … and people are looking for places to have conversations with other people."