Perhaps you’ve visited a Korean spa for a stern scrubbing by a petite grandmother whose stature belies her strength or can recall Viggo Mortensen’s epic Russian bathhouse sauna fight scene from Eastern Promises. These are just a couple examples of the communal bathhouse experience that is so common across Asia and Europe but has yet to truly take hold here in the United States. That’s all quickly changing thanks to a new wave of bathhouses offering a contemporary take on these ancient traditions.
The reimagined sauna and bathhouse experience is a top wellness trend for 2025, as noted at the Global Wellness Summit, with the sauna market projected to grow by more than $150 million over the next few years, per market research firm Technavio. Indeed, urban bathhouses — which double as social hubs — have been popping up all over the country, including Othership in New York City, Alchemy Springs and Onsen in San Francisco, and Watershed in Minneapolis. Think less rigid rules and more co-ed socializing compared to the traditional experiences of yore.
Photography provided by Cascada
Underground thermal springs spa Cascada in Portland, Oregon, offers an immersive wellness experience and equally tranquil hotel accommodations. Marc Coluccio, who debuted the concept earlier this year, points to macro-demographic wellness trends — like younger generations drinking less and experiencing social media fatigue — as contributing factors as to why bathhouses are having a major moment.
At Cascada, you can choose your own adventure, freely moving between silent and social spaces while enjoying a thermal cycle of dry and wet saunas, pools of varying temperatures, cold plunges, red light therapy and a snow room with ice fountain exfoliation to invigorate and tighten skin. All those immersive offerings pose plenty of benefits: Hot and cold contrast therapy has been shown to improve circulation, reduce muscle soreness, support cardiovascular health and even boost your mood.
Spanish brand Aire Ancient Baths was a bathhouse pioneer here in the United States, opening its first location in New York City in 2012, followed by Chicago in 2017 and a second Big Apple location earlier this year. “More than a decade later, we’re proud to see how the country’s wellness landscape has evolved,” says Global Marketing Director Andrea Trillo. “There’s a deeper appreciation for slowing down, disconnecting and prioritizing mental and physical well-being.”
Photography provided by Aire Ancient Baths
Although bathhouses are having a resurgence in the United States, the concept has a deep history with Indigenous peoples across the Americas, who have long used natural mineral springs for bathing, drinking and irrigating, as well as in sacred ceremonies. Today, the Agua Caliente people share their ancient healing waters with guests of the Spa at Séc-he in downtown Palm Springs, California, and nearby at the historic Murrieta Hot Springs Resort in Temecula, California, which reopened last year after an 18-month restoration. The resort offers dozens of geothermal mineral springs, cold plunges and water features across its 46-acre landscape. Complimentary guided vitality plunges alternating between cold and hot pools are included for resort guests, along with sauna aromatherapy, gratitude ceremonies, aquatic sound baths and geothermal mud application.
Aquatic yoga — a favorite of the gratis daily classes at Murrieta Hot Springs — involves stretches and lunges in the Roman Spa pool and is a delightful way to ease into the morning. It’s a little easier to balance on one leg in Warrior Three pose when your torso is skimming the surface of the water, and the contrast between the warm water and refreshing cool air helps get the blood flowing. After yoga, a couple of quick dips back and forth between the hot and cold plunge pools will perk you up faster than a triple shot of espresso, and the feeling of vigor carries through the rest of the day.
We’re calling it: The modern bathhouse is officially the latest wellness mecca for prioritizing both physical and mental well-being, whether you’re a thrill-chasing cold plunge pro or a leisure seeker ready to kick up your feet. It’s no wonder Americans are embracing these gathering spaces as an antidote to our fast-paced yet often lonely world. These curative waters offer an approachable, holistic form of social self-care that boasts both therapeutic benefits and true community connections.
