I’ve always connoted wellness, and all it encompasses, with quiet moments—I’m no wellness expert, but I certainly appreciate my daily meditation and occasional massage for solitude. Even during a group yoga or workout class, despite being surrounded by others, the self-grounding these activities present overpower outside noise so that I could be the only person in the room.
During a recent lymphatic drainage treatment at the new Remedy Place in Boston, I was surprised to learn about their open-floor plan that encourages social wellness, where small group gatherings are popular, especially birthday parties. As an aging millennial, I may not “sip Bacardi like it’s my birthday” anymore, but you can bet I still sip ice-cold martinis to celebrate my new year. So to think about spending my special day in an icy cold plunge—not in solitude, but with my friends watching me—threw me for a loop.
“Although wellness is deeply personal, when you make it social, it becomes that much more impactful; there’s laughter, deep conversation, moments of stillness, and it’s a completely different kind of celebration,” says Jonathan Leary, founder and CEO of Remedy Place, who says the social wellness club’s four locations have hosted birthday parties for a wide range of ages. Leary himself recently attended a friend’s birthday at their SoHo club where the group rotated through cryotherapy, lymphatic compression, and finished with a guided ice bath. “What stood out most wasn’t the experiences themselves, but the energy in the room; everyone was present, phones down, genuinely connecting,” he recalls.
In a world where wellness continues to dominate headlines, we’ve already witnessed how traditional debaucherous events have been replaced by more conscious hours, from corporate retreats to bachelorette workouts, so it only makes sense that wellness birthday parties are now on the rise—from days stacked with Reformer pilates and health bowls followed by a spa day to med spas with thermal circuits and group saunas.
At Lolu, a boutique social sauna and cold plunge studio in Nashville, the demand for birthday buyouts began with a personal ritual that sparked guests to organize more than a solo session on their big day. “It all started with surprising [guests] during their cold plunge sessions by singing ‘Happy Birthday’ and having them blow out a candle on a floating donut,” shares cofounder Chirag Challa, who recently hosted his own birthday celebration at Lolu. “Many of my birthdays have started at 7 p.m. and gone into the wee hours of the morning,” he says. “I was stoked this year to plan a 7 a.m. birthday party that started with a run, followed by contrast therapy. My favorite highlight was walking into the sauna and seeing all my homies while Rüfüs Du Sol was playing on the speakers.”
