Executives at Daring Foods in Los Angeles had a rough summer. The company, which makes “plant-based chicken,” grew 250 percent in its second year, and was turning in enough that, as founder and CEO Ross McKay puts it, it was starting to feel like “a leader in the market.” Elephant” Cream. “
There’s a solution: Jump into an ice bath together. The executives spent six minutes in the icy water, breathing painfully. “After we all ice-jumped, our endorphins spiked and we all felt good about ourselves,” says Mr. McKay said they “riped off the Band-Aid” and addressed the challenges they faced.
He’s no stranger to the wellness practice, explaining that he “regularly does some kind of infrared sauna followed by an ice bath every other day” and “regularly” uses a hyperbaric chamber—an MRI-like tube that delivers oxygen therapy.
gentlemen. Mackay is a member of Remedy Place, a social health club with locations in New York City and Los Angeles. In a spalike environment, members are encouraged to socialize while receiving treatments such as vitamin drips, lymphatic drainage massages and cryotherapy.
Going there was a way for him to cope with the mental, physical and emotional stress of running a business. “I do it instead of having a drink after get off work,” he says.
Now he has opened a company account so his colleagues can also get their vitamin drops.
“If an employee has a good month or a bad month, they go to Remedy and take care of themselves,” he said.
gentlemen. McKay even interviewed a job candidate there recently. “We had an IV and talked for an hour,” he said. “We need people who fit our culture, and this is a great way to find out.”
Across the country, companies are entertaining clients with foot massages and sonic baths. Team brainstorming sessions take place in the ice bath and infrared sauna. Meetings with current or potential bosses are conducted through IV fluids. According to executives, staff and spas, companies and entrepreneurs are doing more business than ever before in venues designed for wellness and cutting-edge treatments.
“Considering it’s a spa, the number of sessions is actually ridiculous,” says Remedy Place founder Jonathan Leary.
Part of the appeal is simple: As the world tries to emerge from the pandemic — and as viruses like RSV and the viruses that cause flu and Covid-19 continue to spread in large numbers — companies know it makes business sense to prioritize the health of their customers and staff. For example, a 2022 study conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management in collaboration with other groups found that 88 percent of HR professionals believe that providing mental health resources increases productivity, and 86 percent say it improves employee retention.
“People are sicker than ever before,” said Dr. Leary said. “Business owners are starting to realize that saying ‘well, for our Christmas party or team reunion or company retreat, let’s go get them some alcohol and let them overindulge, it’s a sedative, it’s going to slow them down.’ “
Another part of the appeal is novelty.
“No one is interested in group yoga anymore,” says Kane Sarhan, founder of Well, a retreat with locations in New York City and Washington, Conn., that has attracted companies from Boston. “It’s something more dynamic, like IVs, group support circles, sound baths, energy work.”
gentlemen. Fortune 100 companies and large financial firms are using Well’s facilities for sales meetings, team events and client gatherings, Sarhan said.
“We’ve been teaching them tapping and palm reading,” he said. “People burn out, people get sick. It’s the leader’s responsibility to help the team with that, and giving discounts on gym memberships or quiet rooms in the office doesn’t cut it, so they’ll come to us.”
Hottest date spot: the foot rub area. “I see dozens of meetings every week at the footbath,” Mr. Sal Khan said with a smile. “People put computers on their laps.”
BIÂN, a members-only club in Chicago dedicated to improving people’s well-being, saw this need from people looking to do business there, so it’s adding 9,000 square feet to its club. “We created smaller rooms that can be used for Zoom, private calls or one-on-one meetings,” said co-founder and CEO Joseph Fisher.
For employees, work-sponsored wellness is a welcome break from the daily grind. Lisa Tareila, director of public relations at Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, attended a Solid Core workout for the team’s holiday reunion. Mousmi Sharma, director of manager selection and development at asset manager Hudson Bay Capital, joined 30 colleagues for an internal wellness networking event. They took meditation sessions and learned stress management techniques.
People who do business in wellness centers say they see better results than they do in other settings.
Andrea Leung, managing director of Deutsche Bank, invites clients to a Qigong class at Well in New York, where participants meditate, stretch and practice breathing — all of which are said to stimulate the mind and body and relieve stress.
Clients were enthusiastic about the event, perhaps more enthusiastically than attending a dinner at a bank or even a party to watch the World Cup. “People have busy lives, and it seems like it’s something they’re really looking forward to, and they think it’s going to help them,” she said. Liang said. “I think doing this activity helps build trust.”
Another bonus, she added: “We can actually hear each other.”