#7 - Othership Flatiron Sauna and Ice Bath Experience

Weekend Adventure at Othership Flatiron

Last week, a group of friends and I visited Othership's new Flatiron location in New York City. I had met the founder, Robbie Bent, a few years ago when we were both building health and wellness mobile apps. Although I had tried the Othership breathwork mobile app, I had never visited a studio in person. While doing breathing exercises through my phone was helpful, the in-person studio experience absolutely blew me away, full stop.

First Impressions: Othership Flatiron NYC

For those who aren't familiar, Othership is a class-based immersive sauna and ice bath experience. I signed up for the 9:45 AM Guided All Around: Release with Erin on Saturday morning. I arrived with four friends, who I had convinced to join me, around 9:40 AM. We checked in, received two towels and an Othership bracelet, changed into our bathing suits, and gathered in the common area, which looked like the inside of a spaceship.

The Sauna Experience

We met our guide, Erin, who immediately helped us ground ourselves and be present through a few quick breathing exercises before we headed into the sauna. There was a tea, hot water, and cold water station, which the pros used to fill up their flasks while I used the paper cups! Inside the sauna, there were three levels: the first being the "coolest" and the third being the "hottest."

Since this was my first experience, I immediately chose the third level but began to question my decision about five minutes into the breathwork sauna course (it got really hot!). My senses were almost immediately overwhelmed with a combination of heat, rhythmic sounds, collective breathing, and citrus scents throughout the sauna breathwork portion. It felt great to be in a room with others who all shared a collective goal of improving wellness and well-being.

The Ice Bath Challenge

The sauna breathwork course ended after about 20minutes, and we headed into the ice bath session, which my friends and I were all very anxious about. I've taken a cold shower maybe once in my life, so a two-minute zero-degree ice bath immersion was like going from 0 to 100 (or maybe the opposite, but you get the point).

The first 30 seconds of the ice bath immersion were some of the most intense pain I have ever felt. Imagine a million needles poking your body while your mind fights every urge to jump out of the ice bath and run back into the sauna. However, after about 30 seconds, I started to feel good. I don't know if it's because my body went numb or if it was a survival instinct. When your body thinks it's freezing, you become 100% present and focused. There's no time or energy to think about the assignments you still need to finish at work or all the things left to plan for your upcoming wedding.

Finding Presence in a Distracted World

These days, we are so distracted by technology and our cell phones. There are so few times when I am 100% present. I think that's why Othership was so magical for me—it helped me stay focused on the present instead of always worrying about the past or feeling anxious about the future.

Here's a picture of me (left) and one of my friends (right) after we finished the Othership experience. Note we didn't bring our phones inside :)