NEW YORK (The New York Times) — Thursday, January 15, 2026
If 2025 was the year of “rot maxing” and staying in, 2026 is shaping up to be the year of getting out—but not to bars.
A new wave of “Social Wellness Clubs” is sweeping cities from New York to London, replacing happy hours with “heat hours.” These modern communal bathhouses, which combine saunas, cold plunges, and tea lounges, are strictly alcohol-free and phone-free, positioning themselves as the cure for the modern loneliness epidemic.
“We saw a massive shift in how people want to socialize,” explains Marcus Yeo, founder of The Hearth, a new 20,000-square-foot social bathhouse in Brooklyn that has a three-month waiting list. “People are tired of shouting over loud music and waking up with a hangover. They want connection, but they also want to feel good the next day.”
Trend forecasters are calling this “Third Place 2.0″—a revival of community spaces where the primary activity is simply being together. Unlike the silent, meditative spas of the past, these venues encourage conversation and community building.
Membership prices for these clubs are skyrocketing, with some top-tier venues charging upwards of $400 a month for unlimited access to the pools and “social sauna” events. Critics argue the trend is gentrifying wellness, but for many young professionals, it’s a price they are willing to pay for genuine human connection in a digital world.
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Why this video is relevant: This video provides a broader context on upcoming lifestyle shifts, confirming that the move towards unique, non-digital experiences is a key theme for 2026.
