Canada’s buzziest new bathhouse brand is coming to the boroughs.
Since its COVID pandemic start in a Toronto garage, the social shvitz Othership has garnered a cult following in its hometown — and now it’s ready to take New York.
The Manhattan location will be at 23 W. 20th St., and Othership gave The Post an exclusive sneak peek inside the Flatiron space ahead of its opening, which is slated for June.
The company also shared that a second NYC location, in Williamsburg, is set to open in early 2026.
The business got its big break during the dark days of COVID when Robbie Bent was suddenly inundated with interest from people looking to “experience the transformative powers of hot, cold and community” in the sauna, ice bath and tea lounge he’d installed in his tastefully renovated three-car garage.
People were clearly hungry for heat and human connection – so he and his four co-founders turned the concept into a more formal business: Othership’s first Toronto location opened in 2022, and its second late last year.
The reception has been enormously positive, with UFC president and cold plunge fan Dana White calling it “the greatest place in the world.” One local news outlet described it as “a modern, wellness-focused take on a bathhouse experience that is quickly redefining what a night out in Toronto means,” while another publication compared it to a nightclub.
But here, there’s no booze.
Othership’s more than 7,000-square-foot Flatiron space will feature a 100-person sauna, “the coldest commercial ice baths in the United States” and a 700-square-foot, fireplace-equipped circular tea room.
Unlike other recently opened shvitzes, however, there will be no food and certainly no alcohol.
“People are tired of going to a bar or restaurant in order to have a social night out; there needs to be a better way,” said Amanda Laine, Othership lead facilitator and co-founder. “People want to reconnect with themselves, relax, drop their guard and feel safe. Othership is a way to socialize without the distractions of technology and reap the health benefits of these practices along the way.”
Indeed, the company’s distinctive offering of instructor-led group classes inside a hot sauna followed by a multi-minute dip in an ice-cold tub is a uniquely structured take on the traditional bathhouse, more akin to sweaty group therapy with strangers than a resort spa.
The co-founders think Americans will love it.
“Our third location is a testament to New Yorkers’ desire for spaces to connect with themselves and their communities,” said Robbie Bent, whose official title is Othership co-founder and CEO, adding that the team hopes the destinations can “help combat North America’s epidemic of loneliness and isolation and provide a new alternative to a night out with alcohol.”
In the long term, the company plans to launch Othership locations “all across Manhattan and Brooklyn,” said Bent, who will be sharing a four-bedroom house in Williamsburg with the rest of his six-person launch team while they open the Flatiron space.
“The ultimate vision is for the ships to be used by urban communities and their inhabitants to make new friends, improve wellbeing, socialize without alcohol and experience their emotions collectively.”
Othership Flatiron is at 23 W. 20th St. Introductory pricing begins at $67 for a drop-in session, classes range from $33 to $67 and membership options start at $55 per month. Sessions will be available from 6 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Wednesday and 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
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