A Health Culture Club
sól
Bengaluru · 2027
The problem
60%
Burnout culture
of India's working-age adults now report symptoms of burnout
India Today / NIMHANS (2025/2026)
9 hrs
Excessive screen time
The average Indian user spends nearly 5 hours daily on mobile. For Gen Z, this often exceeds 9 hours.
Economic Survey of India (2026) / EY Entertainment Report
43%
Loneliness epidemic
of urban Indians report feeling lonely and 'friendless' most of the time
Ipsos Global Survey / Cigna Healthcare Loneliness Index
$256B
Growing focus on wellness
India's health and wellness market reached $156B in 2024 — projected $256B by 2033 at 5.3% CAGR
IMARC Group, 2024
The "sober curious" movement
Gen Z is drinking less than any other generation — actively seeking social rituals beyond alcohol
Global Wellness Summit 2026 / Esquire India
The gap
The Bar
Has gone social — but it runs on alcohol
The Gym
Has gone social with community building aspects — but it runs on performance, effort, and output
The Spa
Helps recovery — but it was never designed to be social
The Gap
None of them leave you genuinely nourished — physically, mentally, and socially — without asking you to drink, perform, or be alone
The solution
The Bar
Social
The Gym
Community
The Spa
Recovery
The solution
sól
The insight
"Social bathhouses — a huge global trend driving the thermal springs market's projected 10% annual growth"
Global Wellness Institute Economy Monitor, 2025
"In America's cities, saunas are becoming the hottest social spot. The wellness club is Gen Z's country club"
Vogue, 2025
"Saunas and other water-based amenities are booming"
New York Times, 2025
Forbes
Bathhouse is changing the face of wellness across America
Vanity Fair
Inside New York City's sauna wars: the real heated rivalry
Bloomberg
Why we're all trading happy hours for the bathhouse
CNBC
Inside the booming business of wellness third spaces
Success stories
Othership — Toronto, NYC
Founded 2020. 4 locations, $21M estimated annual revenue, $20M raised. Backed by Winklevoss + Shawn Mendes. 20+ North American locations planned.
Growjo.com / PitchBook · Fitt Insider, January 2024
Bathhouse — NYC
Founded 2019. ~1,000 customers per day. $120M run rate target by end of 2026. 8 new locations announced.
CNBC, March 7 2026
Aire Bathhouse — Chicago, NYC
Founded 2004. €69.4M annual revenue, up 15% YoY in 2025. €55M expansion plan into Toronto + LA.
AIRE Annual Report / Companies House filing
Sky Lagoon — Reykjavik
Founded 2021. ~350 visitors per day. Sells out months in advance. $110–130 ticket price.
Sky Lagoon press materials
Therme Group — Vienna, Bucharest, Erding, Singapore
Founded 2015. 3.5M annual visitors. €320M financing secured 2024. €1.25B CVC Capital joint venture. $1B Singapore project.
Therme Group press releases · Financial Times · Business Times Singapore
Case study — Othership
Founded in Toronto, Othership was born out of a desire to solve two modern crises: the loneliness epidemic and digital burnout. They successfully rebranded the sauna and ice bath as tools for emotional regulation and social connection.
Why it works
The Classes
28 ways to feel something. Large-scale sauna and ice bath experiences.
The Aufguss
Ancient ritual, modern magic. Othership's most distinctive element.
Social Hours
A two-hour sober-curious gathering. A night out that leaves you feeling good.
"People are tired of going to a bar or restaurant to have a social night out. People want to reconnect with themselves, relax, drop their guard, and feel safe. Othership is a way to socialise without the distractions of technology and reap the health benefits along the way."
Amanda Laine, Co-founder — CNBC, March 7 2026
"Othership is AMAZING. I felt my whole body vibrating like crazy. I came out feeling brand new."
TripAdvisor, Othership Adelaide location, Toronto
"Something core to Othership is sharing the plunge, maybe looking at each other, doing this hard thing together to connect, and then share after."
Fortune, January 2 2025
The market — Bengaluru
Bengaluru's billion-dollar cohort…
Bengaluru is the #3 fastest-growing wealth hub globally with 120% millionaire growth
Henley & Partners / Knight Frank Wealth Report 2025
…already spends on this…
68% of urban Indian millennials say they prioritise experiences over material purchases
Deloitte India Consumer Survey 2024
Indian Gen Z makes up ~30% of the population and drives 43% of national consumption, with 1 in 3 dedicating 20% of their income to wellness
IMARC Group / Snap Inc. / BCG "The $2 Trillion Opportunity" March 2026
…with limited outlets for their growing passions
72% of affluent drinkers are actively seeking alcohol-free alternatives
Redseer Strategy Consultants / IWSR Bevtrac Consumer Research Report Dec 2024
While this generation has disrupted how they work, eat, and invest — the Saturday Night remains stubbornly unchanged
In Bengaluru, we are targeting the ₹10,000 Cr segment that is currently over-spending on alcohol and under-served in wellness
The experience
Path 1 — The Free Flow
A self-guided journey through the seven elements. Move at your own pace. Our hosts are present for support — but this time is entirely yours. Available daily.
The suggested seven-step ritual
Path 2 — Guided Journeys
Led by a trained sól guide. 75 minutes. A specific emotional or physical intention. Curated soundscape, breathwork, essential oils.
Less like a class. More like a journey with someone who knows the terrain.
Feel Good Now
High energy. Breathwork and cold. Out of your head fast.
Wind Down
Slow and deliberate. Untangle tension. Deep restoration.
Reset
Physiological deep clean. Cold protocols and breath holds.
Sound Immersion
Live singing bowls through the full thermal journey.
The social — Friday & Saturday nights
The sauna full. The DJ on. Mocktails at the bar. People talking — really talking.
Phone-Free Zone
Strictly digital-detox. Real conversation. Present connection.
The Wellness Bar
Mocktails, tonics, teas. Designed for social nourishment.
Live DJ
High-vibe energy in the lounge. Friday and Saturday nights only.
"A night that leaves you better than it found you."
Amanda Laine, Co-founder — Othership · CNBC, March 7 2026
The business
Base Membership
₹19,999
per month · includes 100 credits
Credit pricing
Additional credits purchasable at ₹4,000 per credit · Annual membership at 10-month pricing · Founding 100 members locked at ₹19,999/month for life
Revenue streams
Bar
Mocktails, tonics, teas. 60–70% margin, high attach rate.
Retail
Oils, scrubs, candles, sauna hats, sweatshirts, towels.
Guided Journeys
Premium facilitated sessions. Credit add-on.
Brand Partnerships
Wellness, beauty and lifestyle brands.
The numbers
8 mo
To 70% contribution margin
Gross margin achieved within the first eight months of operation.
9 mo
To positive net profit
Net profits achieved including rent — our single largest expense.
160
Members to breakeven
Break-even with the first centre at a Capex of $265K USD.
8 mo
To full breakeven
Complete payback on investment including all fixed costs.
This is one room. In one city.
This is not the destination. This is the starting point.
The vision
Our members are global citizens. Whether closing a deal in Bandra or leading a sprint in Hitec City, sól Travel Mode ensures their recovery follows them.
Home Away From Home
A sól centre in every major hub becomes the default third space for India's most mobile professionals.
Proprietary OS
We've codified the ritual and the environment. Expansion is simply a matter of deployment, not discovery.
01
Bangalore
02
Mumbai
03
Hyderabad
04
Chennai
The fire is ready.
sól · Bangalore · 2027
The founder
Founder · sól
Kellogg MBA · McKinsey · AMEX · SaaS (UAE)
Apara knows the burnout cycle intimately — and decided to engineer the antidote. A Kellogg MBA and seasoned tech strategist, she's spent her career scaling high-value ecosystems across the US, UAE, and India — as an Engagement Manager at McKinsey (San Francisco), a Strategist at AMEX (New York), and a Product Leader at a high-growth SaaS company in the UAE.
To build sól right, she took the plunge — literally. Over six months she visited 15+ premier bathhouses across three continents — from NYC to Iceland to Singapore — soaking in every ritual and distilling the world's best into one blueprint.
Othership
New York
Blue Lagoon
Iceland
Nowhere Baths
Singapore
Sky Lagoon
Iceland
Bathhouse
New York
+ 9 more
globally
"I didn't want to just open a bathhouse. I wanted to build the one I'd been searching for."
Aparajida Subramanien · Founder, sól
The journey
Q2 '26
Q3 '26
Q4 '26
2027
Every great journey starts with a single room.
sól · Bangalore · 2027