On behalf of the NoHo BID, the Lore team is offering a free session during off-peak hours (7:00 AM – 1:00 PM) from now through the end of May. Use the code NOHO100 for 100% off a single session—limit one per client. Book here.
NoHo’s a neighborhood that, in recent years at least, has been a hub for all things health and wellness. In the 2000s, a smattering of boutique fitness studios of all stripes began taking hold in the neighborhood, transforming into Fitness Alley. More recently, the concept of wellness has brought an even broader suite of businesses into the neighborhood offering treatments for almost any health concern.
Ask somebody on the street what it means to take care of your health, and they’re likely to rattle off the necessity of exercising, eating right, going to the doctor – even if they don’t do it themselves, we all know it’s vital. Yet somewhere along the way, we became disconnected from some of the most ancient wellness practices: sauna, cold plunge, and bathing rituals. Widely understood to be beneficial for thousands of years, science has fully shown just how vital contrast therapy (the ritual of heating up and cooling down as traditionally practiced) really is for health.
Lore Bathing Club isn’t just another trend-chasing bathhouse, but a new concept designed around making contrast therapy a regular part of New Yorker’s routines. James O’Reilly, co-founder of Lore, stresses that it isn’t just a fad, but a real, whole-body benefit, “including a forty percent reduction in all-cause mortality, meaningful reductions in risk of Alzheimer’s and neurodegenerative disease, as well as a ton of cardiovascular benefits, but the key to unlocking those benefits is the right mix of temperature, duration, and frequency.”
This core ethos, and emphasis on frequency, helped guide Lore’s unique membership-based model. While other bathhouse concepts focus on a laundry list of treatments that increase costs and turn sauna experiences into a once a year blowout treat-yourself day. James cites a landmark 2017 study from Finland that found frequency was a major factor, and ultimately “became a major factor in how we thought about Lore.”
To that end, inside you’ll find a single large sauna, the biggest cold plunge in the City, an infrared sauna, and a little space to relax during a session. Sessions are bolstered with complimenting experiences, come in the evening and you may find an aufguss with aromatherapy designed to promote sleep, the morning might offer a session designed to help build energy and set your day up for success.
Perhaps more than anything else though, what sets Lore apart is the community at the center of their model. The membership means you’ll see the same people day in and day out and a single session experience generally begins and ends with the same group, but it’s deeper than that. You may take a fitness class with the same group of regulars, but you can’t exactly talk your way through a workout, other wellness treatments like massage or acupuncture understandably center client privacy, and the business of day-to-day life means spaces like cafes or fast casual restaurants double up as an office. Once you get past the lobby, Lore is a phone free space.
It’s an increasingly rare chance to slow down and connect with one another and yourself. The space itself was meticulously designed to offer space for both calm and conversation. Perhaps it’s no surprise that James comes not from a wellness background, but as cofounder of coworking and social hub NeueHouse. Later, he took a step towards wellness as he built out the coworking arm of Life Time. “There was a lot of great learning from being in the more health and fitness space over those eight years… and I began to understand more about the science behind sauna, cold plunge, and how to unlock their longevity benefits while building out the business,” James recalls. Now, he’s gone fully into wellness with Lore, but still with that mission-driven sense of community in mind. “We really see this Lore as a neighborhood bathing club. It’s designed for people to come on a regular basis. Sauna frequency may be key to unlocking the health benefits, but increasingly people are looking for alternative means of socializing and entertainment. Sure, it offers the health benefits, but having a space that meets the growing demand for non-alcohol based socializing and offers the luxury of being phone-free and grounding.” Embracing the ritual, the back and forth, the up and down, and slowing down with others is really what’s core to Lore.
Opening in a neighborhood where old bones and historic architecture meet perfectly with the cutting edge was a perfect fit for the ancient yet modern bathing practices that drive Lore. Even more importantly, joining the tight-knit, diverse community of businesses that makes NoHo a dynamic place was a no-brainer for James. The vision of Lore, and one backed up with my own personal experience there, is to be a hub and home for all. In a single session at Lore you may sauna with a neighborhood old-timer, cold plunge with a NoHo wellness fanatic, aufguss with an artist, and finish off over bone broth in the lobby with a local business owner.
