How one company is on a mission to teach the world about instructor-led, group-based sauna and cold plunge classes.
Americans are lonely. With church attendance on the decline and the popularity of bars and drinking decreasing, people have lost the traditional methods of finding connection and community. This lack of meaningful connection has far-reaching consequences, including significant health implications.
In 2023 the Surgeon General found one in every two adults in America reported experiencing loneliness, which is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death.
People are seeking new ways to connect and find community, and many are finding fellowship in the modern bathhouse, which combines sauna and cold plunge with a focus on emotional health.
More than just hot and cold, these spaces are turning the contrast therapy experience into an instructor-led, group class designed to not only foster community but also relieve stress and improve overall emotional well-being.
While self-guided and solo sauna and cold plunge studios are popping up almost everywhere in North America, only a few—including Othership, Alter, Remedy Place, Cedar and Stone, and Revivery—provide a guided experience intent on fostering connection between the participants.
And only one, Revivery, offers a way to teach their method to anyone who wants to learn with their Revivery Instructor Training.
Revivery Instructor Training | Duluth, MN | Hosted by Cedar & Stone Saunas
The goal of this training, which includes an online masterclass paired with a three-day onsite session, is to teach instructors the Revivery Method. In these sessions, participants learn how to go beyond the biological benefits of a sauna and cold plunge, said Revivery co-founder Annette Scott.
“We are showing people how to use these tools—sauna and cold plunge—to come into community,” Annette said.
George Dobbins has spent the last 18 years owning and running a CrossFit gym. He attended the Revivery Instructor Training in advance of opening a new contrast therapy studio and he said the experience was transformative.
“This has the potential to change communities,” George said.
“I believe people are yearning or aspiring for connection on a deeper level,” he said, “and this is a ticket to be able to create those deeper connections.”
What is Guided Sauna and Cold Plunge?
Many people are familiar with the health benefits of sauna and cold plunge. Cold water immersion has been shown to elevate the mood, relieve symptoms of depression, lower stress levels, and activate brown fat, which may help the body burn more calories. Sauna benefits include improved cardiovascular fitness, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and a reduction in all-cause mortality.
In guided contrast therapy sessions another layer is added: connection and community. Each hour-long session is facilitated by a lead who ensures participants stay in the sauna and the cold plunge for the correct amount of time while adding in breathwork and meditation. They also facilitate connections between the people in the class, creating a sense of community and filling what Annette describes as the “competent protector role,” emulating all the qualities of a great parent: one who keeps everyone safe but who also knows when to push, encourage, and guide.
Revivery Instructor Training | Duluth, MN | Hosted by Cedar & Stone Saunas
What this means, in practice, is that people are given the space to form deep, meaningful relationships. With the guidance of a skilled facilitator and the catalyst of the body’s reaction to heat and cold, they are able to create connections and build community.
None of this happens, however, without someone leading the way.
Cold plunge and sauna without breathwork, meditation, and facilitated discussion and sharing is like being given a hammer and not being taught how to use it, Annette said.
“The Revivery Instructor Training will show you how to put these things together to make a difference,” Annette said, adding, “what other studio owners are doing right now is not wrong or not not advantageous, it’s just limited.”
The Revivery Method
Human beings, and human connection, are delicate and complex. That’s why the Revivery Method equips instructors with a deeper understanding of the bio-psycho-social factors that shape well-being—along with a practical toolkit for guiding sauna and cold plunge.
With this training and knowledge, instructors can go on to facilitate an experience that helps their clients feel safe, valued, and cared for in their journey toward personal renewal and connection.
Revivery Instructor Training | Tampa, FL | Hosted by Kodawari Studios
The online portion of the Revivery Instructor Training takes about 10 to 12 hours to complete, and it covers the science of thermal bathing, trauma-informed communication, and group management. This is followed by a three-day, in-person experience where participants practice leading guided contrast therapy sessions while receiving personalized training and feedback so they can begin leading their own sessions.
Included in the in-person sessions are lessons on how to respond to challenges with curiosity and open-heartedness, Annette said.
“They will gain the ability to teach people that even when they are uncomfortable, they are still safe, capable, and can still problem solve,’” she said.
This means learning—and practicing—active and reflective listening and nonviolent communication.
“We’re teaching you how to listen with your posture, your words, and your smile, how to reframe a question, and how you listen to the question. All these pieces come together to convey that degree of safety and attention,” Annette said.
The Revivery Instructor Training Experience
Dr. JoJo Yonce is a chiropractor who specializes in brain health, including QEEG brain maps, neurofeedback, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. In advance of bringing sauna and cold plunge to his clinic, he attended the Revivery Instructor Training so he could learn more about leading guided contrast therapy sessions.
In these sessions JoJo said he learned that although what Annette calls the “first level benefits” of sauna and cold plunge are what will most likely get people through the door—the improved sleep, reduced stress, and cardiovascular benefits—it’s the social and emotional aspect that will keep them coming back.
“You stay because of the connection in the community, which is something we’ve lost in the society for the most part,” JoJo said.
He said the experience of attending the in-person training brought home how crucial this community and connection piece is to the experience.
“I was reminded how important connection and community is, and how it sometimes just takes sitting down with other people and having a conversation, and it’s nice for that to be structured in a way that they don’t even know that’s what they need,” he said.
After owning a CrossFit gym and coaching for close to 20 years, George said he attended the training because he was searching for a new way to connect with people and help others.
Annette K. Scott | Revivery Instructor Training | Tampa, FL | Hosted by Kodawari Studios
“This came at a really great time,” he said about the Revivery Instructor Training, “and I felt reinvigorated by it.”
George was planning on offering one-on-one sessions at his new facility, Live Well, in Dover, Delaware, but after the training he decided to incorporate group guided sauna and cold plunge at his facility.
George said he recommends the Revivery Instructor Training to anyone who is feeling burned out or uninspired by teaching or coaching and who wants to start helping people make real connections with others.
“I’ve experienced being in rooms with lots of people and still feeling lonely, but what Annette was able to deliver was this ideal of communal sharing and asking the right questions, as opposed to just talking,” he said.
Grow as a Leader and a Person
In 2023 the global cold plunge market size was valued at more than $708 million, the global sauna market $859 million. However, most of the businesses and studios offering sauna and cold plunge are focused primarily on the physical benefits of the practice.
The Revivery Method looks at a person’s health and well-being from every angle: spiritual, physical, intellectual, relational, and emotional (or SPIRE).
3-Day Training
Master the art of sauna & cold plunge leadership.
Become an Instructor“We’re guided by SPIRE,” Annette said, “because how you are in the sauna and how you are in the cold relates to how you manage difficulty in other parts of your life.”
On top of teaching participants how to improve these aspects of people’s lives, Annette said the Revivery Instructor Training will help future leaders learn how to manage the group experience, creating a safe space for people to share and connect. The training will help participants—and leaders—learn how to balance individual needs against the needs and the demands of the collective.
While the Revivery Method is designed to teach you how to lead a guided contrast therapy session with breathwork and discussion, it will also offer you an opportunity to learn more about yourself: how to build resilience, manage anxiety, and build strong social connections.
