Wellness sauna pod
We did it. We found the thing all Minnesotans need in their lives during the cold months that loom ahead, the solution to winter.
It may also be the future of exercise recovery and wellness.
Introducing the Cocoon Wellness Pod. Made by Bloomington-based health technology company Wellness USA, and currently available for use in just one Twin Cities gym (BzBody Fitness), the cocoon is exactly what it sounds like—a human-sized pod that delivers a full-body dose of infrared light and heat to boost circulation and induce sweat. Lots and lots of sweat.
Inside of the sauna pod
Think of it like a sauna, minus the humidity. Pod users lie down on the cushioned bottom half of what looks like a giant egg, while the top half—the half with all the infrared lights—closes down, covering everything from the shoulders down. Five-foot-three me fit with plenty of room to spare, for reference
The whole experience was sensory overload in the best possible way. First, I chose a eucalyptus scent for the aromatherapy fans blowing on either side of my head, then zipped up my legs in compression massagers, which squeeze and release like big blood pressure cuffs to promote even more circulation. I turned on the back massage function, played some soothing sounds through a pair of headphones, and set my pod’s touchscreen to a lovely landscape photo. I was totally relaxed…and then the sweating started.
Like all the pod elements, I could change the heat setting anytime throughout my 30-minute session—I bumped it up to scorching territory after a few minutes on ‘low’. And while the last stretch was stifling and borderline uncomfortable, the post-pod effect was worth it. I felt loose and warm enough to knock off a couple miles on the treadmill, but also relaxed enough to take a nap.
According to Wellness USA’s regional manager Steve LeGuen, the cocoon works something like this: Those infrared lights activate and start raising the body’s core temp 2-4 degrees, firing up a process called hyperthermic conditioning. As you warm up, your blood circulates more, and faster, which means more oxygen and nutrients are being delivered to your muscles, while lactic acid buildups get carried out and toxins vacate your pores via sweat. That process promotes flexibility and workout recovery and has also been known to reduce everyday aches and pains.
LeGuen and his team have been distributing this thermotherapy technology around Europe for years, but he said its benefits have only just recently piqued interest in the U.S. “In the fitness world, we’re growing,” LeGuen says. “We’ve been doing heat technology forever, and we’re now finally, finally being validated.”
But even still, most of his stateside pods are currently in trendy spas on the west coast, probably being used for the wrong reasons. LeGuen says he’s pretty sure some of those places think they are just fancy new tanning beds.
Shannon Schritz, owner of BzBody Fitness in Eden Prairie, is one of the first in the Twin Cities fitness scene to really get it. She and LeGuen were introduced by a mutual friend, and having seen first-hand the healing powers of heat during her 15-plus years as a trainer, she didn’t hesitate to bring the pods into her gym “This technology really is the future,” she says. “I knew athletes were doing compression things, but to have one piece of equipment that covers training, detox, and recovery all in one, it’s huge.”
Schritz says the pods have already turned the heads of some BzBody regulars—those with a wide range of wellness goals. One of them is an older woman who’s dealt with varicose vein pain for years. A few 30-minute sessions a week have offered a relief that even surgery hadn’t in the past, says Schritz. Other believers include a young hockey player looking to boost his muscle recovery, and, most surprisingly to Schritz, someone who is only just starting her fitness journey. “If you’re into working out, it’s not something you really think about,” she says. “But some people are just really uncomfortable with sweating! I’ve got an obese patient who uses the pod for now to get some of the benefits of working out just until she can do that comfortably for real in the gym.”
I fall in a fourth camp, that of someone who fumbles around the weight room three days a week, begrudgingly goes on the occasional run, and doesn’t do much (read: anything) for muscle recovery. But let me tell you, after one trip to the pod, I might just start.
LeGuen says a pod treatment can really be anything you need it to. BzBody will offer up a menu of options—weight loss, holistic cleansing, pain relief, and even “power napping”—which LeGuen expects will grow and change as he continues to learn more about this technology. “It’s our business, but it’s also kind of a lab,” he says. “I’ve done a lot of B to B, importers, and bigger chains. But being closer to the end user, seeing what this technology can really do at BzBody, I’m excited about that.”
So is the local fitness scene. LeGuen has drawn interest for his pods from other Twin Cities gyms. It may be just a matter of time before these sweat vessels are officially chic (and available at a number of studios).
Ready to sweat for yourself? BzBody Fitness is hosting an open house on Saturday, October 13, for anyone interested in cocooning. (For a short session, not all winter long!) BzBody Fitness, 7000 Washington Ave. S., Eden Prairie, bzbodyfitness.com
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