SweatHouz Franchisees Sign 30-Unit Agreement in Florida

• Ethan Lewis and Brian Massoll inked a franchise development agreement to open SweatHouz locations along Florida’s western coast.

• A wellness studio concept, SweatHouz features private suites with infrared saunas, cold plunge baths and vitamin C showers for detoxification, muscle recovery and relaxation. It’s grown to more than 70 locations in 25 states.

Ethan Lewis and Brian Massoll’s first SweatHouz location in Naples, Florida, opened December 3 and is already off to a promising start. They served more than 200 customers in their first week and are already rebooking many of them for future sauna and cold plunge therapy sessions. They have also built a contact list of 1,000-plus potential clients.

The franchisees, who signed a 30-unit agreement to open SweatHouz along Florida’s west coast, from Tampa to Sarasota to Naples, bring a mix of franchise and wellness investment experience to the development effort.

Massoll was a Orangetheory Fitness area developer and one of its largest operators during the brand’s peak years. He’s also a multi-unit franchisee of intravenous therapy and wellness brand Prime IV Hydration & Wellness and has been a major auto dealership operator in Naples for nearly 18 years.

Lewis, meanwhile, has experience in consumer packaged goods and as a wellness investor. He and Massoll partnered on a telehealth care startup in Florida before becoming franchisee partners.

But it’s been strong grassroots marketing efforts that have given them an early boost in generating revenue.

“We’ve probably done over 80 presales events in the Naples area since February, setting up tents with two portable cold plunges that each hold 80 gallons of water inside the tents at the finish lines of 5K road races, half and full marathons, at farmers markets and yoga classes, wherever we can generate interest and curiosity at big events, to introduce the concept to the community and let the public try it out for free,” Lewis said.

“It’s quite an undertaking setting up the portable cold plunge baths with filters, not to mention the 80 towels we bring that need to be washed and cleaned,” Lewis said. “But it’s all worth it because we’re basically introducing a concept not many here have tried before.”

Jamie Weeks founded SweatHouz in 2019. He also created Honors Holdings, which once was the largest Orangetheory franchisee until financial issues and an involuntary bankruptcy filing led to its restructuring under Camarillo Fitness. Weeks departed SweatHouz in April and launched Founders Row as a hybrid investment and operating platform. Mike Tan, who was the president of SweatHouz, became CEO.

SweatHouz has scaled fast since it began franchising in 2022. It sold more than 100 locations in its first year and, according to the company, is averaging two new openings per week. It now totals 77 locations in 25 states with another 90-plus in development.

The investment range for a SweatHouz is $569,757 to $1.2 million and total sales for the one franchise location open for the entirety of 2024 were $1.2 million, according to the franchise disclosure document. Average sales for the 13 corporate locations open for all of 2024 were $573,762.

Lewis said he and Massoll, who anticipate opening their second SweatHouz, also in Naples, in early 2026, considered other wellness recovery brands before deciding to invest in SweatHouz. There are a growing number of franchise concepts in the segment, including Perspire, CYL Sauna Studio, Restore Hyper Wellness and The Covery.

“We were looking at any concept in this wellness space we could find and we were pretty far down the road with another competing brand. At the very last minute we happened to come across SweatHouz and I said to Brenda, my wife, ‘My gosh, this brand looks amazing’ after looking at its Google business profile and seeing pictures of it,” Lewis said. “We reached out to corporate and they were really quick in getting back to us and setting up a meeting.”

“Brian lives in Naples and I live in Tampa and we both have two young kids, so being able to open our studios practically in our backyards was a big incentive for us to go with SweatHouz,” he continued.

Lewis said their first location is 2,200 square feet with 10 private therapy suites. Each suite is equipped with a cold plunge tub that keeps the water—filtered every six minutes—at a brisk 50 degrees and a vitamin c shower and red-light therapy sauna. Visitors can also personalize each session with adjustable lighting, sound and entertainment, giving them full control over the environment and the overall experience.

SweatHouz offers four level of memberships, ranging from about $149 to $249 per month, depending on the frequency of visits.

“Members use an iPad to check themselves in our guest reception area, they grab a cold compress, a bottle of water, walk into their private suite, close the door and have that room all to themselves for the next 60 minutes that has a large screen TV if that’s what they want. We have guests that watch podcasts or just want to enjoy their experience in silence,” Lewis said. “It’s a Four Seasons Hotel experience in the most beautiful space with the best service you can imagine.

“When our guests walk out of our studios, they feel revitalized and rejuvenated. You can see the difference in their faces,” he said.