Wellness has taken over our lives, making people turn away from nightclubs and towards run clubs, cold plunges, and saunas
Everyone is going sober, nobody is going out, and suddenly, run clubs have become the new nightclubs. Wellness has led young singles to trade their 5 a.m. post-party bedtimes for a 5 a.m. wake-up for their singles run club on the West Side Highway. With the wellness industry being the hottest way to find a partner, nearly every activity in that world has found a way to attract singles looking for love. Even cold plunge and sauna centers such as Othership, located in the Flatiron district of Manhattan, have started their own dating event labeled Lovership.
We’ve become so invested in our health and wellness that we’ve let it seep into every crevice of our lives—even the most intimate ones.
Where it Started
During the early stages of singles run clubs and cold plunges, there was a desire for an emotional connection after the pandemic had isolated us for so long. Even as COVID fades, loneliness continues to grip the world.
Through our time spent locked indoors and communicating through screens, our social abilities have declined. In that category of social abilities lost is that of flirting and dating. It only makes sense that people would need a little assistance when re-entering the dating scene, and what better way than through group activities?
But unlike other singles gatherings, these wellness events reveal the direction our generation is heading. Sweaty and sober.
Othership and Lovership
Othership opened in the summer of 2024 as a cold plunge, sauna, and meditation center. They blend breathwork with sensory experiences to help people recharge and connect. The majority of the people in attendance are either sober or sober-curious, which essentially means they only casually drink.
Once fitness entered the dating field, Othership launched its singles experience, known as Lovership. The experience is not so different from what they normally offer, but the intentions are obviously more intimate.
“In a world of lukewarm connections, we prefer to play at the extremes. Natural connection flows between states, between temperatures, between strangers becoming something more,” as said on their website. They host these events to foster genuine connections in intimate and emotionally open environments.
One TikTok creator discusses her experience with Othership and meeting men there.
It seems there is an appreciation for social spaces that don’t pressure people to drink and rage but rather to relax and connect. Without substances shaping perception or personality, these intimate environments naturally attract people looking for genuine connection at places like Othership.
An interesting point this creator makes is that since everyone is in a swimsuit, there is nothing to hide. Of course, there is the emotional vulnerability that this kind of experience brings, but there is also the obvious element of human attraction. Less clothes, more skin, more desire to interact. It seems shallow, and maybe it is, but it strengthens the desire to go to a place like Othership. The gym once offered our most exposed glimpse of one another, but cold plunge and sauna spaces have since taken that further.
The Boom of The Wellness Industry
The wellness industry has become one of the fastest-growing industries in the market, with 6.5% annual growth from 2013 to 2024, while global GDP grew by only 3.2% annually. Wellness represents 6.12% of global GDP as of 2024, according to The Global Wellness Institute. It is estimated that by 2033, the global corporate wellness market size will reach USD 70.1 billion (Grand View Research, 2026).
This growth is most visible in the grocery aisle, where protein has been packed into nearly every product imaginable—cold foam, ice cream, chips, sweets, and sodas. Starbucks has a dedicated section on its menu for protein beverages, featuring drinks such as the iced vanilla protein latte and iced protein matcha. For an additional charge, customers can add protein cold foam, which contains 15 grams of protein per serving, to any drink.
With more and more people joining gyms and replacing their Lay’s potato chips with Quest protein chips, fitness and wellness have become less of a hobby and more of a personality and lifestyle.
Dating in Run Clubs
Now Saturdays are for running in a group of singles rather than sludging to the nearest bodega in your dress and makeup from last night to get a bacon, egg, and cheese and a Gatorade.
Even people who don’t enjoy running are showing up at run clubs to find a mate. If that doesn’t demonstrate how much wellness has taken over our lives, I don’t know what does.
Strava is the new Hinge. Brooks running shoes are the new pumps. Lululemon matching sets are the new little black dresses. You show up to the run club single, and you leave with a hookup buddy or potential partner.
Maybe it’s the group activity and a shared interest that have made fitness the most popular way to date. It could be the fact that the wellness industry has clearly dominated nearly every aspect of our lives. Maybe it’s that people are sick and tired of standing and waiting at bars, looking for someone to talk to. And maybe it’s the built-up exhaustion and lack of intimacy from dating apps that have driven people to put down their phones and pick up electrolytes.
Whatever the root cause is, dating has entered the fitness and wellness chat and has changed the way we search, or even run, for love.
