Watershed made a splash in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood in 2022, as did Portal this past summer northwest of Bde Maka Ska. Now, another hub for saunas and socializing is on track to open, this one in the North Loop. When it opens, it will be the seventh location of New York-based social wellness company Bathhouse.

Bathhouse co-founder Travis Talmadge says he takes inspiration from the 7,000-year history of bathhouses, with Bathhouse emphasizing the social setting. The North Loop location is set to open in the first half of 2027, situated at 760 North Third Street. It will be the fourth location outside New York, with the company also planning to expand into Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Chicago next year.

To partner on the Minneapolis spot, Bathhouse reached out to Swervo Development, Talmadge says, adding that Ned Abdul, CEO of Swervo, has owned the property for some time and will build on what is now a parking lot and a dog park. Abdul is known for turning Uptown Theater into a live music venue, renovating the Armory, and recently opening the Mystic Lake Amphitheater.

The new, 45,000-square-foot bathhouse will feature three indoor pools, a large outdoor pool, three large saunas, a steam room, and a full massage program. Also featured will be a large, heated rooftop pool.

Bathhouses are distinct from spas in several ways, Talmadge notes, with bathhouses more of a social venue. Bathhouse locations in New York each see close to 1,000 customers per day, and customers often come in groups. Trips to Bathhouse are also meant to be more regular, Talmadge says, serving as routine workout recoveries and workday reprieves. A key part of the bathhouse experience is “contrast therapy,” which involves alternating between hot and cold water.

Perhaps the most significant distinction from spas is scale. A single sauna at Bathhouse should fit more than 100 people.

“The cool thing about Minneapolis and Minnesota in general is that there is probably a more advanced sauna culture than pretty much anywhere else in the country,” says Talmadge, nodding to Watershed and Portal. Relaxing Healthy Center also offers sauna and spa services in Bloomington.

“We’re excited to complement a little bit of that foundation that’s already existed in Minneapolis,” he says. “Our experiences, and the scale of it, [are] quite different.” 

The company chose the North Loop for its plentiful commercial developments, from sports stadiums to restaurants, Talmadge says. “We like to try and go where it’s really convenient for people, or where they’re spending time anyway.”

The key demographic for Bathhouse has been the 25-45 age bracket, or what Talmadge describes as an active, outgoing segment. “Minneapolis is just the epitome of that market,” he says. “It’s got great density, it’s got great demographics, but more than anything it’s just got an unbelievable culture of people that really want to get out and do stuff.”

David Crary, vice president of the North Loop Neighborhood Association (NLNA), has visited a Bathhouse location while traveling and says Bathhouse is a “great, new, different type of business in North Loop,” a neighborhood that appeals for the variety of things to do within walking distance.

He says that, for the last 15 years, longtime property owner and real estate development company Schafer Richardson has let community members use the piece of land for the dog park, which NLNA volunteers have maintained. 

The association and Schafer Richardson have had a mutual understanding that Richardson would sell the park property at some point, Crary says, explaining that Schafer Richardson informed NLNA last summer that a sale was likely on the horizon before selling to Swervo in the fall. (Crary says the association is looking for a replacement dog park.)

“Change is the only constant that we have in the world, and this is just a change,” Crary says. “[Bathhouse] is very much a positive change for the neighborhood and hopefully the city.”