Anjunafamily Meets Saunas and Ice Baths at Othership in New York City

2 days ago 2

Experience a unique night out at New York City’s Othership, where sober dance music lovers gather for progressive house, sauna sessions, ice baths, and a deep reset.

It’s close to midnight on a Saturday night, and I’m dancing with dozens of other ravers. The music is progressive house, bodies are swaying and sweating, and the vibe is super chill, even if the room is hot. Smiles abound as I look around me at the sea of gyrating humans, all deep in the pleasure of a weekend dance party.

But this isn’t an ordinary dance party. This one is taking place at Othership in the Flatiron District of New York City. This venue isn’t specifically a new space for electronic music; it’s a wellness spa that describes itself as “otherworldly sauna and ice bath experiences for human beings to feel good now.” So how did a group of ravers end up dancing in a spa amongst saunas and ice baths?

Shuchi Vyas is a member of the NY Anjunafamily and a long-time dance music devotee. She has been sober for over a decade and has been an avid promoter of her favorite “third-spaces.” Along this journey, she discovered Othership, and credits them with life-changing experiences that have led to “better sleep, a regulated nervous system, less inflammation, great human connections, and so much more.” The venue offers a number of different programs, including late-night socials, which gave Shuchi the idea to pair her love of Anjuna music with the experiences.

The same space where you’re dancing on a Saturday night can so seamlessly turn into a space where you are reflecting on your week, life, relationships on a Sunday morning, and a space where you’re going in for a mid-week reset on a Tuesday evening.

Shuchi Vyas, Vibe Bringer

While the idea of dancing in a sauna isn’t entirely novel, nothing like this seemed to exist in NYC.

Shuchi noticed that Anjuna HQ in London hosted a sauna event and immediately thought of how this could be adapted at Othership. As a “Vibe Bringer” at the venue, she is constantly looking for ways to draw others into the space so they can see the benefits for themselves. After getting sign-off from Othership, she reached out to the NY Anjunafamily to seek local DJs to perform at the event, and invited Anjunafam to come together for this unique experience.

I will admit that I was skeptical about how this would play out. Sure, there’s no doubt we’d all enjoy vibing to our favorite music while in the sauna and ice baths. But would people really dance and socialize, too? The answer was a resounding yes!

DJ DevD was recruited for this inaugural event, and he really got the memo. His set lasted three hours, with the first hour very meditative as attendees were welcomed into the space and got familiar with everything on offer. Over the next two hours, he worked through Anjunadeep-inspired sounds, slowly turning up the heat as the social commons area filled with people dancing.

I was impressed by how comfortable it was dancing barefoot in the heat.

With hot and cold tea available, and the opportunity to dunk in an ice bath, body temperature was never an issue. In fact, for me, the opportunity to move through the different rooms to regulate my temperature was a huge part of what made this event so enjoyable. Not only enjoyable, but therapeutic! I left feeling super relaxed and socially fulfilled, which led to a perfect night of deep sleep.

Events like this are ones I would recommend to every raver! And if you are in the NYC area and want to check out the next event, discounted tickets for the August 29 event with TOMMYLOGIK are available for purchase via the official site.