By Susan Elise Campbell
Nicole Lanse, founder and operator of HEAL at 433 Broadway in Saratoga Springs, has turned a passion for therapeutic saunas and cold-water plunging into a new career. The business opened in the second week of March.
Last fall, Lanse relocated from the Finger Lakes to Saratoga after her husband accepted a job promotion in Albany. Along with their three children, the couple had been enjoying infrared sauna treatments in their prior community since 2019.
In 2023 Lanse started researching where she might be able to sauna and cold plunge at the same facility and learned that wellness facilities tend to offer one, but not both, types of therapies.
“I thought, I’m just going to create that,” she said. “It seems natural to dive in and do this.”
With a move to the Capital Region in view, she foresaw a career opportunity to make what had been very beneficial to the health of her family available to a broad market.
The science of infrared light as a therapy has proven to aid muscle recovery from sports or other injuries, provide cardiovascular support, relieve stress and reduce inflammation by speeding healing. Traditional saunas involve intense heat and steam, while light therapy heats a person from the inside out, according to Lanse.
“The temperatures don’t need to be high to get the benefit of infrared light,” she said.
The Sunlighten brand sauna Lanse purchased for her studio has patented low-EMF technology that combines all four therapeutic wavelengths, each beneficial for targeting a specific condition. Low and near-infrared wavelengths are beneficial for skin conditions and scarring, while mid- and far-level ranges relax joints and muscles and subdue inflammation, she said.
“We have programmed our saunas with all four wavelengths simultaneously for maximum benefit and so that customers do not have to worry about operating controls,” said Lanse. “The interesting thing about full spectrum light therapy is that there is no less benefit to the user than if there were only one wavelength, for example, the mid range for sore muscles.”
Lanse said her target market is very diverse because “everybody has some level of inflammation.” She believes people of all ages and genders can gain “whole-body recovery and mental clarity” by experiencing the infrared sauna, cold plunge or both.
Cold plunge therapy has its history in ancient cultures as Scandinavians, Russians and others learned that as coldness caused blood vessels to narrow, swelling and soreness were reduced.
“We chose Plunge brand’s immersion tubs because they are contoured and very comfortable,” Lanse said. “The design, shape, and depth allow you to sit or lie down as you choose.”
She said getting cold water to the back of the neck where the vagus nerve is “a tremendous reset, and is both invigorating and mentally clarifying.”
Some people will cold plunge for a few seconds following their sauna, others for several minutes. Some will plunge at the end of their session, others will go from sauna to plunge several times during sessions in their own private space.
“There is definitely a sweet spot with contrast therapy, but you will get equal benefit whether you have chronic pain or a sports injury, or are just seeking general wellness,” she said.
HEAL has five private rooms, each with a Sunlighten sauna that can fit up to three people. Two of the private spaces are “contrast rooms” that also have a Plunge cold-water immersion tub. There is no physical contact with HEAL staff.
“After a sauna session everyone gets a cold washcloth to wipe down,” she said. “I researched sauna companies near and far, and this is something I always enjoyed after my sessions.”