Thanks to the steamy success of locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn, in the next two years Talmadge and his business partner plan to bring eight locations — each with scrub rooms, lounges, and restaurants — to seven more states. Among the newest sites: Los Angeles, Nashville, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Two other alumni have signed on as well. Jordan Hummel ’09 heads the company’s real estate operations, and Henry Ciocca ’09 serves as general counsel.
Unlike spas, which Talmadge believes involve “forced relaxation and have a luxury focus,” the Bathhouse experience is different. It’s been described as a social wellness destination. “[Our vision] is about putting out an effort and getting benefits from saunas, cold plunges, splashing around, and being social and part of a communal space,” Talmadge said.
“Of course, I apply a lot of economic principles, and design is a big cornerstone of our product. The artist in me definitely loves being involved in the creative design of spaces.”
He started out in investment sales but got the sauna habit when he was invited to a Russian bathhouse in New York City and did a sauna and cold plunge. The result? “I walked out of there and felt a sauna high. I was walking on clouds. I slept great that night. I was hooked from that day forward,” he recalled.
Routine sauna bathing, according to the Mayo Clinic, is linked to an array of health benefits. Talmadge points to a Finnish study that tracked 2,682 middle-aged men over more than 20 years. It found that regular sauna users lived longer and had far lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Other studies suggest that routine sauna time can reduce the likelihood of depression and developing Alzheimer’s disease.
At Hamilton, Talmadge majored in economics and photography/fine arts, both of which get a workout running Bathhouse. “Of course, I apply a lot of economic principles, and design is a big cornerstone of our product,” he said. “The artist in me definitely loves being involved in the creative design of spaces.”
Today he sweats out business problems in a cedar-lined sauna five days a week. “It’s changed my life,” he said.
Posted April 10, 2026
