Infrared sauna therapy has been a growing trend for awhile and this week Jersey City welcomes its first infrared sauna studio.
“I’ve had this idea for about 5 years now,” says owner Alyza Brevard-Rodriguez. An active duty Navy veteran, Rodriguez is also a fitness enthusiast and power lifter. She was first drawn to infrared sauna therapy while in California.
“What drew me to it was the muscle recovery,” she says. “When you come out, you feel so loose and relaxed.”
Infrared saunas use a form of radiant heat to warm your body directly rather than warming the air around you like a traditional sauna. They operate at a lower temperature — at SW3AT Sauna Studio they max out at around 135 degrees — yet cause a more vigorous sweat session since the heat travels deeper into the body.
This helps the body with everything from muscle recovery to boosting your immune system.
Located on the third floor of 172 Newark Avenue, SW3AT Sauna Studio has four private sauna rooms. Each sauna fits two people and there’s also a larger sauna that can fit up to three.
A 45-minute session costs $40 (your room is actually booked for an hour, so you have time to change before/after each session) and an unlimited monthly package costs $300. All saunas are fitted with an LED light system, which you can control to set the mood of your session. There’s also a music system which you can turn on/off.
Although there are no showers — Rodriguez recommends waiting at least an hour before showering since your body is still releasing toxins post sauna session — bottled water and towels are provided.
A Jersey City resident for the past 12 years, Rodriguez strategically planned SW3AT Sauna Studio’s grand opening for this Friday. “It’s my wife’s birthday and it’s veteran’s day weekend,” she says. “The date is so perfect.”
Equally important, Rodriguez also wanted to make sure she was giving back to her community while launching her business.
“Veteran-owned, minority-owned, women-owned businesses really don’t have as many opportunities, so I wanted to give back in my own way to those communities,” she says. “So everything I’ve done here has supported one of those businesses.”
The saunas were purchased from a veteran- owned business, the photos adorning the studio’s walls were taken by a local photographer, and even the real estate agent who helped me find the perfect location is a veteran, she says.
“I feel like you gotta help each other out,” says Rodriguez.
SW3AT Sauna Studio opens this Friday and will be open Mondays through Saturdays. Sessions can be booked online or as walk-ins.
