Former Contrast Therapy Executive Launches Solgorithm, a 34-Acre Retreat for an Always-On World

As digital life becomes increasingly shaped by algorithms and artificial intelligence, a growing number of people are seeking experiences that offer something fundamentally different: presence, connection, and meaning beyond the screen.

Gavin Jocius, former Chief Marketing Officer of Sauna House, is building directly into that shift.

Today, Jocius announces the launch of Solgorithm, a new retreat concept set on a 34-acre farm in Hillsborough, North Carolina. The project blends nature, ritual, and community into immersive, phone-free experiences designed to support mental clarity and physical resilience.

The property features open pastures, forest trails, a certified wildlife habitat, and horses, creating an environment intentionally removed from the pace and pressures of modern digital life.

“We spend so much time adapting to external algorithms that we lose touch with our own,” said Jocius. “This is about helping people realign with their internal one … their nervous system, their attention, and how they actually experience the world.”

Jocius previously helped build communal bathing environments centered around a no-phone policy and a structured hot-cold-relax circuit, spaces designed to foster human connection without digital distraction. That philosophy now extends beyond bathhouse walls into land-based, multi-day retreat experiences.

The inaugural Solgorithm gathering, scheduled for June 6, 2026, will feature a rare and historic element: the presence of a Tendai Buddhist living Deity visiting from Japan for the first time.

The Ajari-sama, often referred to as a “Marathon Monk,” is among the few practitioners in modern history to complete the Kaihōgyō, a 1,000-day endurance and spiritual practice performed on Mount Hiei in Japan. The practice requires walking approximately 25,000 miles over seven years, culminating in an extreme nine-day period without food, water, sleep, or rest—an ordeal designed to confront the boundary between life and death, ego and awareness.

Participants at Solgorithm will have the opportunity to walk alongside the Ajari-sama, learn from his experience, and receive teachings rooted in discipline, ritual, and mental clarity.

“This is not about recreating a sacred tradition,” said Jocius. “It’s about giving people the opportunity to learn how to recalibrate their mind and body from someone who has explored the outer limits of meditation and human endurance.”

In addition to this cultural exchange, Solgorithm will incorporate guided movement, meditation, breathwork, yoga, and endurance-based challenges.

The launch comes at a time when consumers are increasingly gravitating toward offline experiences, from analog hobbies to phone-free environments, as a way to counterbalance constant connectivity.

As wellness continues to evolve beyond metrics and optimization, Solgorithm reflects a broader shift toward experiences that prioritize presence over performance, depth over distraction, and connection over convenience.