Following the announcement of its inaugural New York City sauna festival, Culture of Bathe-ing releases new details on featured programming, confirmed sponsors, and production partners supporting the three week public bathing and cultural experience unfolding on the Williamsburg waterfront (February 12th – March 1st). Designed as both a thermal destination and a cultural gathering, Culture of Bathe-ing brings together international sauna traditions, contemporary art and performance, and modern wellness, reimagining public bathing as a shared social ritual.
EXPANDED CULTURAL PROGRAMMING BY PIONEER WORKS
Cultural programming curated in partnership with Pioneer Works, Brooklyn’s leading center for experimental art and performance, extends the experience beyond the sauna. Titled Hot Bodies, the program activates the park with live performances, science and author talks, sound, ritual, and immersive art experiences, creating a new kind of social and sensory environment that unfolds both inside and outside the thermal spaces. Curated programs include, but are not limited to:
- Secret Riso Club Activation: A hands-on printing workshop producing tees and totes, low-pressure making with high collective satisfaction.
- Author Talks with Maria Semple: The author of Where’d You Go, Bernadette shares a personal essay performance reflecting on sauna, boundaries, and self-trust. Honest, funny, and refreshingly unfiltered.
- Author Talks with Cas Holman: Author of Playful, Cas Holman explores the importance of unproductivity, play, and open-ended creative exploration, offering a thought-provoking perspective on how stepping away from constant output can foster deeper innovation and imagination.
ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS
- Guided Meditation with Dan Harris: Former ABC News anchor and 10% Happier author leads an accessible, grounded meditation rooted in real-world experience and stress resilience.
- Sunrise Sound Journey with Secular Sabbath: A 90-minute curated sound experience presented in collaboration with ambient music pioneers Secular Sabbath. Part ritual, part concert, part collective exhale, the experience will offer a new way to wake up in the city that never sleeps. Headline artist to be announced.
- Amber Martin as Bathhouse Bette: Performer and cultural historian revives the spirit of the Continental Baths through drag, music, and storytelling, celebrating queer bathing culture as a space of joy, creativity, and collective release.
- Musical performances and a tea ceremony by Chinatown Basketball Club, and forthcoming author talks, including Leonard Koren, creator of WET Magazine.
INTERNATIONAL SAUNA PROGRAMMING
Culture of Bathe-ing NYC hosts an unprecedented roster of internationally respected sauna masters from over a dozen countries, offering daily rituals that range from championship-level Aufguss to lineage-based Baltic and Slavic practices. Spotlights include Bathhouse, Russian & Turkish Baths, and Othership, with international talent led by Therme Bucharest and Therme Erding, the cultural heart of the Therme Group. Notably, Therme Bucharest is home to the largest sauna festival in the world, setting the global benchmark for contemporary sauna culture.
Highlights:
- Michael Niedermair (Italy) & Kasia Klajn (Poland): Championship-level rituals practiced with precision, rhythm, and control. Niedermair and Klajn will also perform special programming during Valentine’s Day weekend.
- Shu Nagasawa (Japan): Japanese-inspired sauna sessions shaped by aroma, restraint, and the spirit of the tea ceremony.
- Vladas Jokubauskas (Lithuania): World Whisking Champion and Baltic sauna pioneer with over 30 years of practice.
- Dan Bondarenko, Banya House (USA): Traditional banya rituals rooted in ancestral herbal steam practices.
- Joli & Alexi Irvine (USA): World-class Aufguss performers from Las Vegas blending heat, breath, and movement into joyous, restorative sessions.
CONFIRMED SPONSORS & COLLABORATORS
Event Sponsors
- Athletic Brewing Co.
- Athletic Brewing Company is America’s largest dedicated non-alcoholic brewer. Athletic is revolutionizing how modern adults drink by crafting full-flavored NA brews that can be consumed anytime and anywhere. Integrated into post-sauna cool-down moments and communal gathering areas, Athletic brews extend the ritual of shared refreshment, allowing guests to enjoy great taste while staying aligned with the restorative ethos of the experience.
- Vital Proteins
- To extend the brand’s presence around celebrating and supporting the talent behind Fashion Week, Vital Proteins® will host a curated group of fashion and beauty elite for a post-event experience at Culture of Bathe‑ing NYC. Vital Proteins® will offer guests a chance to experience the inside-out wellness benefits of collagen peptides, which help people look, feel and move their best.**
**These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
INTEGRATED EXPERIENCE COLLABORATORS
- Prof. Dr. Biener GmbH, bringing signature curative salt and sugar scrubs to select sauna rituals, grounding the experience in European spa tradition
PRODUCTION PARTNERS
Culture of Bathe-ing NYC was made possible with the support of:
- Fishko Inc.
- Event management and production, bringing the ambitious creative vision to life along the iconic Williamsburg waterfront
- Superior Sauna & Steam
- Sauna Village production partner, delivering bespoke sauna builds, mobile operators, and on-site expertise across the full thermal experience
Culture of Bathe-ing is a global community that celebrates the modern resurgence of communal bathing as both a tool for preventative health and a response to growing social isolation within modern urban life. Through its Substack, social channels (IG: @cultureofbatheing), and an evolving slate of IRL gatherings, Culture of Bathe-ing convenes enthusiasts, architects, sauna masters, operators, artists, and cultural thinkers who are shaping the future of communal bathing. Programming has included a bathing-culture variety show, citywide “bathe-arounds” at New York bathhouses, and a convening of 100+ global sauna owners and operators – with the next major gathering planned for 2026 – positioning communal bathing as essential social infrastructure for healthier, more connected cities. Culture of Bathe-ing is supported by Therme Group.
About Therme Group
Therme Group is a global developer, owner, and operator of next-generation wellbeing destinations—large-scale urban resorts that combine nature, sustainable design, and cultural programming to enhance individual and collective wellbeing. Its mission is to make wellbeing accessible and enjoyable for all. Each year, Therme Group welcomes 5.3 million visitors across its European locations, including flagship resorts Therme Bucharest (the world’s first LEED Platinum-certified wellbeing resort), Therme Erding, Therme Sinsheim*, Therme Euskirchen*, and Titisee-Neustadt*. New destinations are in development in Manchester, Singapore, Frankfurt, Toronto, Washington D.C., Dallas, and Dubai. For more information, visit thermegroup.com.
*Subject to regulatory approval.
About Domino Park:
Developed by Two Trees Management, Domino Park is a six-acre waterfront public park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and a leading example of how private development and public space can come together to create inclusive, connected, and culturally rich urban neighborhoods. Once an inaccessible industrial waterfront, the park is now a vibrant community hub programmed with daily activities and designed to serve both local residents and the broader public, extending the thoughtfully curated residential and retail environment of the Domino campus.
At the heart of the park is Domino Square, a one-acre, flexible public plaza designed by Field Operations in collaboration with Brooklyn-based Studio Cadena, nestled between One Domino Square and The Refinery at Domino. Throughout the year, Domino Park and Domino Square host a wide range of public activations, including farmers’ markets, concerts, movie nights, fitness programming, and seasonal events.
About Pioneer Works
Pioneer Works is an artist and scientist-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural center in Red Hook, Brooklyn that fosters innovative thinking through the visual and performing arts, technology, music, and science. We provide visual and performing artists, musicians, scientists, technologists, community organizers, and educators the resources and platform they need to expand their practices. Our approach encourages experimentation and empowers curious minds across diverse communities, knowledge bases, and frames of reference; in so doing, Pioneer Works aims to accelerate culture through the free exchange of ideas and information for all.
Follow Pioneer Works on Instagram, Facebook, and X, and visit our website for upcoming announcements.
