The future of nightlife? Spending time with friends at a wellness club
The future of nightlife will be going out to the club — a wellness club, that is.
That’s according to Jonathan Leary, the 34-year-old founder of Remedy Place. Billing itself as the “world first social wellness club,” it offers vitamin IVs, cryotherapy chambers, and red light beds. Its aim is to be not just a destination for self-care but also a new way for New Yorkers to socialize.
“When you go out with your friends, it’s [usually] drinks or dinner, [but] alcohol is a dissociative and it’s a depressant.” he told NY Next. “Our goal with the club is to use self-care as a new form of entertainment … This is where you book a date. This is where you’d come with your friends after work. This is what you do on a Friday night or Sunday morning … but instead of food and alcohol, we have self-care experiences that are made to be shared.”
In November, Remedy opened its third location, a 7,400-square-foot space in Soho that’s designed for group activities. The six ice baths are grouped together for cold plunging with friends or colleagues, the lymphatic drainage room is built for two, and the sauna is large enough for nearly half a dozen people.
Remedy also makes nods to more traditional social clubs. The common area has space to lounge around and is stocked with games like backgammon, and you can order food and drinks — albeit bone broth, matcha and protein bars.
Remedy also pays homage to traditional nightclubs with its bottle service. But instead of tequila or vodka, there’s a selection of 750-ml bottles of water that costs as much as $155.
That most expensive bottle is the Amazon Air Water, which is collected from the rainforest moisture in the air in Brazil, while more affordable options include the $14 Splendor Volcanic Water from a volcano in Ecuador.
“I’m trying to take what people would normally do when they socialize, but replace it with something healthy,” Leary said. “It still feels like a fun bottle service moment.”
While Remedy is all about health, Leary recognizes that New Yorkers are often more concerned with work than wellness.
“We have a working ‘drip suite’ where you can actually work on a laptop, take conference calls while getting an IV … [and our] Our hyperbaric chambers are upright because if people want to work they can work,” he said. “We really want to cater to the needs of everyone…. In New York, we find people want to really be productive.”
Leary, who divides his time between New York City and Los Angeles, applauds the NYC hustle and thinks it’s one of the healthiest places in America.
“New York is the best city in the world — I think we’re more socially connected than any place in the world — you can walk out, meet a million different people, be in a million different environments. New York City sets you up for success to have those [quality relationships].
“And it’s spontaneous — you can’t control your life in New York. New York kind of has its own mind and its own plan for you. And I think that is singlehandedly the reason why people actually are healthy right here.”
Leary always wanted to start some version of Remedy but, after graduating from Southern California University of Health Sciences with a Doctorate in Chiropractic and Alternative Medicine, he was saddled with debt, preventing him from getting a business loan.
He opened a concierge-style alternative-medicine practice to pay off his debts while refining his business plan for Remedy Place.
What Leary heard over and over again from patients — “My issues are gone but you’re ruining my social life [with all this health stuff]” — strengthened his belief in his idea. And, he even ended up raising money thanks to his patients.
“[They] became my mentors and they became my investors,” he said. “I figured out the business side. I figured out how to raise money.”
Remedy isn’t cheap. Memberships — which include unlimited access to technologies like cryotherapy, saunas and oxygen therapy, plus a personalized assessment — start at $9,000 a year. Leary is collecting data to make a case for how effective various treatments are. He hopes to eventually win over insurance companies and get them to foot part of the bill
“If we can have hundreds of thousands or millions of data points a year showing these things work. I think governments and insurance companies are going to have to start accepting it,” Leary said. “And the day that that happens and all of these things are covered by insurance, it becomes a very different business and industry.”
While the first Remedy Club opened in 2019 in LA, Leary has been focused on New York City in recent years. The Flatiron location debuted in 2022, followed by the newest spot on Greene Street.
Looking ahead, he sees plenty of opportunities for growth in Gotham given the demanding lifestyle and thirst for wellness treatments.
“Living in New York is high paced. Life is nonstop. People are working so hard they’re probably not sleeping as much,” he said. “We can remedy those things.”
Plus, he added “There’s just so many people here.”
This story is part of NYNext, a new editorial series that highlights New York City innovation across industries, as well as the personalities leading the way.