Introducing Ambique
After traveling around Europe over the last 30 years, one thing I discovered and absolutely enjoyed visiting are European Wellness Centers, which leverage the region’s deep roots in thermal and hydro bathing or put more simply, sauna culture. Finns are widely considered as the originators of the modern sauna (although Estonians might object to that assertion) and today Finland has over 2 million saunas for 5.5 million people.
Today, wellness centers are dotted across the European landscape and filled with a comprehensive assortment of wellness therapies, different types of saunas, pools, relaxation areas, food & beverage, treatments, and various rituals. They are quite affordable and accessible to a large portion of the population and appeal to all ages. Over the last 15 years, new programming has been introduced to create entertaining options for guests, which increases the appeal and extends the length of stay. They have also grown in size to accommodate the growing demand and the expansion of experiences offered. Some of the largest centers approach 300,000 square feet and measure the annual guest count in the millions.
Every time I’d return to the US, I’d ask myself the same question, “Why don’t we have these places here?” They are not spas in the traditional sense that most Americans think about spas, which are heavily focused on treatments and tend to be expensive and generally out of reach for the average American. In 2019, I started studying the feasibility of opening a European-styled wellness center in Chicago and began looking for property and building a business plan. When Covid appeared in 2020, the planning was put on the shelf as the world shut down.
In November 2022, as the global pandemic subsided, I decided it was time to dive in with both feet and began to work full-time on launching a company to focus on bringing European-styled wellness facilities to the US with Chicago as the first city on the map. Interestingly, the pandemic had also fueled a new interest in the US for home saunas and cold plunges and more and more people were discovering the health benefits and the enjoyment of sauna-ing and cold-plunging.
As I dug into the project and as the world was entering a post-pandemic period, I was shocked by some of the data I came across.
1. After nearly 75 years of consistent increases in life expectancy in the USA, life expectancy rates have been flattening since 2014 (actually dipped during the pandemic) although has now recovered but remains at nearly the 2014 level. Experts attribute this flattening to increases in drug and gun-related deaths/suicides which point to the mental health crises which has been widely-discussed during and after the pandemic.
2. The USA lags European countries by 2-4 years in life expectancy rates. In the world rankings, the USA is just above Panama and below Croatia in life expectancy rates.
3. Symptoms of depression and anxiety have tripled in the last 5 years (partial pandemic effect) and suicide death rates have increased 40% since 2000.
These discoveries only strengthened my commitment to pursue this project with the intention to simply improve human health in any big or small way possible. I’ve also reflected on the amazing pace of innovation across the world in my lifetime and it’s astounding what humans have done to improve society. However, some innovations also have what economists like to call “negative externalities”, or the bad things that can result when a company or organization creates something new. For instance, air pollution from factories is a classic case of negative externality. Society will generally address those negative externalities with laws and regulations to minimize the effect on the population.
With the pace of digital and technology innovation, the negative externalities are not so obvious or easy to regulate. Work-from-home and changes in religious observance also may bring additional negative externalities which may change society’s need for improved access to different health and wellness interactions. It is my hope that we can be part of the solution regardless of how big or small it is.
Why the name Ambique?
After taking the leap in late 2022 to focus on this project, I wanted to learn more about people that had taken on ambitious projects in the spirit of improving life for others without the monetary award as a primary driver. Having worked in the large corporate world and the Silicon Valley venture capital world, I wasn’t always surrounded by these types of people (although I certainly came across many of them along the way).
In December 2022, I watched a segment on 60 Minutes (yes, reveals my late-stage Gen X and near-Boomer affiliation), and learned about Greg Carr. Greg grew up in a small-town in Idaho (similar to me), went to the same undergraduate school as me, and then developed the early technology supporting digital voice mail and sold it for a large sum (not similar to me – ha). He was in his early 30s and was a pre-internet technology titan. He could have done nearly anything he wanted to or nothing at all.
Instead, he chose to help the people of Mozambique who were just coming out of an awful 20 year-long civil war which had devastated many parts of the country and especially the Gorongosa region, which in the 1960s had been a premier African wildlife park destination. Greg has devoted much of his own money and much of his time to restoring the Gorongosa National Park and creating an economic engine to benefit the population living around the park. I connected with Greg after learning about him and he extended an invitation to visit him in Mozambique. In May 2023, my partner, Kay Meyer aka “Rita”, and I flew to Mozambique and spent nearly a week at the newly restored Gorongosa National Park and met Greg while there. We saw first-hand the power of his hand and mind on the lives of Mozambiquans and the amazing wildlife that started returning to the park.
In thinking about the right name for the wellness project, I wanted to acknowledge the work Greg has done and countless others around the world have done - whether big or small - to improve human life for as many people as possible. Ambique seemed like the perfect word to embody the ideal of nurturing yourself and others in ways that improves the overall quality of life for everyone.
What products/services will Ambique provide?
Starting in early December 2024, Ambique plans to open the first of its kind Sauna Experience in Chicago. It will include three high-quality Finnish-style saunas (one wood burning, two electric), multiple cold plunges, fire pits, seating, changing room, and a hospitality lounge with retail offerings. We also hope to offer food and beverage options. Most of the experience will be outdoors although we will have an indoor area containing a hospitality suite and restrooms. Guests will book an experience which can be in a shared sauna with others or can reserve a sauna for a private group. Sauna guides will help guests fully enjoy their experience and provide instruction as needed. The facility will be located in the heart of Chicago on Goose Island (just north of Division Avenue) and will provide ample parking for guests. With nine million residents in the Chicagoland area and 50 million annual visitors, it is my hope this new experience will provide a meaningful new way to find health and happiness, especially in the middle of a cold winter day!
The vision is to continue expanding wellness offerings to the Chicago community and create new facilities as we can. Wellness shouldn’t be just for the rich. Wellness should be accessible to everyone. And wellness should also be fun! I think everyone that comes out to the Sauna Experience Chicago will find it to be healthy AND fun – the perfect combination.
Thank you to those who have contributed thus far.
While this journey has been anything but a straight line, it was made possible by the generous help and thoughtful feedback by numerous people that have been so supportive and kind. My partner, Rita, has been my co-pilot and sometimes devil’s advocate (in a good way) which has been immensely valuable. Maddie Meyer has been leading the HR strategy and recruiting along with consulting on the guest experience and has been terrific. My three kids, Ethan, Noah, and Meredith are always on my mind as I’ve worked on this project. Mira Brodsky, the first employee hired, has stepped up to the plate and has contributed meaningfully since her first day. And several of my former UVA/Darden classmates, former colleagues, friends, and neighbors have played important roles getting to this point.
One of the enriching benefits of working in a new industry that is brimming with new ideas and opportunities is the new friendships I’ve made with people that are passionate about improving human health holistically and are just genuinely good souls. It is one of the most rewarding parts of this journey. The new team also includes talented people from:
Cedar and Stone – Duluth, MN-based master sauna builders and advisors on the sauna experience
Future Firm – Chicago-based architectural firm
Prologis – Denver-based owner of the largest portfolio of industrial real estate in the world
JLL – Ambique’s primary commercial real-estate and business advisor directing us to the right location amongst other things
CBRE – advisor to Prologis and helping bring everything together in a win-win way
Schain Banks – Chicago-based law firm helping us work with the City of Chicago for zoning and permitting purposes
Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to the opening date in December! Hope to see many of you there.
Sincerely,
Scott