Curious about Sojo Spa Club in Edgewater, NJ? In this episode, we give our listeners an honest review of one of the most popular day spas in the NYC area—known for its Korean-inspired bathing rituals, stunning skyline views, and unique treatments like the *scorching* hot Volcanic Sand Bath. Joining me are my sisters Angie and Michelle, who share their honest reactions to everything from the cedar Hinoki soaking pool to being buried in 130-degree sand (spoiler: it got intense).

We talk about:

• -What to expect at Sojo Spa Club: thermal baths, saunas, and global spa rituals

• -Is the Volcanic Sand Bath worth it—or way too much?

• -Tips for first-timers: pricing, transportation, food, and more

• -How Sojo is helping bring accessible bathing culture to the US

  
  

• Whether you're planning a wellness weekend or just curious about modern bathhouses, this episode is your full Sojo Spa guide.

  
  

  Mentioned in this episode:

  -Dr. Susanna Søberg

  
  

  Historical / Cultural Sources:

• -I Tried Sand Bathing in Japan, and It Was Not What I Was Expecting

• -Bathing in hot sand in Ibusuki, Kagoshima

• 
  

  Learn more about Sojo Spa:

  Website: sojospaclub.com

  Instagram⁠: @sojospaclub

  
  

  This episode was edited by Lila Woodbridge.

  
  

  Badii offers passionate and curious bathers and spa-goers access to news, education, and recommendations about global bathing culture. We share all this across many platforms, including:

  Website:⁠ ⁠⁠www.badii.life⁠⁠⁠

  Email newsletter⁠⁠⁠
  

  Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠@badii.life

In this special episode, the mic is turned around as our host and founder, Sarah Spoto, sits down to share the story behind Badii — a Swiss-inspired wellness brand on a mission to grow American thermal bathing culture. Sarah is interviewed by Kathryn Flaschner, the host of The Truth Is podcast.

Join us as we dive into where the idea for Badii came from, how the healing waters of Switzerland shaped the vision, and why bringing European bathing rituals like Aufguss to more people can help create deeper community and connection.

We explore what it really means to build a purpose-driven brand today, how "entrepreneurship" isn’t just investment and growth but also building community and a balanced lifestyle.

If you’ve ever wondered what sparked this project, how you can be part of it, or what’s next for the Badii thermal bathing community — this one’s for you.

Media that Sarah is following:

-Garth Nix

-Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

-The Grief Nurse and The Bone Diver by Angie Spoto

-Susanna Søberg for cold exposure science

-Alonzo Solórzano for American Aufguss

-THE CHAIR podcast

-The Truth Is podcast

Connect with Sarah and Badii:

Website:⁠ ⁠⁠www.badii.life⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Email newsletter⁠⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@badii.life

This episode was edited by Lila Woodbridge.

Badii offers passionate and curious bathers and spa-goers access to news, education, and recommendations about global bathing culture. We share all this across many platforms, including:

Website:⁠ ⁠⁠www.badii.life⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Email newsletter⁠⁠⁠

Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠@badii.life

Alisa Cardenas, founder of Howl at the Moon Sauna Co. and Good Heat Retreats, joins us to talk all things sauna, community, and ritual. From mobile sauna sessions in the Michigan woods to a new retreat series launching in NYC, we explore how thermal bathing can transform travel as a way to deeply understand places, deepen connection, and inspire reflection. Alisa also shares her journey as a “saunapreneur”—the highs, the challenges, and what’s next.

Media that Alisa is following:

-Culture of Bathing substack

- S.P.A. substack

-The Perfect Sweat

-The Sauna Channel

-The Sauna Sirens at @sauna.sirens

-Sauna Times podcast

Connect with Alisa:

Instagram:

@howlatthemoonsaunaco

@goodheatretreats

Websites:

howlatthemoonsaunaco.com

discovergoodheat.com

Edited by Lila Woodbridge

Badii offers passionate and curious bathers and spa-goers access to news, education, and recommendations about global bathing culture. We share all this across many platforms, including:

Website:⁠ ⁠⁠www.badii.life⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Email newsletter⁠⁠⁠

Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠@badii.life

In this episode, we’re joined by Samer Ghadry, a Brooklyn-based musician and sound meditation facilitator. We explore the practice of sound healing and sound bathing—what it entails and how you can use sound to invite stillness, calm, and clarity into your everyday life. Whether you're new to sound meditation (we were!) or curious about deepening your wellness rituals with sound, our conversation with Samer offers an introduction to the healing power of sound.

Media that Samer is following:

-Samer’s Lot Radio Show

-LSD: My Problem Child by Albert Hofmann

Connect with Samer:

Instagram: @samerghadry

Website: Tonecenter.org

Discover the sounds of today’s episode is our joint Spotify playlist

🎶 Badii Talk x Samer Ghadry Sound Meditation

Edited by Lila Woodbridge

Badii offers passionate and curious bathers and spa-goers access to news, education, and recommendations about global bathing culture. We share all this across many platforms, including:

Website:⁠ ⁠⁠www.badii.life⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Email newsletter⁠⁠⁠
Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠@badii.life

We explore the intersection of spa culture, social media, and spa etiquette. Our guest, Olivier della Valle, Social Media Manager for Cadillac Europe and founder of the social media agency The Plot, joins us to unpack how phones and digital habits are reshaping the spa experience.

We dive into questions like:

-Should phones be allowed in wellness spaces?

-How can we stay present in a hyper-connected world?

-What does inclusive spa etiquette look like? How can bathing etiquette encourage more welcoming spaces for gender queer folks?

We reflect on how traditional spa norms might evolve to better support mindfulness, presence, and inclusivity in modern wellness spaces.

Whether you're a wellness lover, spa practitioner, or curious about how digital culture intersects with self-care, this episode is for you.

Spas mentioned in the episode:

• Forty-Seven Thermal Spa in Baden, Switzerland (a Badii favorite)

• QC Terme in Milan

• QC Terme in San Pellegrino

  
  

Media that Oli is following:

• BroskiReport

• Oura Ring

  
  

Connect with Oli and The Plot:

Instagram: @hey.plot

Threads: @hey.plot

Email: hey.plot@gmail.com

Edited by Lila Woodbridge

Badii offers passionate and curious bathers and spa-goers access to news, education, and recommendations about global bathing culture. We share all this across many platforms, including:

Website:⁠ ⁠⁠www.badii.life⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Email newsletter⁠⁠⁠
Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠@badii.life

Special bonus episode: a guided meditation. Something you can do in the sauna or in your everyday life. The meditation features the sounds of the River Limmat in Baden, Switzerland. We fell in love with the calming flow of this river and we think you will too.

We love hearing from you all, so please comment with any suggestions or thoughts! We’ve tried something new with this meditation, so please let us know if you’d like more content like this

Meditation created by Braxton and Jorge of Yoga Ganesh. Episode edited by Lila Woodbridge.

Badii offers passionate and curious bathers and spa-goers access to news, education, and recommendations about global bathing culture. We share all this across many platforms, including:

Website:⁠ ⁠⁠www.badii.life⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Email newsletter⁠⁠⁠

Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠@badii.life

We’re joined by JerDrema Flynt, M.Ed, MBA. Dreme is an educator and the founder and CEO of THE CHAIR. THE CHAIR is a Black and Brown centered tech platform dedicated to supporting people on their hair journey by providing the opportunity to design hairboards, connect to hairstylists, and share hair care tips for a more joyful and efficient process and experience. We talk about Dreme’s experiences bathing all over the world, how she protects and treats her hair before and after bathing, and we discuss how to make bathing spaces welcoming to more folks. Let’s dive in!

Media that Dreme is following:

-Maya Lê @maistorybooklibrary

-Alexis Nikole @blackforager

Connect with Dreme and THE CHAIR:

Instagram: @dremephotographer

Website: growinghands.wpengine.com

Podcast: THE CHAIR on Spotify | THE CHAIR

Edited by Lila Woodbridge

Badii offers passionate and curious bathers and spa-goers access to news, education, and recommendations about global bathing culture. We share all this across many platforms, including:

Website:⁠ ⁠⁠www.badii.life⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Email newsletter⁠⁠⁠

No doubt you’ve seen more and more mobile saunas popping these days. Today we meet one of the entrepreneurs behind one of the hottest (pun in intended) bathing businesses. Katie Moore is the founder of Sisu Mobile Sauna in Livonia, MI. The idea for Sisu came to Katie in 2023 when she realized she craved community and wanted to find a way to intentionally create something bigger than herself. Katie’s 50% Finnish heritage and interest in wellness lead her to the idea of a sauna that would go to people's homes and to retreats.

We discuss such topics as:

-Why she started a mobile sauna business and the inspiration behind it

-How her Finnish heritage informed her sauna passion

-Sauna culture in Michigan and America

-Sisu Mobile Sauna’s build process - how and why she chose the sauna she did

-The benefits of sauna

Bathing media and brands that Katie is following:

-Finlandia Foundation’s Sauna Week

-Cedar and Stone

-Howl at the Moon Sauna Co.

-Takka Saunas

-Elevated Embers

Connect with Katie and Sisu Mobile Sauna:

Instagram: @sisumobilesauna

Website: www.sisumobilesauna.com

Edited by Lila Woodbridge

Badii offers passionate and curious bathers and spa-goers access to news, education, and recommendations about global bathing culture. We share all this across many platforms, including:

Website:⁠ ⁠⁠www.badii.life⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Email newsletter⁠⁠⁠
Instagram⁠ ⁠⁠@badii.life