Sam and Shaan riff on what rich people do today that will become mainstream tomorrow — from splitting time across multiple cities to home saunas and cold plunges. They spotlight two emerging sauna companies, Florenz and Ancient Ritual, and discuss why sauna adoption could follow the same arc as residential swimming pools.
Speakers: Sam Parr (host), Shaan Puri (host)
What Rich People Do Now That Will Become Common [00:00:00]
Shaan: What else could be kind of a status symbol? I think I have a couple.
Sam: Yeah.
Shaan: I think the splitting-time-between-cities thing — it’s still expensive, but it’s one place. It’s still expensive but it’s not prohibitively expensive. So I think that’s going to be far more common. I’m doing it now and I realize I’m in a fortunate situation, but I think it’s far more accommodating than ever before. So I think that part-time living — splitting time between cities — is going to be quite common.
Shaan: I don’t know what else.
Sam: That’s a great one, actually. It’s sort of like: what do our rich friends do now that’s not common? And then that’s just going to become something more people do. Like you’re talking about having a few Airbnbs or having three homes and just shifting throughout the year — shifting based on where you want to be in whatever season, and not having a hometown.
Home Saunas and Cold Plunge [00:01:30]
Sam: Dude, here’s one. And you’re getting into it now — I’ve been into it for a minute as well. Did you see — well, kind of — I tweeted out asking people to say what they would do: I’m building this house and I’m thinking about how to optimize it for longevity, health, and fitness. I got so many amazing replies and the most consistent one was cold plunge and sauna. So many people are interested in that, and I think it’s a much bigger trend than I ever thought.
Sam: I think having home saunas and in-home cold tubs — we’re still in the early stages of that. I never would have thought that was going to be a thing.
Shaan: Yeah. I just bought a sauna, by the way, like two days ago.
Sam: I know, I saw you. What’s his name — Andrew — said don’t do infrared, and you were like… but you bought an infrared anyway?
Shaan: Yeah.
Florenz and Ancient Ritual: Two Sauna Companies to Watch [00:02:30]
Sam: By the way, there’s a sick company. Check this out — David’s company, Florenz. Have you seen this? This guy DM’d me — a friend of mine, he spoke at Hustle Fest — and he goes, “Hey, I just met with Shaan about my sauna business, and he said you also like this type of stuff. Have you checked it out?”
Shaan: Yeah. He DM’d me a video. You want to explain what it was?
Sam: So basically — the URL is weareflorenz.com. F-L-O-R-E-N-S. Basically what he’s done is built a custom, kind of new version of an in-home sauna. It plugs into a normal outlet, which when I was looking up saunas was a big deal — you don’t have to get an electrician out to handle the power. It’s small enough to fit in a regular room. It fits one person easily. And it has a super clean, slick design — most saunas have that same cabin look, but this one actually fits in a modern home.
Sam: He’s got one not too far from where I live. I’m going to go visit him.
Shaan: Then there’s one in the Presidio called Ancient Ritual. Have you seen that one?
Sam: That’s the one I saw. Ancient Ritual.
Shaan: So there are two companies people are hyping up right now. I think Ancient Ritual is almost like Peloton for sauna. Normally when you get into a sauna, you’re on your own — it’s like, “Here, go sit in this hot box and think, or talk to the naked guy next to you.” I think what Ancient Ritual is doing — I don’t know exactly, they’re very stealthy, barely anything on the website — but my understanding is it’s like guided meditations, they have sounds, they have scents, they talk you through it. It’s like Calm or Headspace meets a sauna. That’s my prediction.
Sam: The Florenz thing is amazing. I’m really excited about both of these.
The Pool Analogy: Could Sauna Become as Common as Swimming Pools? [00:04:30]
Sam: I don’t think either of these becomes a mega huge business necessarily, but I think it could definitely be a really healthy business. And it might be one of those that surprises you — maybe there’s bigger demand than you’d think.
Sam: Maybe this ends up like pools. Our buddies bought a pool construction company. He was telling me that some absurd percentage of homes — like 50% of homes in areas that can support a pool — will eventually get a pool. It’s a $50,000 average ticket. It’s the number one optional upgrade to a house that actually happens. Those companies are doing really well.
Sam: So if you fast-forward 10 years, sauna and cold plunge could be as common as a swimming pool in America. I could see that world.
Shaan: I definitely could too.
The Science Behind Sauna [00:05:45]
Sam: I’ll have to remember exactly what the study says, but there was a very reputable and well-known study. It said two interesting things. First: if you sauna for two 20-minute sessions a week, it decreases the likelihood of cardiovascular disease by something like 30 to 40 percent. A massive number. Then it said if you sauna three 20-minute sessions a week, it drops by like 60 percent. The numbers are astronomical — just from two to three sessions, let alone from zero to two.
Sam: The way it works is basically when your body heats up that much, it stresses it — and that’s a really healthy, good stress. Anyway, it’s pretty sick. I’m all about it.