Led by Robert Hammond, co-founder of the High Line and President of Therme Group US, Culture of Bathe-ing repositions the sauna festival as something more than a wellness experience—a cultural event. Across thousands of hours of wellness and cultural programming, it blends saunas, art, rituals, and performances. The village grounds are open to the public, with free public experiences and workshops scheduled throughout the run. The festival's sauna experiences are ticketed, with sessions priced from $60–$125 based on time and day, now available at cultureofbathe-ing.com. In support of its mission to democratize wellbeing, more than 1,000 complimentary tickets will be released to expand public access to this one-of-a-kind social sauna experience.
THE LARGEST SAUNA FESTIVAL IN NEW YORK CITY
Culture of Bathe-ing transforms Domino Park into an immersive, open-air bathing environment, not a retreat, but a shared cultural experience. Produced by Therme Group, the festival brings together local and international bathing practitioners, artists, and designers.
Set across Domino Park's waterfront, the winter festival is part bathhouse, part cultural venue. Seventeen architecturally distinct saunas anchor the site, animated by more than 1,000 guided sessions over three weeks led by internationally renowned Aufguss World Champions and bathing practitioners from New York favorites including Bathhouse, Othership, and the Russian & Turkish Baths. Cultural programming curated in partnership with Pioneer Works, Brooklyn's leading center for experimental art and performance, extends the festival beyond and within the sauna, filling the park with live performance, sound, ritual, and immersive art to create a new kind of social and sensory environment titled, Hot Bodies. Designed to spill beyond the festival's walls, the program includes free, public-facing events alongside ticketed workshops during NYC's spring break week, led by organizations and artists including Aziwke Mohamed of Black Painters Academy, Samer Ghadry of Tone Center, and the Amateur Astronomers Association.
"Bathing is at the start of a cultural wave, think yoga in the '90s or coffee in the '80s," said Robert Hammond, co-founder of the High Line and President of Therme Group US. "Bathhouses are going to be in every neighborhood. We want to make sure the cultural part of bathing isn't washed away by the wellness trends."
As bathing culture gains momentum in American cities, Culture of Bathe-ing celebrates New York's role at the forefront of a global movement that brings ancient bathing traditions into dialogue with contemporary design, performance, and shared cultural experience. By bringing these rituals to the East River waterfront, the festival reframes bathing as a collective cultural event rather than a private wellness retreat.
"For centuries, bathing functioned as civic infrastructure," said Robert C. Hanea, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Therme Group. "Today, we're rediscovering its capacity to support collective restoration in places where health, culture, and public life naturally converge. Culture of Bathe-ing reflects a broader movement of how cities can support wellbeing at scale."
Each sauna, alongside artistic programming, is designed to be a shared physical, social, and cultural experience. Partnering with Pioneer Works was a natural fit: the unconventional space is known for its boundary-pushing programming.
"We are excited to partner with Therme's sauna festival at Domino Park to bring talks, rituals, workshops and performances into the bathhouse," says Gabriel Florenz, Founding Artistic & Executive Director at Pioneer Works. "Our joint program, Hot Bodies, creates a space for embodied exploration, using heat as both a medium and metaphor to deepen how we feel, listen, and relate. In this unconventional space, we're exploring how gathering in close proximity can open up forms of presence and connection."
Culture of Bathe-ing is backed by Therme Group's decades of experience producing bathing and cultural projects worldwide, including the world's largest sauna festival, major experiential art initiatives such as Franchise Freedom in Central Park, and multiple Serpentine Gallery pavilions. Media previews and interview opportunities with Therme Group leadership and Culture of Bathe-ing collaborators will be available on select dates throughout the festival. For more information email [email protected].
About Culture of Bathe-ing
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: @cultureofbathing), 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.
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