A contemporary wellness studio has opened in Waihi Beach.
The coastal Bay of Plenty town of Waihi Beach is known to many as a summer getaway.
Its mix of cute weatherboard baches and expansive modern holiday homes is typical of beach towns stretching from the East Cape to the tip of the Coromandel, but Waihi Beach has a laid-back vibe all its own.
While the population swells during the warmer months, a growing number of permanent residents have chosen to call it home, bringing fresh energy and a deep appreciation for the outdoors.
Now, a new business is bringing one of the fastest-growing wellness experiences to those residents and visitors alike.
Hot and cold
Baask is a private sauna and ice bath house aiming to reinvigorate those who stop in for a session. Founded by sisters Claudia and Samantha Holley, the pair wanted to bring the sought-after treatments to the area and relied on experience working in the beauty industry and marketing to hone Baask’s offering.
Visitors can experience the benefits of contrast therapy, an approach built around the rhythm of heat and cold.
“You warm the body, then you cool it,” says Claudia. “The sauna increases circulation and glow, while the cold gives you this incredible reset, it wakes you up, clears your head and makes you feel strong and calm at the same time.”
Proponents of contrast therapy, also known as temperature therapy, tout therapeutic benefits such as improved circulation and exercise recovery. Those in Scandinavian countries have been practicing it for centuries, alternating between sauna and an ice-cold plunge or snow dip.
Feel-good boost
While the town’s surfer’s athletes and outdoor enthusiasts will likely be keen, its founders say its just as useful for a feel-good boost.
“It’s less about performance wellness and more about feeling good, looking after yourself, and leaving happier,” Samantha adds.
Stylish, unfussy design draws from wellness destinations like Byron Bay, with a colour scheme that feels right at home on the wild expanse of shoreline. Baask’s founders say the look and feel has been inspired by that nostalgia we love about Kiwi costal towns, but with an elevated twist more akin to modern boutique hotels.
The space in a new development just north of the main strip of shops also offers a retail selection of wellness and beauty brands.
Whether it becomes a regular ritual for locals or a holiday reset for summer visitors, Baask is open for bookings now.
Baask
58 Wilson Road, Waihi Beach, New Zealand, 3611
