This New Wellness Studio Aims to Kick Loneliness With Contrast Therapy

Contrast therapy – switching between hot and cold environments, like, say, a sauna and a cold plunge pool – can be invigorating. And sharing a laugh with a stranger feels great for your soul. What if the two activities were smooshed together?

That’s what the co-founders of Project Mood – Michael Matrah, director of building firm Mood Construction, and fitness entrepreneur Lewis Parkinson – set out to do. “We’re in a loneliness pandemic”, says Parkinson. “People are working from home more, their social lives are through social media, their dating lives are through their phones. Some people only see another person when they go to the supermarket.” They launched the wellness studio in Southbank just four months ago, and its ethos is straightforward: community, contrast therapy and exercise. “And it’s an awesome cure for a hangover”, jokes Matrah.

Broadsheet Access is inviting our members to a one-off wellness day at Project Mood this September. It’s an opportunity to experience contrast therapy for yourself, while connecting with other like-minded Access members – just as Project Mood intends.

When Matrah and Parkinson first met, they were both burnt out from high-pressure jobs. “A few drinks and a couple of interesting conversations later, we saw a gap in the market”, says Matrah. They wanted Project Mood to be inclusive rather than exclusive, offering good value for money and (most importantly) fun. “We sat down and designed what we’d want as consumers”, says Parkinson. Everything at Project Mood has been purpose-built to facilitate socialising. The studio includes a bathhouse with a 25-person sauna, 20-person warm magnesium pool, communal cold plunge and steam room, along with an open gym and two exercise studios: one for reformer Pilates and one for strength and conditioning. You won’t hear any tinny “elevator music” – catchy tunes thud through the speakers. And there’s a large communal table at reception to gather around post-sweat.

The practice of switching between a sauna and cold plunge dates back to ancient Rome’s public baths, some of which had a caldarium (hot room) and a frigidarium (cold room). In Finland, switching between a sauna and the snow (or an icy swim) has been part of the culture for centuries. According to Parkinson, spending 15-20 minutes in a sauna causes your blood vessels to expand, increasing blood flow, and just three minutes in a cold plunge does the opposite, constricting the vessels again and activating the sympathetic nervous system. “It feels good every time,” Parkinson says.

But the social and emotional benefits of contrast therapy are equally important. Building resilience is a big part of it, explains Parkinson. “It’s true in life in general: the more friction you encounter, the better you become.” There’s something gratifying about sharing a smile (or a wince of pain) with your cold-plunge neighbour. “I sit at the desk all day, and I see people arrive, and I see them leave, and the way their shoulders sit is different. There’s a zen quality about them. A calmness”, says Parkinson.

The founders’ tip for first-timers? Take it easy. “If you’re only getting your feet in the cold plunge the first time, that’s fine”, says Parkinson. Matrah agrees: “Nothing beats growing from anything that’s hard.”

If you’d like to take the plunge at Project Mood, join Broadsheet Access and get on the list for our members-only wellness day on Saturday September 20. Try everything at the studio, from reformer Pilates and strength classes to the full bathhouse experience. Beloved sanga shop Juju's Deli will be serving unfussy sandwiches with fluffy focaccia, and you’ll get a packed goodie bag on your way out the door. There’ll even be a DJ in attendance. We hope to see you there.