Hot, Cold, and Together: An Interview with Emily Bent, Co-Founder of Othership, North America’s Top-Rated Social Spa

Hot-and-cold contrast therapy has moved from the fringes of wellness into the mainstream, and few people understand its appeal better than Emily Bent, co-founder of Othership, the top-rated social spa in North America. Othership’s guided sauna and ice bath journeys have built a devoted community across Toronto, New York, and beyond. We sat down with Emily to talk about the science and spirit of thermal wellness, and why a geothermal destination like The Springs Resort & Spa is a perfect place to experience it.

The Springs Resort & Spa: Contrast therapy, moving deliberately between hot and cold, is everywhere right now. For a guest easing into one of our geothermal pools for the first time, what’s actually happening in the body?

Emily Bent: Quite a lot, and most of it is wonderfully simple. When you sink into hot mineral water, your blood vessels dilate, circulation increases, and your muscles let go. Move into something cold, a river plunge or an ice bath, and those vessels constrict, sending your system a sharp, invigorating signal to wake up. Cycling between the two gently exercises your circulatory and nervous systems, and people step out feeling clear-headed, energized, and calmer. At The Springs, where the water rises from the deepest geothermal hot spring on Earth carrying all those natural minerals, you get that effect in one of the most restorative settings imaginable.

The Springs Resort & Spa: Othership is famous for turning sauna and ice bath into a shared, social experience rather than a solitary one. Why does community matter so much in thermal wellness?

Emily Bent: Because regulation is contagious, in the best way. When you breathe through a cold plunge next to other people, something shifts; you feel braver, more present, more connected. That’s the whole idea behind Othership, and a big reason we’ve grown into one of the most reviewed sauna and ice bath studios in North America, with well over a thousand five-star reviews. Hot springs cultures have always understood this. Soaking has been a communal ritual for centuries; we’ve simply added intention, breath, and guidance. A resort built around shared pools is already speaking that language.

The Springs Resort & Spa: Many guests come to Pagosa Springs specifically to unwind. How should a first-timer approach alternating between our hot mineral pools and a cold plunge to get the most out of it?

Emily Bent: Keep it gentle and curious. Start in the warm water for ten to fifteen minutes, until you feel genuinely relaxed and a little flushed. Then move to the cold for thirty seconds to a couple of minutes, only as long as feels right. The goal isn’t to suffer; it’s to meet a manageable edge and breathe through it. Return to the warmth and notice how you feel. Two or three rounds is plenty. The most important rule is to listen to your body and keep it playful rather than a test of toughness.

The Springs Resort & Spa: Breathwork is central to the Othership method. How does the way someone breathes change the cold-water experience?

Emily Bent: Your breath is the steering wheel. When you first hit cold water, the instinct is to gasp and tense up, which only amplifies the shock. Slow your exhale and soften your shoulders instead, and you signal your nervous system that you’re safe; the cold becomes something you can ride rather than something that overwhelms you. That single skill, a long, calm exhale, transfers straight into everyday life. It’s what people are really practicing when they plunge: staying composed when the world feels intense.

The Springs Resort & Spa: Final question. What do you hope people carry with them after a hot-and-cold ritual, whether at Othership or soaking in the waters here at The Springs?

Emily Bent: A felt sense that they can shift their own state. So much of modern life leaves us stuck, anxious, or numb, and a good contrast session is proof that you can move from one state to another using nothing but temperature, breath, and presence. If someone leaves The Springs feeling lighter, more connected to the people they came with, and reminded that they can regulate themselves, the water has done exactly what it’s meant to do. That’s the gift these places offer, and why this work matters so much to us at Othership.