What does it take to turn personal ritual into purpose-driven business? For Mitch Mathews, it started with an ice-cold plunge—and ended with opening the doors to Utah’s first social wellness space.
We brought Mitch, former NFL wide receiver, BYU standout, and now founder of Flowhaus, to the icy shores of Lake Superior for a cold plunge and conversation about what it really means to do hard things.
“I fell in love with the true traditions of hot and cold therapy on that mountain.”
From climbing a mountain in Poland with Wim Hof in nothing but shorts and gloves, to learning how breathwork, heat, and cold can build resilience from the inside out, Mitch shares how those experiences led to the creation of Flowhaus: a wellness destination in Utah where community, contrast, and recovery meet.
As he tells it, “I fell in love with the true traditions of hot and cold therapy on that mountain.” And he knew he wanted to bring it home—not just for himself, but for his community.
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That vision is now alive in two ways. First, Mitch installed a Cedar & Stone Model 5 outdoor sauna at his home in Utah, creating a place for friends, family, and former teammates to gather and share in the ritual. And second, through our collaboration to design the commercial sauna centerpiece at Flowhaus.
Human-Centered Design for Commercial Sauna
When Mitch approached us to design the sauna for Flowhaus, we knew it had to be more than functional. It had to be intentional. Every element of the sauna was crafted with purpose: from the layout and flow of bodies in the space to the acoustics, airflow, and material palette that support their guest experience for up to 50 people at any given time.
Guests are guided through aufguss, aromatic steam sessions with rhythmic towel movements and precise heat shifts that align breath, body, and presence. It’s not just about temperature, it’s about transformation.
Watching the space come alive at the grand opening—people cycling between heat and cold, gathering together, and leaning into guided moments—we saw the vision come full circle. Mitch had created what he set out to build: not just a wellness studio, but a rhythm. A space people would want to return to again and again.
“Cold and heat are metaphors for life. If you can stay present in the discomfort, you’re going to be better off.”
His story reflects what we’re seeing across the country: a growing desire for something deeper. We’re here to meet that moment – with authentic sauna, rooted in heritage, built to shift how people gather, recover, and reconnect.
We’re proud to have partnered with Mitch on his journey, both as a home sauna owner and a commercial design client, and we’re excited to see Flowhaus become the kind of place people return to, not just to recover but to reconnect with themselves and each other.
Interested in designing a sauna for your space? Let’s talk.
