Investing in Akari Sauna

‍We are excited to announce our investment in Akari,  joining our good friends (and early Akari backers) Lakehouse Ventures.

Recovery is having a cultural moment. As the initial wave of group-based fitness offerings (e.g. Barry’s, SoulCycle) has evolved (e.g. HYROX), the importance of rest and recovery has entered the mainstream consciousness. Bathhouses, saunas, cold plunges are now commonplace across major US metros. Among recovery options, the most well understood modality from a health perspective is sauna. Across cardiovascular health, neurocognitive health, and even pulmonary health, regular sauna use has some of the most rigorous longitudinal evidence behind it of any recovery modality - including a 20-year Finnish cohort study linking frequent sauna bathing to significantly lower cardiovascular and all-cause mortality (JAMA Internal Medicine), and a broader review tying regular use to reduced risk across vascular, neurocognitive, and pulmonary outcomes (Mayo Clinic Proceedings).

The vast majority of sauna offerings in the market, however, treat sauna as an episodic experience. They are often group based and operate in large footprint settings. While there is certainly a market for this kind of sauna-tourism, Akari has taken a different approach. They are creating a space for members who are looking for a regular, quiet reset. In Japan, sauna is something one does on a Wednesday afternoon and then again on Friday and again on Sunday - i.e. it’s a habit.

Akari studios have a small footprint by design. Members (yes, you have to subscribe) enter seamlessly - no planning, no booking, no check-in - and visit whenever and as often as they like. The elevated hot-cold-rest journey runs through two saunas and cold plunges designed with ash-wood benches, and washi-paper artwork. Membership is capped so the rooms never feel crowded and patrons never feel rushed.

Akari is led by husband-and-wife team Luke Carstens (CEO) and Shayna Olsan (COO). Shayna grew up around Japanese bathing culture. She has long been inspired by the Japanese sentō and the community spirit that these spaces fostered for her - a shared space where family, friends, and neighbors found respite from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

We are excited to partner with Luke, Shayna, and their growing team as they bring Akari to cities across the U.S.

Black Jays Ventures is an early-stage VC fund investing in trusted products and services that address the modern needs of families.