In a city obsessed with optimizing everything from work to sleep to fitness, it's no wonder New Yorkers are embracing wellness technology. 6 trillion dollar industry That amount is expected to reach $8.5 trillion by 2027.
But that realization led Lauren Bergheri, co-founder of HigherDOSE, a company that develops cutting-edge self-care tools for the home, including red-light face masks and sauna blankets, to bring investors on board. He said it took years. The “woo woo” factor.
“That's always been a challenge for us as trendsetters in this holistic recovery space, and even in the longevity space and biohacking space. Most people don't even know what it is,” said the former Merrill Lynch executive. said Bergeri, who started the company in 2014 with banker Katie Cupps. “Opening up a completely new space” [venture capitalists] It was difficult to wrap their heads around it,” she added.
Biohacking is the practice of using science and self-experimentation to improve health. It has become an obsession among the tech elite, who spend millions of dollars each year hoping to live longer, stronger lives.
HigherDOSE only raised $1.2 million in 2016, but the company, which now retails on high-end e-commerce sites like Sephora and Goop, came at a time when valuations for tech companies were skyrocketing. Bergeri explains that he had to get creative to make money.
In addition to the funds she raised, she and Kapps poured their own money into opening permanent stores across the city in addition to pop-up stores, bringing in revenue and building their brand, now their main focus. We worked to launch wearable technology. Offerings.
Bergeri, 39, came to Wellness after working as a model and TV host for many years. She said she used to smoke cigarettes and drink Diet Coke to lose weight, but turned her life around by learning about nutrition and different health tools. She felt so much better that she wanted to share it with others.
“When I learned about far-infrared saunas, I thought, 'Wait, what is this?' It's a light therapy that releases happy chemicals. It makes your skin look amazing and helps you sleep better. ,” Bergeri said. “[It was] Too good to be true. So I went to try it – it was the only one existing in New York City at the time… [I] I was shocked to learn that every New Yorker needs an infrared sauna. ”
Bergeri believes that while the science behind a technology can be complex, it's how it feels to the user that makes it an easier sell. That was the key to the brand's success.
“With infrared and red light, you can literally feel and see the difference in one session. And many things in wellness take six months, little by little….Far-infrared, on the other hand, When you enter the sauna, [and] You become a different person,” Bergheri explained. “
She and Kapps both fell in love with how saunas made them feel, and used the money they raised to open 25 saunas throughout the tri-state area.
“I joke that for the first three years or so, we didn't have to do any marketing because everyone was coming into the sauna and taking sexy sauna selfies,” Bergeri said. “Then it went viral and people didn't even care that it was infrared. They said afterward that they felt great and that they had wiped all their sins from the night before All they knew was what it felt like, and that was all they needed to know.
“People like Bella Hadid and The Weeknd were coming in about once a week…There was also Kate Winslet, Michelle Williams, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill.”
As saunas grew in popularity, the co-founders started getting asked to do pop-up events and realized they needed a more accessible product to expand their brand.
They developed a $699 “Sauna Blanket” in 2018. It looks like a sleeping bag and heats up to nearly 180 degrees, allowing you to take the sauna experience home with you.
Due to the spread of the new coronavirus, HigherDOSE closed its in-person saunas, but sales of its blankets soared as people spent more time at home.
“Since COVID-19, we have all realized that we need to take our health into our own hands. And the only person we can trust is ourselves, and this is a lifestyle.” Bergeri said.
Since then, HigherDOSE (a term referring to the natural high people get from these products) has developed additional home products and reopened a single sauna in Soho. They partner with 50 spas in the tri-state area to use their technology.
The company also offers PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic field) mats, which are skin care products and supplements that send electromagnetic waves to the body to promote muscle recovery.
Although products are sold throughout the United States, New York City is key to the company's continued development.
“New York is the most inspirational place. If I hadn't lived here, without a college degree in business, I wouldn't have been able to start HigherDOSE. , I think that's what's really meaningful here for people of faith.”
This article is part of a new editorial series called NYNext, which focuses on innovation across various industries in New York City and the people leading the way.
