--- title: "SweatHouz Expansion: Tribeca Opening & 12 NYC Franchise Units" url: https://burnaze.com/article/9fbf55f9-2421-4023-a964-bf48baf32f0f source: "1851 Franchise" original_url: https://1851franchise.com/sweathouz-new-york-tribeca-expansion-2731111 category: "Recovery" industry: "Fitness" segment: "Recovery" topics: ["Development & multi-unit"] published: 2026-01-02T14:09:05.000Z modified: 2026-10-31T20:30:11.321Z image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/1097e5a5f7c470da49955520a1d97f101827.jpg --- # SweatHouz Expansion: Tribeca Opening & 12 NYC Franchise Units **TL;DR:** SweatHouz, a contrast-therapy franchise, is expanding to New York City with 12 new locations planned for Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. The first studio is planned for Tribeca, which will serve as the flagship for the New York market. *originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2026-01-02. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/sweathouz-new-york-tribeca-expansion-2731111).* ## Story SweatHouz (SWTHZ), the rapidly expanding contrast-therapy franchise known for its private infrared sauna, cold-plunge and vitamin C shower suites, is heading into one of the most competitive wellness markets in the world: New York City. A new development agreement will bring 12 SWTHZ locations to Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, with nine units in Lower Manhattan and three in Brooklyn. The first studio is planned for Tribeca, which the group is positioning as the flagship for the New York market. Behind the deal is a tight-knit team: one of SWTHZ’s earliest members in Atlanta, Mehtab Wasi, her sister Mehwish Wasi and Mehwish’s fiancé Samir Vogan, both based in New York City. Together, they’re betting that New York’s wellness-obsessed, time-starved population is ready for a more convenient, private and tech-forward recovery option. ## Founder background For Mehtab, SWTHZ started as a personal routine long before franchising was even on the table. Mehtab has long been passionate about health, wellness, and longevity, gravitating toward concepts that support sustainable performance and long-term well-being rather than short-lived trends “I’m based out of Atlanta,” she said. “I’ve been one of the founding members of SWTHZ in Atlanta. I’ve always been a fan of saunas, they gave me a consistent way to decompress, reset mentally, and recover physically. I used to go to Lifetime Fitness just to use the sauna after my Orangetheory session. So when SWTHZ opened, it was just like, ‘Oh my God, I need to get the membership.’ I’m still a member right now after all these years.” She joined in 2019 and has now been part of the concept for about six years. Over time, the studio played a much deeper role in her life. A few years ago, Mehtab’s husband passed away unexpectedly. “I reached a point where I simply couldn’t get myself to exercise or take care of my well-being. But SWTHZ was the exception. Going to the sauna and forcing myself through the cold plunge became a moving meditation—it was the single catalyst that helped me find my footing and begin to heal” That experience made her rethink how she wanted to spend her time and energy. “I realized I really want to live my life to its fullest,” Mehtab said. “I’d always wanted to start a Large Scale Wellness business, and if I don’t do it now, I may never get the chance.” With a strong corporate background and another entertainment concept in the works, years of passive investments in real estate and trading, Mehtab wanted a business model with structure and turned to franchising, recognizing the value of a proven system like SWTHZ. “I wanted to take that chance, but in a structured way,” she said. “That’s where franchising came in — franchises have playbooks you can follow, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Looking back, I wish I had known this sooner; honestly, I wish I had done it 10 years ago.” ## Franchising decision Naturally, she looked first at the brand that meant the most to her, whose model offered a clear path to success, including a proven playbook, an understanding of demographics and a defined member journey: SWTHZ. “As a SWTHZ member, I kept thinking, ‘It would be incredible if they ever franchised — I’d want to be part of it,’” she said. “When I reached out at the time, they told me they were still Atlanta-based and not franchising yet, but that they’d keep me in mind if that changed.” A few months later, when the team sent her a list of new markets — including New York — everything changed. As conversations with the brand progressed, and the full value of the SWTHZ franchise model became clear, she knew she needed local partners on the ground. That’s when she brought her sister and future brother-in-law into the picture. Mehwish moved to New York almost four years ago and has been building a career in technology consulting and project management. She also fits the exact profile of a typical SWTHZ member. “I’ve been in the corporate world — I’ve been in technology consulting and recently moved over to project management,” she said. “Samir and I had been looking for something similar in New York and it just didn’t exist. That was one of my biggest light bulb moments, being like, this would be really cool to have in New York personally.” Samir, a luxury real estate broker working with SERHANT., comes at the opportunity from both an athletic and market-driven perspective. “I’ve seen that model grow and people that aren’t athletes getting into that health and wellness side of things with the podcasts — the Rogans, the Huberman podcast and those types of things,” he said. Once he understood the SWTHZ model — private, technology-enabled suites that can fit into a one-hour window — it clicked. “The business model made absolute perfect sense to go gangbusters here,” he said. “There are people like me who just want to get in, get out for an hour, do our thing, have our phone out, take a meeting if we need to, without committing to a communal experience or disconnecting entirely. That flexibility is something you don’t really get elsewhere.” ## New york expansion Under their agreement, the group will open nine SWTHZ studios in Lower Manhattan and three in Brooklyn. “The first location we’re currently targeting is in Tribeca,” Mehtab said. “That will be our flagship store.” From there, they’re planning to move methodically through key trade areas. “We’ll focus on the Greenwich Village, Financial District and downtown Brooklyn next,” Mehtab said. “We’ve put together a five-year plan and worked with CEO Mike Tan to create a roadmap for expanding throughout Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. That’s how we determined our territories and locations.” For Mehwish, growth is about staying visible and present in a constantly churning city. “Living in New York has taught me it can be a transient city,” she said. “If you visit one Pilates club to connect with members, two months later, you’ll be reaching a completely new group. That’s why it’s so important to consistently engage with the community, attend events, and stay active in the city’s health and wellness scene.” Underneath the business plan, the New York expansion is also a family project — and a tribute. “My sister is older than me, and I’ve always looked up to her,” Mehwish said. “She asked me to join her in this business because she knew my background. I’ve always trusted her vision, so it was an easy ‘yes, let’s do this.” She says her late brother-in-law, Hassan, is also a major motivator. “His story was a huge inspiration for me,” she said. “He was the coolest, smartest person I knew. I want to make sure his legacy lives on through Mehtab and her son, and I also want to create a legacy for myself and Samir. We’re building a family together, and I want to build something meaningful for us. We’re very close-knit.” For Mehtab, that personal alignment is what makes the work meaningful. “Any business I wanted to pursue wasn’t just about profit,” she said. “It’s something we believe in completely, and we’re fully part of it. We’re the demographics. This is something I do every day. Doing something we truly believe in, that we’re part of and live and breathe every day — that’s what matters.” As they push toward their first Tribeca opening and the larger 12-unit buildout, that combination of personal story, family legacy and market opportunity is what keeps them moving forward. “It’s both scary and exciting,” Mehtab said. “But we believe in the concept, the brand, and what it can do for people in New York.” As South Asian sisters leading a multi-unit wellness expansion in one of the world’s most competitive markets, Mehtab and Mehwish represent a new generation of founders shaping the future of the industry: quietly, intentionally and on their own terms. Their partnership brings together complementary strengths across strategy, operations and market execution, underscoring the growing presence of women-led, family-driven ownership in modern wellness. ## Entities - 1851 Franchise (publication) - unit expansion (topic) - Beauty & Wellness (sector) - franchising (topic) - new york (location) - wellness industry (topic) - Brooklyn, New York (location) - SweatHouz (company) - Mike Tan (person) - Tribeca (location) - Lower Manhattan (location) - nyc market (topic) --- Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/sweathouz-new-york-tribeca-expansion-2731111). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/9fbf55f9-2421-4023-a964-bf48baf32f0f).