SweatHouz Franchise: Hunter Mitchem and 6G Drive Growth

Hunter Mitchem didn’t just step into franchising — he dove in headfirst. After 16 years in aerospace, Mitchem joined forces with his wife, Mallory, who spent 16 years in Advertising and Account Management, and their partner, Brent Curtis, to build something of their own. In late 2023, they signed on with SweatHouz, a wellness and recovery brand that immediately clicked with their values.

Less than a year later, their first location in Old Town Chicago was open, and within seven months they added five more. “That shows a lot of conviction,” Mitchem said. “We have built a strong team with great leadership in the regions.”

The rapid expansion was no accident. Mitchem says the team brought a disciplined approach to growth and leaned heavily on structure and accountability to scale responsibly. “We’re ahead of our development agreement because we believe in the brand,” he said. “By the end of 2026 we’ll be a 15- to 20-unit business at 6G. We’re signing leases now.” That kind of fast, yet calculated growth demonstrates how transferable corporate leadership can be to entrepreneurship when paired with a clear vision.

Still, Mitchem stresses that the business isn’t just about numbers. It’s about people, both inside and outside the company. “Mallory has been instrumental in building scalability and developing our people, leaning on her background of managing top level client accounts” he said.

“We feel strongly about supporting our team. We’re in the business every day, so we bring credibility, but we want people to believe in us as leaders, not just the brand.” That mix of conviction, structure and culture has turned their ownership group, 6G Holdings, into a platform not only for SWTHZ but for a broader future in franchising.

1851 Franchise sat down with Mitchem to discuss his dive into franchising, his rapid expansion with SWTHZ and his ambitious plans for expansion. Here’s what he had to say:

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What do you want us to know?

Hunter Mitchem: There are three of us. My wife, Mallory, and I own the company, and we have a partner and dear friend in Chicago, Brent Curtis, who is on our corporate team. We all co-founded 6G together with a mission to helping people thrive.

Our company is rooted in family culture. We have two girls, 10 and 5, so most of our time is intertwined between business and with them — school, dance, swim, soccer. Running a company while being present as a family overlaps, but our kids get to see the business firsthand. They’ve helped fold towels in studios and met the team. Brent’s daughters are involved too, and we all are aligned on the mission.

We’re very focused on education for our kids while balancing business and family. Personally, that’s been really rewarding, and it brings an element of culture to our teams.

1851: What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Mitchem: Prior to 6G, I spent 16 years in aerospace in supply chain, program management, sales and operations. I learned a lot about operating businesses and ended my career as an executive, spending the last seven years running companies and developing growth stories.

Mallory spent 16 years in advertising and client management, executing strategies to help her clients grow. She brings a strong skill set in that. Brent, who I met in aerospace, ran P&Ls for 10 to 12 years in automotive and aerospace globally, doing supply chain, operations and product management so he is very effective with the optimization of strategy to execution.

All of us bring different skill sets and experiences, with an emphasis on people and how to build teams. We’ve always been entrepreneurial — real estate, side businesses. Eventually, Mallory and I decided to go out on our own. We looked into franchising. We were agnostic on whether it was our idea or not, but we wanted to find something we believed in. Wellness was a space we’d always been around and liked.

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Mitchem: I didn’t know a lot. The beauty is there’s a lot of free information out there — podcasts, LinkedIn, reading. I met with advisers who were successful in franchising — some with 100 to 500 units in food. Wichita, where I’m from, has a strong franchising legacy, so I also had mentors.

My biggest advice is to align with the leadership team on what the brand is today, where it wants to go and how you fit. It’s a partnership. Yes, it’s a contract, but it has to be two-way. You need feedback channels and accountability. Who a brand is at 10 units is not who they are at 50 or 150. Build strong relationships so you can grow together and challenge each other.

We have a strong group of franchisees who communicate daily to help each other and the brand. Alignment with the leadership team and culture, and doing your diligence on the model and where it’s headed, is critical.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Mitchem: We came to the recovery piece through research. We’ve all been to many boutique fitness franchises. We enjoy them but didn’t want to own one. We wanted something different. We landed on recovery. Mallory found SWTHZ, and Brent and I had experienced cold plunging.

We met the team, liked the model and signed on in September 2023. We’ve been aggressive with the buildout because we believe in the product and what it does for people. Consumers are resonating with it.

SWTHZ is a more elevated brand. It gives people an elevated experience in 60 minutes where they feel the difference. Clients have the option to be private or bring a guest, so there’s community without it being too exposed.

We also liked that we had control over broad territories like Chicago, Kansas City and Wichita. We’re focused on delivering as a singular franchisee.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth?

Mitchem: It was about 12 months between signing the agreement, finding our first location in Old Town and opening it. That was quick for a first location. Then we did five in seven months, about one every month and a half. That shows a lot of conviction. We built a strong team with great leadership in the regions.

We’re ahead of our development agreement because we believe in the brand. By 2026 we’ll be a 15- to 20-unit business at 6G. We’re signing leases now. Over time we’ll look at territory expansion. Separately, we’ve launched another brand that has synergy with SWTHZ in consumer base and territory.

Right now, we’re focused on building structure. We want our processes, separate from SWTHZ, to be scalable. We’ve been focused on building a strong team. At the top, that’s regional leaders who oversee studios and work with studio leadership. Then there’s us — figuring out where my skill set, Mallory’s, Brent’s and our chief of staff’s are aligned to grow the business. We’re really building momentum brick by brick.

By the end of 2026, as 6G, we’ll have about 17 units.

1851: Is there anything else about your story you want us to know?

Mitchem: The big thing is the team. Mallory has been instrumental in building scalability and developing our people. We feel strongly about supporting our team. We’re in the business every day, so we bring credibility, but we want people to believe in us as leaders, not just the brand.

Many successful multi-unit operators have people with them since day one. We’ve been focused on finding that core group, and I’m happy to say we’ve made good progress.

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming franchise owners?

Mitchem: Do your due diligence on the brands and understand what their model is, where it is today and where it’s going. Align with the leadership team and build a culture of communication and accountability. That’s the most important piece.

SweatHouz is a first-of-its-kind wellness concept offering private contrast therapy experiences with infrared sauna, cold plunge and Vitamin C showers in luxury, technology-forward suites. Designed for recovery, longevity and convenience, SWTHZ uses smart engineering and a membership-based model to make high-performance wellness accessible and effortless. With franchise opportunities available in select markets, SWTHZ is redefining the recovery space — one studio at a time. For more information, visit