Australian Float Therapy Franchise City Cave Plots US Expansion
After rapidly scaling in Australia, the float therapy/infrared sauna/massage provider is ready to do the same in the States
City Cave Float & Wellness Center, an Australian-based wellness brand, has settled in the U.S., offering franchising opportunities in the growing holistic space as it targets areas like the wellness hotspot of Dallas-Fort Worth.
Featuring float therapy, infrared sauna and massage services, City Cave opened its first stateside location last summer in the Flagler Village neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, joining 73 other locations in Australia and New Zealand.
The wellness franchise confirms 30 other U.S. locations are currently in its pipeline after having grown its footprint in Australia and New Zealand by over 300% since 2021.
“As one of the fastest growing wellness franchises in the world, we’ve always had our sights on expanding into the United States,” said Jeremy Hassell, co-founder of City Cave. “Now that our first U.S. location has proven successful in Flagler Village, we are all in on franchising, beginning in Dallas-Fort Worth. We can’t wait to further expand City Cave to new communities across the country.”
Is Float Therapy the Next Wellness Trend?
While cold plunging may be a top wellness trend, float therapy offers a chance to float in a warm pool, promoting a deep state of relaxation that can reduce stress and alleviate anxiety. City Cave also offers infrared sauna sessions where visitors can plug into a surround system to enjoy a podcast or film, listen to music or quietly unwind. Those looking for hands-on healing can book a City Cave massage, with therapies for remedial, sports/deep tissue, relaxation or pregnancy.
Members can enroll in a “Cave Club,” which includes discounts on retail products, special members-only offers and the ability to secure a dedicated day and time for appointments.
City Cave’s approach to health and well-being was the idea of Hassell, a former builder, and Tim Butters, a former tiler, who pivoted from the construction industry after trying flotation therapy. Sold on the modality, the duo launched the brand in 2016 in Australia and won the NextGen in Franchising Competition at the International Franchise Association Convention three years later.
Franchising Might
As it plots its U.S. expansion, City Cave has partnered with global franchising experts such as Suzanne Greco, the former CEO of Subway and Dustin Hansen, the former CEO of InXpress. Hansen will serve as president, with Grego taking on a mentorship role.
“We’ve perfected our franchisee programming to ensure that we offer the highest quality training and a huge amount of support, and we’re excited to offer the early U.S. franchisees an all-expenses paid training trip to Australia for in-center training and peer-to-peer learning,” Butters said. “We look forward to finding franchise partners in the States with pioneering mindsets and who see the huge potential in building City Cave’s foundations from the ground up in America.”
