Orangetheory, Beachbody Vets Launch ‘Intentional Rest’ Wellness Studio

Jamie Weeks’ Founders Row and Beachbody co-founder Jon Congdon are launching better.states, a phone-free daydream studio built around meditation, sensory immersion and brain health

Two fitness industry veterans are betting that the next big wellness experience could be built around doing less.

Jamie Weeks, a former Orangetheory Fitness mega-franchisee and founder of SweatHouz, is teaming with Beachbody co-founder Jon Congdon to launch better.states, a new wellness concept centered on what it’s calling “intentional rest,” meditation and brain health.

Created by Weeks’ brand incubator Founders Row in partnership with Congdon’s wellness technology company Morphus, better.states will offer meditation, breathwork, sound baths, late-night silent discos and substance-free “digital psychedelic” experiences under one roof.

The concept’s pitch is summed up in a simple promise: “We take your phone. You take your time.”

Guests will have their phones secured in locked pouches upon arrival and can spend up to an hour before their session in a candlelit lounge serving nonalcoholic nootropic and adaptogenic beverages.

“I used to love to daydream — in school, in the backseat of the car as a kid, anywhere I could daydream, I would,” Weeks said. “Now the problem is simple, nobody daydreams anymore. Every empty minute now gets filled with a scroll.”

At the center of better.states is the LayFlat portal, a technology developed by Morphus in collaboration with Weeks that will be exclusive to better.states in the studio market.

The 45-minute experiences combine synchronized light, sound and vibration to guide users through meditation, daydreaming or what the companies call a digital psychedelic experience, without the use of psychedelic substances. Guests can choose from 48 journeys organized around different emotional intentions and paired with music and breathwork.

According to the companies, the concept is designed around the brain’s default mode network, which has been linked in research to functions including memory, creativity and internal thought.

“Every wellness wave so far has been about doing more — train, track, optimize, biohack,” Founders Row partner Jess Yuan said. “This is the first one focused on slowing down, disconnecting, and doing nothing.”

Congdon, who co-founded Beachbody and helped build the at-home fitness company behind programs including P90X, sees an opportunity to apply lessons from fitness to a different consumer need.

“Beachbody proved that millions of people will commit to a program that changes their health, longevity, and how they feel,” Congdon said. “better.states points that same conviction at the one thing modern life refuses to give people: rest.”

Founders Row Keeps Building

Four better.states locations are planned for 2027, starting with corporate-owned flagships in New York City and South Florida. A smaller Atlanta location will serve as a prototype for future franchise partners, with Founders Row planning to franchise the concept.

The launch continues a busy stretch for Weeks and Founders Row.

Weeks previously built what the company says became the world’s largest Orangetheory franchise operation, scaling it to 142 studios before departing in 2021. He also founded contrast therapy brand SweatHouz, which has since surpassed 100 open locations.

Better.states is Founders Row’s fourth in-house incubation of 2026, following women-focused strength concept LiftHer, Baking Social and All Day Pilates, a 24/7 Pilates studio model.

Founders Row expects to announce another two founder partnerships in early 2027, continuing Weeks’ push to build concepts around emerging fitness, wellness and consumer trends.