Meet Steve Bell | Perspire Sauna Studio, Franchisee

We had the good fortune of connecting with Steve Bell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Steve, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
The benefits of Infrared Heat in our saunas as well as that of medical grade redlight therapy. Not all heat is created equal.

Also, outsiders should understand the difference in saunas. Most people have experienced the sauna in a gym setting which is communal and is not tailored to the needs and desires of the individual using the sauna. Gym saunas tend to be “wet or steam” saunas where Perspire Sauna Studio’s saunas are “dry” sauna.

The difference is that wet saunas heat the air outside of the body and it is hard to breathe in them. Rather, dry saunas elevate the core temperature 2 – 3 degrees and trick the body into thinking it has a fever or infection. The bodies response is to amp up the cardiovascular system to rid the body of the infection or break the fever. Our goal is to create a sweat faster as well rid the body of the toxins and heavy metals that are inherent in all that we eat, drink and the air that we breathe.

What should our readers know about your business?
I described previously of how we were introduced to Perspire Sauna Studio through Brandon Zeuner in CA….we were the 30, 31 & 32 license sold within the Perspire Franchise network. When we opened our first location in South Gilbert , AZ in 2022, When we opened Feb, 2022, we were the 22nd location open within the entire network.

It was tough going introducing a new concept to our community. Our tongue in cheek joke when talking to prospective member was that we were “selling heat in the desert”….people didn’t understand the benefits of Infrared Heat and to be honest, neither Dodie nor I did either until the business got open and we were able to sauna 3 – 4 times per week. Before the studio opened, we marketing the 40 minute private sauna session more as self or soul care….40 minutes to check out of the rat race and have “me time” where no one could get to you or distract you….while this is still true today and is a benefit of our business offering, it is low on the list of benefits and really missed the mark in keeping people coming into the studio to sauna. We can easily give up what we feel is a luxury and not a necessity to creating a more healthy lifestyle or maintaining good health.

When we started to sauna regularly, we starting to experience better health ourselves. Our bodies need to sweat to release the toxins which accumulate in our bodies. I have trained my body to start sweating in 160 degree within minutes – when I first sauna’ed – it would take 15 – 20 minutes to get the sweat going. Everytime I sauna now, I am releasing the heavy metals in my body and the proof of that is the black sweat spots on my floor mat and body towel that I lay on. While it is rather disgusting, it is so cool to see the sauna doing its job…to help to detox the body and help to “ignite the wellness within”.

Dodie has experienced new baby hair growth, her hair is silky smooth and the healthiest it has been in years. Dodie also finds that she notices a reduction in stress and mental clarity from her time in the sauna. Her skin is softer and she rarely used deodorant as a direct result of the sauna.

We both feel our bodies “craving” the sauna when we travel and cannot keep our regular routine of 3 – 4 times a week.

Our first studio took nearly 9 months before it began to gain traction within our community. The difference came when our founding members started to really reap the benefit of their sauna sessions and they started telling their friends, family members and work associates. We all know that word or mouth is the best advertising and a members testimony of how the sauna has benefited them has more impact that anything else we could manufacture ourselves.

We now see our job is to inform and educate the community on what it is we are really offering them at our studios. While we have a tangible product that is best in class with proprietary medical grade red light therapy as well as color light therapy, unless people truly benefit from using their membership or session, we would remain the best kept secret and would most likely go out of business so that drives us everyday to be the cleanest and most professional option for infrared sauna in the marketplace. We spend a lot of time educating and training our studio associates on the benefits and science behind our product so they understand what they too are offering those who come in for an introductory session. We also encourage our associates to sauna regularly so that they too start to experience the health & wellness benefits of the infrared sauna.

The Perspire Sauna Studio network continues to grow nationwide and more and more licenses are being sold (now over 150 licenses sold) and that will only help us educate individuals as infrared sauna’ing becomes more mainstream and a sought after modality for a natural means to gain better health and wellness.

Lastly, we love hearing our members stories of improved health and overall wellness. Such things are weight loss, healing from cancer, wounds healing faster, improved sleep, detox, and boosted immune systems when cold and flu season comes….all in a safe, sanitized & science backed infrared sauna.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We live in some of the fastest growing cities in America in the SE Valley in the Metro Phoenix market. Dodie and I live in Chandler which neighbors Gilbert, Mesa and Tempe – all of which are thriving communities with a lot to do.

Hiking trails are within 15 – 30 minutes in the surrounding mountain ranges encircling our valley of the sun, great restaurant concepts continue to originate and thrive in this market. The Hidden House in Chandler is a great choice to take out of towners and locals alike too. We have great shopping out the San Tan outdoor mall or the Chandler Mall which is all indoor shopping. We love taking our out of town friends to the red rocks of Sedona or the Grand Canyon for breathtaking views or excellent hiking trails.

In the fall, winter and springtime, we have several outdoor venues for concerns or plays that offer fun family events.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The person who recommended that we look at the Perspire Sauna Studio Franchise opportunity is my wife’s cousin, Brandon Zeuner. He and his wife Bridget sauna’ed at the first studio in Costa Mesa, CA. The franchise started franchising right before COVID. Brandon is a Venture Capitalist and is aware of emerging technology and has his pulse on what the next business opportunity might be. So it was natural for Brandon to suggest we look into the opportunity since he had first hand experience with the brand and he loved his experience at Perspire.

My wife Dodie & I have owned Tag Media & Ink in Chandler, AZ for over 30 years and COVID had a devastating effect on our marketing / branding business. Our market focus has been churches, convention items, tradeshow items and conferences. During the COVID shutdown, all of that stopped. This opened us to other opportunities. Brandon continued to encourage us to look at the Perspire opportunity and after a year and a half, we finally bought 3 licenses for the SE Metro Valley in the Phoenix, AZ area.

Website: https://www.perspiresaunastudio.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Perspireocotillo/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-bell-6b234412/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/perspireocotillo/

Yelp: Perspire Sauna Studio – South Gilbert