A “social Nordic experience” opened officially in Somerville on Friday for a stay through April.
The Moki Sauna is a pop-up “Winter Sauna and Cold Plunge Village” in the courtyard outside Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., at the Somernova business complex between Union and Porter squares.
Visitors will heat up in wood-fired saunas, cool down in either a single- or four-person cold-plunge cedar barrels and relax by the warmth of a fire before repeating the process in a hot-cold therapy experience that Moki says benefits muscle recovery and circulation, enhances moods and gives stress relief. It’s intended to help pople embrace mindfulness and recharge from work and other pressures, said executives for Somernova, its owner Rafi Properties, and Moki.
The concept debuted at Boston’s Rose Kennedy Greenway in 2023; this second season in Somerville “adds a unique wellness amenity” to Somernova not far from a Boston Bouldering Project climbing gym, said Mark Peloquin, founder and chief executive of Moki.
Another “contrast therapy” service for hot-cold seekers is in Somerville’s Assembly Square: SWTHZ (or Sweathouz) offers infrared saunas, cold plunges and showers with vitamin C-infused water at 385 Revolution Drive in the Assembly Row development.
For some residents, Moki could be a belated if only somewhat related answer for the loss of the Inman Oasis spa, which hosted hot tubs and deep-tissue massages in Inman Square for more than 14 years but shuttered during Covid.
“Nordic cycles” or “Viking baths” are ancient Scandinavian bathing practices that have grown to global attention in recent years, with a cycle of repeated alternation between immersion in hot and cold temperatures. Moki says the winter village and its “on-site thermaculture cycles” are “designed to promote relaxation, rejuvenation and health.”
“We see our Somernova location as a place to connect with yourself and others,” Peloquin said in a press release.
Moki offers one- or two-hour sessions ($45 or $60, respectively; a 10-pack is $490 and a monthly pass is $220). Its pop-up also has three individual shower stalls and a heated lounge area with lockers. Hours run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m Tuesday to Sunday. Moki is here; it provides no phone number.
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