Plunge, sweat, connect: House of Plunge brings contrast therapy to Benton Harbor

Editor’s Note: This story is part of Momentum: The people and companies shaping what’s next, a weekly series that explores new ventures, founder support, and the resources powering entrepreneurship and small businesses across seven counties in Southwest Michigan. This project is sponsored by Southwest Michigan First. All photos are courtesy unless otherwise noted.

BENTON HARBOR, MI — One minute you’re lowering yourself into 42-degree water. A few minutes later, you’re sitting in a sauna heated to nearly 200 degrees.

That dramatic temperature swing is the heart of contrast therapy, the wellness practice offered at House of Plunge, a new business in Benton Harbor’s Arts District, where clients alternate between cold plunges and intense heat to boost circulation, ease pain, and recharge their energy.

The facility at 226 Territorial Rd., founded by 31-year-old Tyler Johnson of St. Joseph, features three cold tubs, two dry saunas, and two red light-therapy rooms. Johnson, a member of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, says alternating cold and heat treatments date back to ancient times and have long been used by athletes to relieve soreness and speed recovery.

“In our facility, you don’t book an individual room for cold plunge and sauna,” Johnson says. “It’s very community-backed, so members can kind of flow in and out. They can get in a sauna, they can get in a cold plunge, and go back and forth to really get that contrast and benefits.”

Clients range widely in age, from young athletes to retirees dealing with chronic pain.

“We’ve had a competitive swimmer in here; she was like 13,” Johnson says. “People go all the way up to 75 — people that struggle with chronic pain, whether that be sciatica or inflammation, eczema, mental health issues, or just athletes that want to recover and sharpen their mindset.

“For members, we also offer two red light-therapy rooms with commercial-grade, red-light panels,” he says.  The therapy is intended to make skin healthier and also help with many other health problems.

“You get in there, and you kinda meditate,” Johnson says. “We have some panels that are full-body length.

“We also offer compression boots. Compression is very good for your legs, good for inflammation, lymphatic drainage, circulation, soreness.  It kind of constricts and contracts all the way up and down your leg.

“So we’re pretty much a one-stop shop for feeling darn good,” Johnson says.

Johnson opened his business on Nov. 15, shortly before the start of one of the harshest winters in the area. Did the thought of soaking in frigid water keep people away?

“It’s actually been pretty busy; we’ve been steady,” Johnson says. “We’ve got quite a few members already. I have some who are here every day. We’re doing well.”

One of the cold plunges is kept at about 42 degrees, while the other two range from 46 to 48 degrees.

“I do it for three minutes every day,” Johnson says. “A minute is enough time to have that fight-or-flight feeling settle. For the first 20 or 30 seconds, you’re really huffin’ and puffin’; you’re not really breathing. Your body’s like, ‘Get the hell out!’ But after 20 to 25 seconds, the heart rate starts to lower. Then you ease into the water, and it’s not super bad. You just kind of become one with the water.

“Yeah, it’s cold. Yeah, it sucks. But you control your breath, lower your heart rate, then you get out with all those endorphins. Dopamine kicks in, and you’ve got that willpower like, ‘Damn! I can do everything!’

“I’ve got a member who sits in there for like eight minutes. He’s an older guy and really meditates through it. He’s still; it’s meditative because you really have to focus on the breath. When you can harness your breathing and control it, it’s very powerful.

“You’ve got to get uncomfortable to get in cold water or super-high heat. It’s empowering people to tell their brain to turn off and realize they can do whatever they set their mind to.”

Johnson, who grew up in Hartford, says his own experience led him to start the business.

“In high school, I had something like this nearby where I could take advantage of a cold plunge and sauna,” he says. “I played basketball at Adrian College, and I was always big into the sauna and Epsom salt baths — anything to bounce back quickly because we were always on the road playing games and trying to perfect our craft. In college athletics at a high level, I was cold plunging every day because energy and recovery are key.

“So House of Plunge had been in the works for a couple of years. Then I found this space in the Arts District of Benton Harbor, and that’s when I pulled the trigger. I wanted to bring a new energy to the area.

“It’s something that embodies me — people and energy backed by cold plunge and sauna. We live in a beautiful place surrounded by nature, so I wanted to bring a new kind of wellness experience here.”

After playing basketball at Adrian College, Johnson transferred to Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

As a member of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, Johnson received some help from the Tribe with funding for his venture. Johnson also continues to work full-time for the tribe’s Four Winds casinos as manager of marketing operations for the casinos’ online program.

His schedule is busy. Johnson handles his casino work from home while operating House of Plunge on weekdays from 6 to 9 a.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. The business is closed on Wednesdays for cleaning and operates extended hours on weekends.

Community, Johnson says, is central to his vision.

“I also wanted a space for people to feel good and to tell their mind they can really do anything,” he says. “People don’t communicate enough. This is another way to do that.

“It’s in our slogan: Plunge, Sweat, Connect. Come in, enjoy the sauna and cold plunge, and meet some cool people. You never know how things can catapult your life.”