- February 3, 2026
-
-
Loading
Loading
A new wellness trend — repeat sessions in extreme hot and cold temperatures to improve mental and physical strength — called contrast therapy has spurred two Tampa entrepreneurs to create Revivery.
Revivery’s first location, a $2 million buildout of a 3,000-square-foot retail space, is scheduled to open Aug. 18 in the Westchase area of Tampa, with more locations planned for St. Petersburg and Carrollwood.
Entrepreneurs Annette Scott and Tricia Will have big plans for the Revivery concept. They expect to eventually franchise more than 400 locations in Florida and the Southeast.
First, the duo must work out any possible kinks in Revivery’s business plan.
The studio, at 4022 Tampa Road, features two 15,000-gallon in-ground cold plunges, with chillers designed to maintain the water temperature between 45 to 55 degrees, and two group saunas.
Revivery’s business practices, from the training and certification of instructors, who lead each 60-minute session to the engineering design, are built-to-scale.
“Westchase is designed the way it is so we can see how quickly and how capable we are of scaling this concept,” says Scott, 55.
Buildout of each new studio is projected to take a year.
Revivery CEO Will, 45, who was in the financial planning industry prior to becoming an entrepreneur, has tackled multiple challenges with the startup, from engineering design to financing, construction and licensing.
Obtaining a SBA loan was a big early challenge, says Will. She declines to specify the loan amount or to name early investors in Revivery.
On engineering design, chillers must maintain the cold plunges’ frigid temperature with groups of as many as 12 people (hot from the sauna) hopping in and out every 15 minutes, multiple times throughout the day.
“Building these has been an engineering challenge because we’re really carving a new way,’ Will says. “No one has done this before.”
While there are smaller cold plunges and saunas in Florida, Will says none are similar to Revivery. That means the state health department had not previously licensed a studio similar to Revivery.
“We are in this gray space between being a pool and being a spa,” says Will, who expects lawmakers to eventually write new rules for the industry.
Unlike Revivery’s pools, most cold plunges are “off-the-shelf” products sold with necessary mechanical components, she says.
Contrast therapy might be a newer trend in the United States, but it’s a centuries-old practice in other countries, including Norway and Sweden.
“We believe we are at the beginning of a really strong trend in the U.S. People are incorporating sauna and cold plunge as a standard wellness routine in their lives,” Will says.
“We are combining ancient practices in a modern way.”
Will and Scott are seasoned entrepreneurs.
In 2016, Will founded South Tampa CrossFit after she realized the need for a family-friendly CrossFit gym that offered air conditioning and childcare.
That same year, Scott opened Kodawari Studio, also in South Tampa, to offer multiple wellness services, including yoga, acupuncture and prenatal yoga courses.
In 2021, Scott, a skilled masseuse with a master’s degree in modern literature, added a mobile, wood-fired sauna at Kodawari Studio to offer contrast therapy.
Interest from fitness fans was immediate.
A CrossFit coach, who also worked at Kodawari Studio, raved about the practice and its immediate benefits, Will says.
“He brought all of us, the entire team at STC, to Kodawari Studio to experience it,” Will says. “We all loved it.”
That’s how Will and Scott, who had previously discussed a possible alliance, teamed up to develop Revivery.
“We found we had this opportunity to create this high-end accessible experience that was instructor-led,” Will says. “We are doing this in a rugged luxury environment that feels intentional and high end but is accessible and authentic.”
Scott speaks passionately about the benefits of contrast therapy.
“You get better sleep, you’ll improve your cardiac function, you’ll improve your lymphatic function,” Scott says.
Perhaps most importantly, exposure to the intense heat and cold creates resilience in users.
Kodawari Studio Studio initially offered three contrast therapy classes a week, Scott says. To meet demand, the studio now offers it eight hours daily on six days and five hours on Saturday.
Will, with her background in finance, is Revivery’s numbers and business expert, while Scott, the fitness guru and motivational speaker, says it’s her mission to bring contrast therapy to as many people as possible.
Revivery instructors, certified in breath work, meditation and communal sharing, lead groups through contrast therapy.
It starts with about 15 to 18 minutes in a sauna, followed by a cold shower and another three to five minutes in a cold plunge. The process is repeated three times within 60 minutes.
Many fear the uncomfortable, extreme temperatures, Scott says. But by facing those fears, they learn they can be afraid and uncomfortable and still do what is needed.
“You develop the ability to sit in the heat physically and choose kindness and steadiness,” Scott says. “To say, ‘Hey, this is a short term thing. I don’t have to devolve into the least optimal expression of myself.’”
