Shape House
The Low Down
Here’s the latest and greatest in my self-care routine. I’ve done infrared slimming body wraps, which are great for your skin and slimming down on the waistline. And I’ve enjoyed some hot steaminess of spa sana. But, I’ve never tried the official sweat session where you’re fully clothed and the only thing you have to do is sit there and sweat it out.
This “urban sweat lodge” uses the natural heat of FAR infrared heat to nourish the skin, which then increases your overall body temperature. And inevitably, you sweat. The act of sweating then detoxifies the body. What that means is that the sweating helps eliminate any elements in our skin and bloodstreams that are not good for us, such as: chemicals, pathogens, amd heavy metals.
Yes, you can have heavy metals in your body. Lead, mercury, and arsenic are very common meals that can be found in the human bloodstream. They can enter the body by breathing them in or from the foods that you consume. So let’s sweat it out!
Why Sweat?
Shape House gives you six reasons to sweat, but I’ll tell you my top three. I choose to sweat to lose weight, improve my skin health, and reduce my stress levels. First and foremost, although sweating has been linked to weight loss, keep in mind that it’s only because sweating rids the body of its water weight. This isn’t going to replace a gym workout, like my weekly spin class. According to Shape House, “a typical sweat session can burn between 800-1,600 calories.” Sweating can also cleanse your skin on impurities, like old makeup. Take notice of your glowing skin the next time you’re done sweating. From my experience, a few sweat sessions really enhances the tone of my skin. Just be sure to cleanse after your session, so that you don’t break out anywhere on the body. I tend to break out from body sweat, especially on my back, so I make a conscious effort to use a good body scrub that will ensure I don’t leave any clogged pores.
Not only is sweating a great detox for the body, but it also benefits the mind. I learned this after taking a Summer of unlimited hot vinyasa yoga classes. Although the classes became challenging at times and I just didn’t think my body could take the heat, I realized that mostly every time I walked out of that hot yoga studio, I felt very zen. I promise Shape House won’t have you bent up into a pretzel. But just take your 45 or 55 minute session to really let go of your day and not think about anything else.
My Experience
To sum up my overall experience at Shape House, it was exactly what I expected because I did some research and check out their website. What I didn’t expect is that I would enjoy the benefits so much? This is definitely a great stress reliever for me. Once I was situated in my pod with some cold water and remote control, I watched an introductory video from the founder of the company giving the history of the company and why she founded Shape House, with this emphasis on “taking care of all your parts.” This is essentially the purpose of self-care, right? The idea behind this redefined philosophy is that we need to take care of our mind, body, and soul. This sweating experience takes care of all three of these self-care components. Moving along, I got to catch up on one of my favorite HBO shows, Succession, while I was sweating it out in my little pod. And before shit was about to go down between Kendall and Roy, I was getting a bit too hot, so the cold rag on my forehead was right on time. After that, the rest of the session was smooth sailing. After I was done sweating, I moved on over to this very relaxing room and enjoyed some mango herbal tea and orange slices, which are generally known to be a great source of Vitamin C.
I tried my sweat session over at the Flatiron location, but Shape House has three other studios located in DUMBO, Upper East Side, and Upper West Side. I look forward to trying out the DUMBO location; someone told me it looks like a really little sweat lodge inside a hut type building front.
Tips from Shape House
These are some tips directly from Shape House’s website on what to do before your sweat session or lymphatic service.
Make sure to have a bite to eat before coming in, as you would before a workout. Think of what you’d want in your stomach before a cardio session.
Remember to hydrate. You'll be sweating! Drink water before your session. Hint: Coffee is fun, but caffeine can intensify your experience. We recommend doubling up on your water intake and holding off on the morning espresso. Happy sweating!
You will need long sleeved, cotton clothing to sweat in. No clothes? No worries! We have full sweat apparel available to rent for $2.00 in case you forget or just prefer to use ours.
Please arrive a little early so you can change in to sweat attire and allow us time to properly walk you through your session. If you are late to your sweat, your session may be shortened as a result.
If you are more than ten minutes late, we may ask you to reschedule. We don't allow people to sweat less than 45 minutes, so depending on our schedule, we may or may not be able to accommodate you.
This is YOUR time, be on time for YOU.
The #BossBabe Behind Shape House
Sophie Chiche is a sweat activist that doesn’t fear change. Chiche started her career off in her twenties as a psychologist, and then changed her mind in her thirties, . You can read more about Sophie Chiche on MyDomaine.
Use promo code OSFL109 for 25% off of your first visit to Shape House. Book your appointment soon, as this offer will expire on March 31, 2020.