THE 9LIST X LORE BATHING CLUB

We ended the month by partnering with a recently opened bathing club here in NYC’s. Our THE 9LIST X Lore Bathing Club Event kicked off the Summer with an intimate group of our readers/community to enjoy the services/amenities at this wellness destination to enjoy saunas, red light therapy, and cold plunges. In addition to our attendees enjoying a 75 minute session, we also gifted them items that we have been loving and sharing in our issues: an Oleada AnyWear Toiletry Set, as well as an $100 gift card from this handbag brand, and a David Protein bar!

We sat down with Lore Bathing Club to find our more about this bath house, what they offer their guests, and more!

ATHLEISURE MAG: We had the pleasure of coming to Lore Bathing Club initially for an Editor event in March and loved the space and having you host our THE 9LIST Event this month was so great to share with our community ! When did you launch and what is the meaning behind the name, Lore?

LORE BATHING CLUB: Lore officially opened on May 11 2026 and celebrated its grand opening over May 15-17. Lore brought together design, hospitality, wellness, and community, but the core idea stayed consistent: create a place people want to return to regularly.

AM: Who are the founders of LBC and what can you tell us about their backgrounds?

LBC: Founded by James O’Reilly, an entrepreneur known for building transformative social, work, and wellness spaces, including co-founding NeueHouse and leading new concepts at Life Time, and Adam Elzer, a hospitality entrepreneur and concept developer known for creating community-driven restaurants as co-founder and former CEO of Everyday Hospitality, Lore brings a new kind of bathing experience to downtown Manhattan. James’ background building membership-driven social and wellness spaces, including NeueHouse and Life Time Work, and Adam’s experience building hospitality concepts in New York, helped shape Lore as both an experience and an operating model.

AM: You are a neighborhood bathing club. Can you tell us more about what that means and why you wanted to create this space in NoHo.

LBC: Lore is not a broad wellness facility trying to do everything. It is a focused neighborhood bathing club built around contrast therapy, atmosphere, and regular use.

NoHo made sense because it sits at the intersection of downtown work, hospitality, culture, fitness, and residential life. It is a neighborhood where people already move between different parts of their day, and Lore is designed to fit into that rhythm.

From a physical standpoint, the site needed enough space to support the full bathing experience: a large communal sauna, a generous cold plunge, an infrared sauna, and areas for arrival, transition, and recovery. The building also had to allow for a space that feels immersive and sensory, not simply functional. Materials, circulation, sound, temperature, and the transitions between hot and cold all matter.

AM: What’s the correlation between Saunas and Finnish culture? What are the health benefits in doing this?

LBC: Our approach to bathing is heavily influenced by the Finnish and Japanese bathing traditions; unfused, architecturally restrained, intergenerational and social.

The decision to promote frequent use is supported by a 2017 longitudinal study conducted in Finland, which tracked over 2,000 people for 20 years to understand the long-term benefits of consistent sauna practice.

The study found that individuals who used the sauna four times a week were significantly less likely to die from cardiovascular-related and neurodegenerative diseases, resulting in a 40% reduced risk in all-cause mortality. The practice is often viewed as the next best thing for longterm health beyond physical exercise.

AM: What can you tell us about the aesthetic of LBC?

LBC: The interiors are shaped by natural materials, sensory transitions, and an elemental atmosphere that reflects the movement between hot and cold.

Because people return often, the space also has to hold up to repetition. It needs to feel special, but not precious. It needs to support both quiet personal use and social connection.

AM: For those coming for their first time, what do we need to know in terms of what we can wear, staying hydrated, and what we need to keep in mind?

LBC: We encourage people to follow feeling rather than the clock. Maybe today it’s just putting your feet in the cold. Maybe it’s 30 seconds. Removing performance and expectation often surprises people — it takes the pressure off. What surprises them most is the shift afterward: the clarity, the calm, the sense of returning to baseline.

A typical visit runs around 75 minutes. Guests move fluidly between the large dry sauna and the cold pool room, with the infrared sauna available for those seeking something quieter and more intimate.

AM: When guests come for a 75min session, are there a series of activities that have to be done within a time period or can a person enjoy elements at various times?

LBC: We intentionally keep guidance simple and humble. If someone asks, we’ll offer suggestions, but we emphasize that there isn’t one correct way — what works for one person may not work for another.

AM: Tell us about the programming offered at LBC as you have Guided Cold Water Soak, In-Sauna Aroma Therapy, Guided Stretching, Aufguss, and Listening Moments.

LBC: Our goal with Lore was to remove the excesses of larger facilities (steam rooms, massages, IV drips) away from prescriptive guidance of more heavily programmed alternatives. By doing this we could focus on the essential elements of bathing, and do those parts better than anyone else. We are also trying to offer a bathing experience on a more frequent basis, which to us means 2-4 times per week. With that, we move from thinking of a bathhouse as an occasional indulgence (once a month or a quarter) towards being a vital part of your weekly routine.

AM: What is the Cold Pool Room?

LBC: 46-degree cold plunge.

It opens people up. After the cold, the defenses come down. Guests are more likely to chat with a stranger, compare notes on the plunge, share something small and real. Cold water exposure has a way of leveling people — for a moment, everyone in that room has just done the same hard thing together.

AM: Tell us more about the Dry & Infrared Saunas.

LBC: Lore includes a 700-square-foot dry sauna and an infrared sauna.

The larger, dry sauna is sized deliberately — spacious enough that guests have room to breathe and be with their thoughts, but intimate enough that that conversation happens naturally. Ambient music plays, giving people acoustic cover; someone can be sitting nearby without your exchange pulling them in.

The infrared sauna is available for those seeking something quieter and more intimate.

AM: What amenities are available that we can enjoy in our sessions?

LBC: Beautiful waffle weave towels, Dyson hair dryers, more personal space in the changing facility. Margin global provides all of the core amenities in the showers, and we have MONKS spray deodorant and wide variety of Herbivore Botanicals for post-shower.

AM: What is the Reception Cafe and what takes place here?

LBC: Entrance area - a space to regroup or gather thoughts before or after a session. Offering La Cabra coffee, Masha tea, some tasty bone broth or even a fresh pressed juice. We’ll have a rotating selection of grand go snack and beverages.

AM: Tell us about the memberships that are available.

LBC: Lore offers a monthly membership. Each visit is a 75-minute session (towels provided; swimwear required). Weekly or monthly memberships include one booking per day.

3 session packs and single sessions are available.

AM: Can non-members also come to LBC and if so, how much is that?

LBC: 3 session packs are available at $149 and single sessions are available at $55/$25 (Peak/Off-Peak).

AM: Are there any special events coming up that we should know about?

LBC: The brand will continue to grow through collaborations with like-minded partners, original content, and future offsite moments that extend Lore’s point of view into the broader culture of the city. Together, these efforts reflect a larger ambition: to build Lore not only as a destination, but as a lasting part of how people gather, recover, and spend time in New York.

AM: Are there any partnerships that you can share that you want us to know about?

LBC: Lore plans to foster community through partnerships with yoga studios, run clubs, and breathwork coaches to offer contextualized events like stretch sessions or guided cold water immersion. We recently came together with Lusso to stock their footwear for sale in our retail section, you’ll also see all of our sauna masters wearing them. We’re working on dialing in a hydration partner as well, more to come on this.

AM: Can we expect to see additional LBC’s in the city or is there an interest to expand to other areas?

LBC: We’ll look to open further uptown and Brooklyn next. We’re excited to expand access to bathing as a regular practice for more people.

IG @lorebathingclub

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT | PG 128 + 134 Raphael Gaultier | 131, 132 + 137 Sean Davidson |

Read the MAY ISSUE #125 of Athleisure Mag and see THE 9LIST X Lore Bathing Club in mag.

PICKLEBALL POWER

We were invited to Life Time at PENN 1 for an exclusive event for their VIP Pickleball event that allows us to see the unveiling of their 7 courts at this location in Midtown, NYC! The event kicked off with a conversation with the company's founder, Bahram Akradi, Founder and CEO as well as tennis icon, Andre Agassi, with 60 ATP Tour Wins, 8 Grand Slam Titles (Singles – Australian Open 1995, 2000, 2001, 2003; French Open 1999; Wimbledon 1992; US Open 1994, 1999), and Team USA Tennis Olympic Gold Medalist for the Summer Games in 1996. This tennis champ has been passionate about pickleball and won $1M and the Pickleball Slam 1 2023 with his partner Andy Roddick against John McEnroe and Michael Chang. This year, he won the $1M purse and Pickleball Slam 2 with his wife, Steffi Graf as they beat John McEnroe and Maria Sharapova.

Andre was recently announced as inaugural chair of the Life Time Pickleball and Tennis Board with the goal of expanding access, enhancing programming and building community.

In addition to the Q+A we saw both men play exhibition tournaments with JOOLA Pros Anna Bright, Collin Johns, Ben Johns, and Tyson McGuffin.

LIFE TIME: Ladies and Gentleman welcome to our VIP Pickleball Event that is launching the 7 gorgeous new pickleball courts that we have here at Lifetime Pickleball in the heart of NYC! Today, we’re also partnering with JOOLA Pickleball as they recently launched their Generation 3 line of paddles with JOOLA Pros’ Anna Bright, Collin Johns, Ben Johns, and newcomer to JOOLA, Tyson McGuffin. All of them will be joining us in just a few moments.

Before that, I’d like to introduce 2 dynamic men! An ambassador in the world of health and fitness, along with being champions of the JOOLA and Life Time brands. One of these men is the Founder and CEO of Life Time, the other, career highlights include the winner of the first ever Pickle Slam partnering with Andy Roddick, side note is that he also won 8 Grand Slams and has an Olympic Gold medal! Let’s have a round of applause for Andre Agassi and Bahram Akradi.

So Andre, pickleball, what’s the first thing that you thought when you heard that word for the first time?

ANDRE AGASSI: I thought, why that name? Then I took 15mins to just sit with it and it took about a 20min learning curve and I fell in love with it.

LT: How about you Bahram, the first time that you heard of pickleball, what went through your mind?

BAHRAM AKRADI: At first I thought that it was just a sport for very, very, very, old people.

LT: So what is this sport, who are the people that play, and now we’re here in NYC specifically, talking about pickleball. So Bahram, when you first played, you said that we had to get more of this here at Life Time. And now, Life Time is the biggest provider of pickleball courts in the country. What was your vision for pickleball at first and has it come to fruition?

BA: Yes, so, I remember playing tennis in some of our other clubs and I saw these taped lines on the courts and I found it was because people were trying to play pickleball on them. Then people just started asking for us to have courts that were specific to this game. So I thought, well if I give them courts designed for pickleball, they will stop putting tape on my pickleball courts!

So we took one club and we took 1 tennis court and make it into 4 Pickleball courts and we did that to another tennis court. So then I thought that that would be the end of that! Then once I started playing it, I did it for 2 hours and I got hooked. I started with doubles, and then I began playing singles and that’s when I saw the opportunity for this sport! I saw how all kinds of people at all kinds of levels could play. We had the opportunity to have people come here with our large facilities, we have quickly grown to become the largest owner and operator of permanent pickleball courts, topping more than 680 permanent courts nationwide (including the most in New York City with nine), and serving as a host site for multiple MLP and PPA tournaments nationwide in addition to its own Pickleball Classic. So we wanted to take a run at it and I think that we have done that!

LT: To you Andre, what about your process of being a pickleball player as well as looking at your phenomenal tennis career?

AA: First of all, I just want to know with everyone that’s here, how many of you have played pickleball? Look at all these hands – why are you asking me this question haha?

For me, what I really appreciated so quickly about it separately from inside the lines is when you’re playing tennis, you have to spend a 1-2.5 years before the game opens up to you. It’s that feeling that you’re not so concerned with what you are doing with the ball – you’re thinking of what you are trying to accomplish. With pickle, you’re able to get out there and connect quickly and there is a low point of injury involved.

Then there is the dynamics of family as my extended family as well as my wife’s who are from Germany when they come, we can all play together and we’re all different levels. I would say that we would all be out there – aunts, uncles, cousins, etc and no one had their phones out for 2 hours. The phones are on the side.

For me, what the hell can I do at this age that I can actually get better at? I mean I have gotten better at so many things in my life already – except for pickleball and I am getting better! You know, I’m a tortured perfectionist and when I think about playing pickleball versus tennis, the thrill of having to unlearn some of the sensibilities that I had as a tennis player right? But I also had to maintain some skills right? I am able to put my mind to the task and I get the reward of seeing all of that come together and I can only see this sport continuing to grow as it has. I feel that if we have X amount of people playing right now, we’ll be able to 10X that in no time at all!

LT: Andre is long on pickleball, I love that!

Now, you had mentioned that you have been playing with your family – your wife – I mean she’s major! Do you prefer playing with her or against her?

AA: I mean, she has crossed some finish lines in her life!

LT: A lot of us have significant others, spouses, that we play with so it’s always interesting to know!

AA: I like playing on her side because we are connected and that’s how you start to really understand what your partner is like and what you can and can’t do and to start morphing into their game. It’s cool to be on the same side of the net and that way you won’t feel guilty body bagging her! I mean, she has a few shots that are unique and then there are other things that don’t translate so well. She wants to play everything pretty traditionally. She’s always expressed her energy and her blood pressure through physical output so she was like a racehorse on the tennis court, but for me, my energy was always shot making when I was on the tennis court. It was about taking the ball and doing something with it.

So some things translate a lot easier when playing pickleball, but it’s fun watching her get past that first part and then seeing her get into her stride in this game. She just started playing singles after starting with doubles and you know, there’s one thing I don’t know how this sport works with someone who struggles with their knees. So she’s being careful and she has a cyst in her knee so once that thing gets drained and her knee feels good, she wants to play singles.

LT: Andre, just so you know, that was also a singles challenge right there for Bahram to play Steffani in singles. Are your kids approaching you to play pickleball or are you approaching them?

AA: Well, my kids – my son is a senior at USC and our daughter, thank God still lives with us at home as education and school wasn’t her thing. She’s artistic and does her own thing, she’ll get out there and play. My son plays baseball so when he hits something, he’s not thinking about it staying within a certain perimeter.

LT: He likes to be out there with the foul balls!

Bahram, how did you and Andre meet and what makes you excited to bringing Andre on board as the Chair for Raquet and Paddle Sports here at Life Time?

BA: We started working together 15 years ago and we continued to grow as really close friends. I have all the love and admiration for his intelligence and athleticism. I have always loved Andre and I have always hoped that when the right time came, that we would be able to partner together and to do something good that would be for the greater good. Life Time is the largest provider of pickleball and we wanted to be able to continue to deliver and offer tennis and pickleball and there was no better person that I could imagine to be the chair of our tennis and pickleball board. With his vision, his insight and I called him and asked what he thought about this. When he told me about his vision and how it would utilize our platform, it was a no-brainer for me.

LT: Andre, we are approaching the 30th Anniversary of you winning your very first US Open. What kind of memories does that bring back for you?

AA: Well, I had hair.

LT: Where were we then? Was it touching your shirt?

AA: The hair was going past the shirt!

You know, it’s such a profound place in my professional journey as well as in my personal journey. You guys not only watched me grow up, you helped me grow up. You really did. I was 18 years old playing Jimmy Connors at night giving him the beating that he deserved! Someone yelled out, “Jimmy, he’s a bum, you’re a legend!” and I remember thinking that I got the legend part, but what? Then fast forward and I got into something that I had done my whole life in front of those people and then down the road after my journey, saying goodbye when I finally retired.

LT: Well I mean, we have an exhibition coming up shortly today!

AA: Yeah, I was told about that! I’m ready!

LT: On that note, let’s bring in our 4 JOOLA Pros, Anna Bright, Collin Johns, Ben Johns, and JOOLA newcomer, Tyson McGuffin! Come on down here! So we’re going to ask our pros a few questions right now so that we can get to know them a little better and then we will head down to the Life Time Pickleball courts as we have a a whole stadium court set up. I wonder if you thought about that this morning Andre?

AA: Ok, I’ m nervous enough!

LT: I mean, it’s almost like a US Open crowd!

So starting off with Anna since you have a microphone in your hand, what excites you the most about pickleball?

ANNA BRIGHT: I think you know, it’s so cool that everybody is here to experience the joy of pickleball and to see us and to watch it! What I love most is the growth of it and not knowing where the sport is going to take us! When I first started playing 2 and a half years ago, I never thought that I would be here in NYC to play a tournament here to meet people and to talk about this game! There’s on way to really know how this game will look in a year or 2 years especially since you have the Pro level and I feel like we’re always kind of being pulled around on a chain by the powers that be, but it’s crazy to see the growth of the amateur game and I hope that we will be back here next year and will need more seating! I’m kind of excited and I don’t even know for what specifically, but I can’t wait to see where it goes in the next few years.

LT: Bright future, Anna Bright! Hopefully we will need more seating and have more people in here next year.

Tyson, I’ve watched you drill on the courts and a 2 hour session turns into a 3 hour session and I think that your T-shirts were more wet than is humanly possible. What are you working on to improve your pickleball game? More specifically, to beat these 3 people around you actually and to beat up on Mr. Agassi today?

TYSON MCGUFFIN: Yeah I think that for me, I have lost some top matches this year. So I think that walking in and raising the level mentally and being a little tougher in those moments. I think that at the highest level, we are all really talented and it’s just about that when the going gets tough and your back is against the wall, you just have to mentally lock in and dial in. I want to say thank you New York and let’s go New York Knicks!

LT: Collin, you’re a professional pickleball player. There was a time when you were not a professional pickleball player.

What advice would you give to somebody that is trying to be a professional pickleball player or what's one thing that was really integral in your path as you went Pro?

COLLIN JOHNS: Um, being Ben’s brother probably is a good start. The tennis journey, I did that for many years and then coming over to pickleball, I think that that just let me witness that I was playing a different sport. There are certain things that are going to help you as background significantly, but there are other things that you have to learn how to change. If you look at the players that have had the most success, especially relatively rapidly – they are very open to learning the game and that was really good for me. It was certainly a credit to the guy on my left that helped me along the way. But, the event today and one I did yesterday, it’s just amazing to see where the sport has grown since I started playing. I’m very excited about being here today.

LT: Speaking of the guy to your left, Ben, you’re the middle of 7 children! What was it like growing up? Was it constant sports and competition of those 7 kids? Who was the most competitive?

BEN JOHNS: Yeah, I grew up as 1 of 7 kids, but also 1 of the 2 boys as we have 5 sisters so it was primarily just sports with this guy. Pickleball is the only thing that I ever won. So, I’m really just taking my sweet time with it! He is 6 years older and it was very competitive. So when you have someone that much older than you, you just get used to losing at everything! But it was a great upbringing and I wouldn’t do it over in any other way. I was very grateful and it all led me here!

IG @bahram.akradi

@lifetime.life

@agassi

@annabright.pb

@benjohns_pb

@collinjohns_pb

@tysonmcguffin

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Life Time

Read the MAY ISSUE #101 of Athleisure Mag and see PICKLEBALL POWER in mag.