Raleigh’s first bathhouse debuts Downtown—as bathhouse culture sweeps the nation.
Suggest a trip to a bathhouse in the U.S., and you’ll likely get mixed reactions. Some picture a sweaty room teeming with strangers (cue Naked and Afraid)—but for a growing number of others, a communal sauna and soak is part of a weekly ritual.
Once considered a European or Asian tradition, communal bathhouses are modernizing—and slowly entering the wellness landscape. At their core, these spaces revolve around contrast therapy: cycling between hot saunas and icy plunges to boost circulation, recovery and relaxation.
But the real draw isn’t just physical. It’s social. In cities like New York, San Francisco and Chicago, bathhouses have become gathering spots—places people unplug, unwind and spend time together without the pressure of bars or nightlife.
Now Raleigh is dipping its toe in the water. In March, NC-based Sauna House opened its fourth location in the state—and its seventh overall. Unlike SweatHouz—another local sauna- and cold plunge-based space—Sauna House Raleigh’s core service is the community bathhouse—emphasis on community, says co-owner James Grogan.
“In the normal spots, you get tucked away and have your private little oasis,” he explains. “Whereas, if you came here, we could be sitting here together, having just met—and so that’s part of the charm we’re really leaning into.”
The space is designed to encourage that interaction. While the saunas and cold plunges remain the centerpiece of Sauna House’s Nordic contrast therapy, the first thing guests encounter isn’t the heat or ice—it’s a circle of recessed benches arranged to face one another, encouraging conversation before and between sessions. As such, one of the two communal sauna rooms is deliberately brighter and warmer to invite conversation, while nearby lounge seating gives guests space to linger between plunges.
With mental and physical health at its core, bathhouses are part of a post-pandemic wellness wave that shows no signs of slowing. In 2024 alone, the U.S. sauna market generated $255.5 million in revenue—and analysts project it will climb to $415.4 million by 2033.
And it’s a market modern bathhouses are primed to tap. Aside from health benefits like improved circulation, metabolism activation and muscle recovery, bathhouses provide a place to unplug, unwind—and even socialize without pressure.
But it’s the communal element that’s fueling the bathhouse boom nationwide. As younger generations rethink nightlife and wellness, many are searching for places to gather where they can form real friendships and that feel healthier—and more intentional—than bars.
That’s the experience Grogan and his wife, co-owner Kady Brotherton, first encountered as regulars at the original Sauna House in Asheville. Now he hopes to bring that same ritual to Raleigh.
“Raleigh is very wellness-focused,” says Grogan. “I see more run and cycling clubs, yoga studios. People are looking for a place to relax—and [that] comes together in this space to give them a place to get away from it all.”
For the Southeast, Sauna House’s expansion signals something larger: a once-European tradition is no longer niche. It’s becoming a hub for community, wellness and a different kind of social ritual—one session at a time.
Here’s what to know—and do—about possible exposure.
As measles outbreaks are continuing to surge nationwide, local health organizations are monitoring the situation—and recommending the best ways to keep local cases to a minimum.
Health officials already confirmed exposure at five locations across Raleigh on Feb. 10, breaking the county’s measles-free streak that stretched back to 2016.
The week prior, an individual infected with measles made these stops:
Harris Teeter off Strickland Road; Feb. 5, 5pm to 7:10pm
Harris Teeter off Creedmoor Road; Feb. 5, 5:15pm to 7:35pm
Walgreens off Strickland Road; Feb. 6, 3:30pm to 5:40pm
In good news, despite the visits to these establishments, no new cases in the area have been confirmed. According to the state, Wake County is technicallystill measles-free. But local residents should still be on high alert—and practice healthy hygienic habits.
If someone with measles coughs or sneezes nearby, and you’re not immune, you have a 90% chance of catching it. Read: You don’t even have to interact with the individual—if you are even in the same room, the risk is high. The virus can also hang in the air for up to two hours, meaning remnants of an hour-old cough can still infect you.
Vaccinated individuals, on the other hand, are most likely safe. Of the 24 cases confirmed across NC, 29% received only one dose of the MMR vaccine, while just 4% received two (aka the full dose for anyone older than 6). That said, be sure to keep an eye out for symptoms—including fever, cough, runny nose, red watery eyes and the telltale rash—for 21 days after exposure.
If you crossed paths with measles and are unvaccinated, health officials recommend getting a check-up, calling your doctor ASAP and reporting the exposure. They’ll likely walk you through treatment options, such as the MMR vaccine or immune globulin, a medicine that can reduce risk if administered within six days of exposure. State health officials also ask that you stay home and monitor symptoms for 21 days.
Raleigh may be in the clear, but locals should still tread lightly. Our Carolinian counterpart just south has 668 confirmed cases* and counting—the most in the U.S. by about 400 cases—so further exposure is not unlikely. Frequent handwashing and covering coughs and sneezes is highly recommended, and local health officials also note that if you or your child have never been vaccinated, now may be the time.
A complaint aimed at halting—or reshaping—the West at Peace development officially landed in Wake County Superior Court Dec. 5.
Backed by The Brough Law Firm, three residents of the historic Glenwood-Brooklyn neighborhood intend to sue the City of Raleigh and Raleigh Development Company (RDC), alleging that City Council improperly approved the controversial project’s rezoning in the fall.
City Council voted in October to greenlight the rezoning that made West at Peace possible. While many city planning documents recommend a 3- to 12-story height limit near established neighborhoods, the approved plan allows the project to rise 240 feet at the north end and 360 feet at the south end—roughly 25 and 27 stories, respectively.
The Glenwood-Brooklyn group argues the rezoning approval crossed the City’s own planning guardrails.
In a Nov. 24 letter to the Raleigh City Attorney and RDC’s legal counsel, the residents’ attorneys outlined their concerns, arguing RDC’s special height waiver was not properly reviewed. They also point to the City’s earlier rejection of Case Z-54-22—a nearly identical rezoning request from RDC for the same property in 2023—as evidence that the latest approval is legally vulnerable.
The lawsuit further alleges the rezoning violates local guidance on building-height transitions, amounting to illegal spot zoning, and raises questions about possible statutory conflicts of interest tied to City Council’s review of the waiver and final vote.
Raleigh Neighbors United’s Roy Attride is one of the three Glenwood-Brooklyn residents named in the suit. He’s been following the project since RDC first submitted a proposal in 2022.
“The lawsuit is about the fact that we feel the City cut across its own processes and its plans to approve this excessive development so close to a historic neighborhood that’s supposed to have protections,” says Attride. “Once you cut across those plans here, it means you could do it pretty much anywhere.”
Attride stresses he isn’t antidevelopment—he acknowledges Raleigh is “in a housing crunch”—but says the scale of West at Peace doesn’t fit its surroundings. Beyond its height, the project would stretch more than 775 feet, nearly three city blocks, potentially blocking views and casting shadows or glare across parts of Glenwood-Brooklyn, depending on the time of day.
As in previous appeals to City Council and RDC, Attride says he still hopes for a negotiated outcome—one that lowers the height and better responds to the neighborhood.
RDC, meanwhile, has published project materials emphasizing what it describes as significant separation, with “the tallest sections set farthest from existing homes.” The developer also points to West Street, existing mixed-use buildings, the railroad corridor, and tree canopy as buffers between the project and nearby neighborhoods.
In addition to the lawsuit, other Glenwood-Brooklyn residents are crowdfunding to support separate efforts to protect the neighborhood. Whether those efforts will slow, reshape or stop West at Peace remains to be seen.
Raleigh may not look like the morning after a Shameless block party—but it’s not exactly spotless.
With the 20K residents living within a mile of DTR’s center—and thousands more commuting in on the daily—the city’s growing core generates plenty of foot traffic. And, inevitably, plenty of waste. So what’s being done about the pileup?
To many Raleighites, trash troubles feel more visible than ever. In 2018, residents reported 66.3% satisfaction with Downtown’s cleanliness. But by 2024, that number had dropped to just 56%.
Not everyone sees a problem. One Downtown business owner says Raleigh still feels squeaky clean compared to other major cities, noting that even graffiti rarely sticks around for long. Others disagree. DTR resident Bekah Gregory says she routinely spots trash piling up at key gateways like Capital and New Bern, as well as around public transit-heavy corridors like Blount and Wilmington streets and Moore Square.
For Moore Square dweller Christian Lockamy, this reality plays out daily: He’s watched people bypass trash cans and “just kind of trash the place.” The situation grew so grimy around an abandoned business that he submitted a cleanup proposal to Downtown Raleigh Alliance.
Assistant City Manager Evan Raleigh says he’s heard the mixed reviews—especially about those high-traffic areas near the bus station—and Raleigh isn’t standing idly by. Seven days a week, Raleigh’s Downtown Clean Team is on the ground, scouring for litter, grime, graffiti and more.
Starting at 6:30am, crews sweep areas like the Capital District, Glenwood South and the Warehouse District, then circle back for a second pass halfway through the day. Their focus is primarily on public sidewalks, plazas, tree pits and trash receptacles—really anything excluding trash collection (which is up to Solid Waste Services), says Raleigh.
In 2024 alone, the Clean Team collected 5,500+ bags of litter covering ~20K miles, says Public Information Officer Julia Milstead. Still, the task isn’t just about manpower.
“You have to make sure you’re staying on top of changes in behavior, patterns and trash locations,” says Raleigh. “Our team does a great job of that.”
The city is also tweaking its TRAC bin pilot program. Instead of freestanding cans cluttering sidewalks, new 95-gallon bins will soon be tucked into artistic enclosures set back from the street. Other efforts—like the ongoing beautification efforts along Fayetteville Street—are also in the pipeline.
But Raleigh stresses keeping Downtown clean can’t fall to the local gov alone. Enter the Great Raleigh Cleanup—founded in 2020 by Preston Ross III, the volunteer-driven org formed after he determined the litter had escalated into a public nuisance. “I very quickly recognized that it was too big for me to do alone,” he recalls. “So we opened it up to volunteers, and it really took off.”
Adds Ross: “If you’re complaining, you better be doing something.” Whether that means reporting cleanliness concerns, joining a cleanup crew or simply picking up after yourself, keeping Raleigh clean takes everyone.
New short film turns Raleigh streets into a love story.
For creatives, “write what you know” is gospel—and filmmaker/producer Darryl Jones puts it to use in his newest short film, Tandem. The project is both a love letter to his wife and Triangle native Hillary—and to Raleigh itself. And as the name implies, cycling takes center stage—a symbol, Jones says, of spontaneity and possibility.
The film follows a lovestruck couple riding along the Cap City’s suburban streets and tree-lined hills. The setting isn’t just cinematography—it’s part of the journey. As protagonists B.W. and Kittie pedal from DTR toward the quieter suburbs, their relationship evolves in step.
You’ll see nods to Jones’ own story. A Wilmington native, he first landed in Raleigh as an NC State undergrad, then moved to Cali with his then-girlfriend—now wife—before circling back to the Triangle in 2023.
Brandon McCarrell
The film opens in Oakwood, where Jones and Hillary first lived together, before rolling into her formative neighborhood Oak Park. From there, it moves into some of Raleigh’s greenest terrain. Scenes shot at NCMA’s outdoor park and Umstead State Park carry particular weight for the creative. “The more Raleigh gets developed, the more important a place like Umstead becomes,” he emphasizes. “So that’s where we end the movie.”
Pivoting from his earlier short films, which leaned on casts, Tandem centers on a single connection. “With a lot of characters, there’s sometimes not enough time for arcs, changes and journeys,” he explains. “I wanted to do something that was very fundamental—like two people who meet, and by the end of the movie, they’ve fallen in love.”
Jones’ passion for place doesn’t end on-screen—it extends behind the camera to his team, most of whom call the Triangle home. Rebuilding his local network after his move back, he says, meant hitting reset—but not for long. He recruited half the crew through one of the New Carolinas Film Collective’s happy hours, co-hosted in Durham by one of Tandem’s producers Blake Kinsey.
“Regional filmmaking is the future of the industry, especially on the independent side,” says the filmmaker. “And I think more important than anything else is for NC—and the Triangle in particular—to develop its own identity. That means telling stories about NC, about all people from NC.”
Tandem is already making waves with its debut at the Carrboro Film Festival—and screens next at the Rialto Feb. 6—a chance to see the City of Oaks from a different vantage point on the big screen. therialto.com
