Nuvania Plans a $1M Membership Sauna Club in Boulder

Will Gensburg spent his first career building i-parcel, a cross-border e-commerce logistics company that connected U.S. and U.K. merchants to shoppers in more than 100 countries. UPS acquired i-parcel in October 2014, calling it a complement to its international logistics capabilities. Now Gensburg is putting roughly $1 million into Nuvania, a membership sauna and cold plunge club opening this fall at 1965 33rd Street in Boulder, Colorado.

The 3,200-square-foot facility will offer traditional and infrared saunas, communal and individual cold plunges, red light therapy, and a member lounge. Construction started in May 2026. Nuvania is targeting an October 1 hard launch.

Key Facts

Operator: Nuvania, founded by Will Gensburg

Location: 1965 33rd Street, Suite 101, Boulder, CO 80301

Footprint: 3,200 square feet

Buildout investment: Approximately $1 million

Traditional sauna: Custom by Mountain Mist (Longmont, CO), hemlock wood, 21 kW commercial heater, three-tier seating for 15 guests, ADA-accessible entry

Infrared sauna: Custom by Sunlighten, eucalyptus wood, floor-to-ceiling FAR infrared panels, 8 to 12 guests, removable benches for yoga and ADA access

Cold plunges: Two units by Coldtub (American manufacturer), one communal for 12 guests (floor-sunk, ADA accessible) and one individual, NSF 50 filtration, electrolytic chlorination

Red light therapy: 630/660 nm and 810/830 nm wavelengths, dual-panel system, IEC safety standards

Architect: Coburn Development

Construction: Parallel Construction

Building permit received: February 26, 2026

Construction started: May 4, 2026

Target opening: October 1, 2026

Model: Membership-based with drop-in options; first visit free for Boulder residents and workers

Founder background: Founded i-parcel LLC (cross-border e-commerce logistics), sold to UPS in 2014

A Second Act in Sauna

Gensburg described i-parcel as “the fourth international integrator,” a non-asset-based cross-border parcel delivery model built exclusively for e-commerce. The company operated warehouses in Los Angeles, New Jersey, and Indianapolis and served merchants shipping to more than 100 countries. UPS did not disclose the acquisition price.

After the sale, Gensburg stayed with UPS before eventually moving on. On Nuvania’s website, he describes the project as something he has “wanted to build for a long time,” writing that he has “become even more intentional about longevity, curiosity, and enjoyment” as he has entered his sixth decade.

“Many people today are looking for places that support both physical well-being and genuine human connection,” Gensburg told BizWest. “Nuvania is designed to bring those together in a way that is welcoming, accessible, and rooted in the local community.”

The Equipment Choices Tell a Story

Every major piece of equipment in the Nuvania buildout is American-made, and the supplier selections suggest a founder who did the kind of vendor diligence you would expect from someone who spent a career in logistics and fulfillment.

The traditional sauna is a custom build by Mountain Mist, a Longmont, Colorado, company. It uses hemlock wood and a 21 kW commercial heater with three-tier seating for up to 15 guests. The infrared sauna comes from Sunlighten, a vertically integrated American manufacturer known for carbon-based FAR infrared technology. It seats 8 to 12 guests in a eucalyptus wood interior with removable benches that can accommodate yoga classes and ADA access.

The two cold plunges are by Coldtub, a family-owned, vertically integrated American company. The communal plunge holds up to 12 people and is sunk into the floor for ADA access. Both units run continuous filtration with electrolytic chlorinators that automatically adjust water chemistry, meeting NSF 50 standards.

ADA accessibility is a theme throughout the design. The traditional sauna entry, the infrared sauna layout (with removable benches to clear a turning radius), and the communal cold plunge are all built to accommodate wheelchair users. That level of accessibility commitment in a 3,200-square-foot space is not common among operators in this size range.

Why Boulder, and Why Now

Boulder is a deliberate market choice. The city has one of the highest concentrations of endurance athletes per capita in the United States: runners, climbers, cyclists, and triathletes who already understand the recovery value of heat and cold exposure. Gensburg is betting that a purpose-built facility will convert an existing demand signal (athletes already doing ice baths at home, recovery sessions at gyms) into a membership habit.

“Nuvania’s location was selected in part because of its proximity to established Boulder fitness and recreation communities, including climbers, runners, cyclists, and outdoor enthusiasts,” the company said.

The timing is notable. Boulder has not had a dedicated social sauna operator since Portal Thermaculture’s original pop-up burned down in January 2025. Portal has since expanded to Denver, Minneapolis, Bozeman, and Austin, but it has not returned to Boulder. Nuvania fills that gap with a different model: where Portal bootstraps through warehouse leases and cash flow, Nuvania is founder-funded with a $1 million purpose-built space and commercial-grade equipment from named American suppliers.

The broader context matters too. Social sauna is attracting capital from outside the wellness industry at an increasing pace. Bathhouse raised $35 million from Imaginary Ventures to scale its urban model. Othership and AIRE represent two different approaches to contrast wellness as an experience business. The category is increasingly attracting founders and investors whose primary backgrounds are in technology, hospitality, and entertainment rather than wellness.

Gensburg fits that pattern. He is not a wellness-industry veteran. He is an operator and logistics entrepreneur who sees an underserved market in a city he knows well, and who is willing to put $1 million of his own capital behind the bet.

Why It Matters

Nuvania is another data point in a growing pattern: experienced operators from outside wellness are entering the social sauna market with real capital and operator discipline. Gensburg is not raising venture money or testing the concept with a pop-up. He is building a purpose-designed facility with commercial-grade equipment from American manufacturers, ADA access throughout, and a membership model aimed at a community that already values heat and cold exposure. The question for the broader industry is whether the secondary-market, founder-funded model can produce unit economics as strong as the venture-backed urban plays, or whether it carves out a different, more sustainable lane entirely.

Bottom Line

A logistics entrepreneur who sold a company to UPS is putting $1 million into a 3,200-square-foot membership sauna and cold plunge club in Boulder, Colorado. Nuvania is targeting an October 1 opening with equipment from Mountain Mist, Sunlighten, and Coldtub, ADA access throughout, and a membership model priced for daily use. Boulder has not had a dedicated social sauna operator since Portal Thermaculture left for Denver in early 2025. Gensburg is betting the city’s endurance-athlete culture will fill the seats.