Does your ideal work environment involve Ayurvedic elixirs, a six am sound bath, and a post-work Yin yoga session? If so, then wellness coworking may be for you.
Wellness coworking is one of the hottest niche coworking trends to hit the market in the last decade, thanks to popular NYC hotspots like The Well.
These spaces beautifully integrate wellness and work, promising greater productivity and focus in the process. And with the global wellness market now worth over $4.5 trillion, there is a lot to be gained from this growing trend.
We’ve worked with a number of coworking wellness space clients here at Optix, including KoWorks in Sydney, Australia, and we’ve seen firsthand what makes these kinds of spaces successful.
In this article, we’ll use the insights we’ve gained from our clients to unpack everything there is to know about the coworking + wellness trend including how well these spaces fare in the market and some tips for integrating wellness related offerings into your coworking space.
Coworking + Wellness spaces, also known as a wellness-focused coworking space or wellness coworking space, is a workspace that incorporates elements of health and well-being into its offerings.
These offerings are typically either incorporated into the entire space at no extra charge (blue light blocking glasses available, use of HEPA air filters) or offered as an additional add-on (Registered Massage Therapist on site).
Wellness coworking spaces range in terms of who they serve and what they offer, with some marketed as premium social clubs such as The Well, while others are community-driven spaces such as KoWorks.
We’re seeing all options growing in popularity as the wellness market continues to grow and coworkers become increasingly interested in how to better integrate work and well-being in a sustainable way.
Apart from the usual coworking offerings, wellness-focused coworking spaces include a handful of other unique goods and services meant to support the health and well-being of members.
Here are some coworking amenities that we see most often.
Incorporated offerings in the space (included as part of a membership and incorporated into the cost):
Wellness offerings available at an additional cost:
Most spaces choose to include a mix of incorporated and add-on offerings for their members.
At KoWorks, Founder Adam Hyman offers complimentary breathing and meditation classes for members. He also has standing desks available to book and a space located right on the ocean. For an additional cost, members can book a cold plunge, a yoga class, or a session in an infrared sauna.
This offers some flexibility with how he charges for membership plans, and opens up additional revenue streams.
Every successful niche in the coworking industry that we see mutually benefits operators and their members.
Entrepreneurs who start wellness workspaces are typically passionate about the intersection of wellness and work. They open these spaces because they truly believe in creating a place that helps people work in a way that makes them feel good.
From a business perspective, creating a wellness-focused workspace can help you as an owner/operator:
Of course, there are a myriad of benefits to offering health and wellness-oriented services for your coworking members, the biggest being supporting their physical and mental health and providing a space for work-life balance.
It’s important to speak to these benefits when developing the messaging of your space. For Adam, the wellness piece is why people convert and why they choose KoWorks as their preferred place to work. Speaking to the benefits of coworking and wellness is critical to optimizing his coworking marketing funnel.
Just like the typical coworking space business model, wellness spaces make money primarily by selling space in the form of desks, meeting rooms, and private offices, and selling community in the form of opportunities for connection.
One of the unique benefits to wellness spaces compared to other niches is you can typically charge a premium for your membership plans.
“Wellness” has long been associated with “premium” from a market perspective. People are often willing to pay more for something associated with well-being, and this can be reflected in your pricing strategy.
Outfitting the space with plants, HEPA air filters, standing desks, and healthy snacks will also cost you more up-front, which allows you to raise the cost of your membership plans in tandem.
Memberships can come with complimentary access to exclusive coworking events and amenities, such as the case with KoWorks and their BreathWorks class. This cost is then factored into the cost of a membership (and then some).
Here at Optix, our coworking software supports a number of wellness-focused coworking clients. Below are three of our amazing clients who are succeeding with incorporating wellness into their coworking spaces.
KoWorks is a wellness-focused coworking space with three locations across Australia. Founded by Adm Hyman, their mission is to activate underutilized spaces and turn them into beautiful and vibrant coworking communities.
Adam offers a number of amenities to support the mental and physical well-being of his members including standing desks, saunas, cold plunges, yoga classes, breathwork workshops, and more. With these offerings, Adam was able to create a true point of differentiation between him and his competitors.
Learn how Adam grew from one to two locations in less than two years with Optix.
“We have definitely seen a very high conversion rate for when people walk through the door from inquiry. I think for us, it’s that say-do ratio. You’ve said something around lifestyle. Is it actually what you do when I walk through your space?”
Wello Works offers wellness focused amenities and community-driven coworking all under one roof. Opening in Atlanta in Spring 2024, they’ll offer infrared saunas, meditation pods, LED light therapy beds, and more, along with dedicated desks, private offices, and open coworking space.
Members have the option of purchasing the use of wellness amenities on their own, or purchasing a coworking membership that can unlock access to specific wellness amenities. In turn, the Wello Works team is helping to support productivity by facilitating an environment that prioritizes health in its many forms.
This Human Thing is a space for therapists, counselors, and other holistic practitioners to practice out of in Canada.
Because they believe in a holistic approach to supporting all humans, they also offer wellness opportunities for their members including mindfulness events, healing workshops, yoga classes, and more.
So you’re thinking of incorporating wellness offerings into your coworking space or opening a coworking wellness space? Here are a few things to keep in mind.
The operators who are succeeding are the ones who understand their local market inside and out. When choosing the location of your next coworking space, consider the market you’re entering and the need/interest for wellness related coworking offerings.
Do you live in a progressive city like Vancouver that is known for its healthy lifestyle? Then wellness coworking would be a perfect fit. Other cities, perhaps less so. As with any niche offering, consider your ICP and whether there is a high enough concentration of people interested in what you have to offer before going all in on wellness.
Wellness offerings for coworking spaces exist on a spectrum. Adding plants to your space is easier than adding standing desks. Adding standing desks is easier than incorporating a new filtration system.
Offer a mix of well-being offerings in your space, ranging from air-filtering plants to on-site massages. Pay attention to what people use and enjoy, and do more of that as your community grows.
Some of the easier-to-implement wellness-focused amenities include:
Start with the simple pieces first and expand from there.
One of the greatest benefits to offering wellness in your coworking space is it creates a point of differentiation. Lean into this heavily in your marketing materials to set your space apart and to attract the right kind of people to your community.
Adam found great success when he began including saunas and cold plunges into his marketing material. It made KoWorks stand out from the crowd, and it attracted the right kind of person to his well-curated community.
Speaking of saunas and cold plunges, it’s worth paying attention to what’s hot in the world of wellness and capitalizing on those trends for your space. Cold plunges are having a moment right now, thanks to the likes of influencers promoting their benefits online. This means people are more likely to seek out this service and therefore, more likely to find you.
Offering something trendy may attract people to your space who otherwise wouldn’t be interested in coworking at all. It could become so successful that you choose to offer it to book independent of a coworking membership, similar to how Wello Works offers their wellness related bookings.
Events are booming in popularity as members look for more intentional ways to connect with one another. According to one of the keynotes that our team attended at the GCUC conference this year, events, private offices, and meeting rooms are all the rage in coworking right now, with no signs of slowing down.
Consider offering wellness-related events in your space including:
What you create should be informed by what your member’s needs are. You should also consider that if you will begin offering fitness classes on-site, then you will need to have a waiver incorporated into your coworking contracts or house rules.
The best coworking spaces are managed with the help of robust coworking management software.
Optix helps wellness-focused coworking owners and operators to manage their space by:
Managing a wellness-oriented coworking space can be a big task. Using coworking software like Optix can make it easier for you to grow your business over time.
Learn more about Optix features and how it can enable you to manage, measure, and grow your business.
Want to see the product in action? Book a free demo with a member of our team today.
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