It isn’t a spa. It isn’t a bathhouse. Kota is bringing a sauna village to Denver, giving people a place to sweat, cool off, relax and spend time together.
The Ireland-based company is preparing to open its first U.S. location at 1710 S. Broadway, with an opening planned for mid-September.
Kota is built around a communal sauna experience rather than private treatment rooms. The Denver location will feature five saunas, communal pools, cold plunges and outdoor spaces where guests can cool down among plants and trees between sauna sessions.
“It’s a sauna village with a number of different saunas, each of them unique and different in temperatures and sizes,” said co-owner Dan O’Connor.
The outdoor setting is an important part of the experience, giving guests a chance to move between the heat, cold plunges and relaxation areas. “You can get your sweat on between the plants and trees so they can cool down and chill,” O’Connor said.
The concept was shaped by the founders’ experiences with sauna culture across Finland, Lithuania and the Baltic region. Each sauna is influenced by places and traditions they encountered during their travels.
Kota began in Ireland, initially opening in rural locations before moving into urban areas over the past two years. Denver will serve as the company’s starting point for expansion into the U.S. market. “We wanted to explore the U.S. market,” O’Connor said. “We’ve been to New York, Austin, and when we got to Denver, we knew it was the right place.”
The city’s mountains and outdoor lifestyle were part of the appeal, along with what O’Connor described as Denver’s active population.
At its core, Kota is designed to give people a place to slow down and step away from the usual pace of the day. “It’s meant for people to relax, feel less stressed when they leave,” O’Connor said.
