Before dropping 120 pounds, Stephanie Bailey cycled through “every diet on the planet and every workout” imaginable to try to make the scale budge.
She even resorted to VHS tapes of Richard Simmons’ “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” and Billy Blanks’ Tae Bo — plenty of punches and spandex, but little payoff.
“It was a lot of ups and downs, and it really wasn’t until, like, three or four years ago that I felt a lifestyle shift,” Bailey, 38, told The Post. “I naturally knew how to eat and enjoyed working out.”
The Manhattanite now channels her energy into SoulCycle and strength training. In fact, she’s traded her going-out tops for “soft club” wear as part of a growing movement called “daylife.”
Sweatpals, a social fitness platform, coined the term to describe wellness experiences replacing traditional social gatherings as a way to connect and build community. Think happy hours with Pilates instead of pilsners and dead hangs instead of hangxiety.
“Personally, I would much rather spend my Friday night going to the gym or heading out for a run and waking up Saturday morning feeling energized and ready to enjoy the day, not hungover or feeling miserable as a result of drinking and staying out late,” Salar Shahini, founder and CEO of Sweatpals, told The Post.
“I knew there had to be people who felt the same way I did,” he added. “We have LinkedIn to connect with people over shared business goals and dating apps to help you find a partner, but what about an app that allows you to connect with others who were into your same fitness routine?”
Redrawing the party lines
Sweatpals’ 2023 launch coincides with a cultural comedown. Recent research found that young Americans are partying 70% less than they did two decades ago. So much for a party in the USA.
It’s no wonder that US alcohol consumption just hit a 90-year low, with only 54% of adults reporting that they drink. This teetotaling trend — which represents a 13% drop since 2022 — appears to be driven by the high costs of booze, increased health consciousness and a lack of interest among Gen Zers.
All the while, gym memberships are surging, even surpassing pre-pandemic levels in some cases.
“I think there are a lot more people going to the gym now than ever before,” Kenny Santucci — founder of The Strength Club, a fitness studio with locations in NYC and New Jersey, and creator of the annual fitness and wellness expo Strong New York — told The Post.
“I [just] had 25-plus people in my classes, so it’s getting back there.”
Even events centered on running — once an activity seen as punitive in gym class (“Take a lap!”) — are on an upswing.
Capitalizing on this morning energy kick, Sweatpals has partnered with “experience designers” Daybreaker to serve as the official ticketing and host platform for its sober morning dance parties.
Finding the right fit
The Daybreaker dance classes are on Bailey’s 2026 to-do list.
“I like dancing on a bike and SoulCycle, so I think that would be fun,” said Bailey, who works in the children’s entertainment industry.
“But even, I think, a lot of the therapy and recovery-type activities are something I’m more interested in doing,” she continued. “I would do that on my own for fun, but I’d never thought about that as an activity with friends — you know, to go to a bathhouse or something along those lines.”
She’s not alone. Wellness services like acupuncture, hyperbaric oxygen, ice baths, red light therapy, sauna bathing and vitamin infusions are having a moment in NYC and beyond.
Santucci said he recently went to a cold plunge and sauna event that drew 40 to 50 attendees.
“Five, six years ago, pre-pandemic, we’d all be going out for drinks or going out to eat,” he noted.
“I’ve been a sauna, cold plunge guy for a very long time. I played college sports, and that was like something we did after exercise, and no one would ever want to do that,” he added. “It was like torture — and now it’s a form of recreation.”
Some may struggle to see extreme cold as recreation. Cold plunges often feature temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, which can be a major shock to the system.
But at least it’s shared suffering.
Building community anywhere
Bailey said she’s used Sweatpals when her job brings her to LA, where she doesn’t have a circle of friends to accompany her on runs or hikes.
“It’s been nice to have an [additional] group of people to do things with and connect with and just have another touch point,” said Bailey, who got hooked up with Sweatpals because Santucci is her trainer and he’s a Sweatpals host.
“After COVID, people aren’t working every day, so [those] third places, like the football bar you go to or after-work drinks, that type of socializing kind of went away,” Bailey continued. “And so it’s nice to have these gym activities and healthier activities to bring people together and feel some kind of connection” outside of work.
Research has linked so-called “third places” like coffee shops, parks, libraries and gyms to better quality of life, wellbeing and health.
Santucci said these spots are increasingly important as more people focus their time online.
Gen Zers are said to spend an average of three hours a day on social media alone.
The team behind Sweatpals hopes to get them to step away from their screen and into fitness. The platform is active in 24 markets with over 1 million users and 200,000 events posted every month, Shahini said.
“We make it easy for pals to join communities without any friction, whether they’re looking for community
who enjoy the same type of workout or moving to a new city and want to meet friends without going to the
bar,” he added.
