Co-Founder | PLUNJ, Provo
Hot. Cold. Rest. Repeat. A few years ago, Lauren Foster and her husband, Sean, would trail run together and end with a refreshing plunge in the Provo River. They purchased a cattle trough and started to host cold plunge get-togethers at home. A few months of this led Lauren to realize that Sean had stopped having panic attacks. Sean was also reading “The Finnish Way” about the benefits of sauna and cold plunging. It dawned on the Fosters: This lifestyle change had benefited their lives … why not bring it to a wider community? PLUNJ now has three active sauna/cold plunge lounge locations with more in the works. Time to take the PLUNJ.
SHOULDERING THE LOAD
“I have not quit my corporate job and am balancing that role with PLUNJ. With my PLUNJ hat on, I help manage a lot of the social media and marketing content, create training documents and resources, and assist on franchise management.
“One benefit of working with my husband is we’ve learned to watch out for each other. We both make sure we communicate our needs regularly.
“In addition to my work responsibilities, I am a mom to three kiddos. Sometimes it can be tricky to meet regularly with friends, so I’d consider myself an avid user of Marco Polo. I am also active in my church and hold roles and responsibilities there as well.”
A STEP AT A TIME
“When I think back to what led me here today, so much of it is a mix of both my personal and professional life. I have always been active and enjoyed challenging myself, whether it’s trail running, mountain biking or skiing. I am grateful for a mindset that allows me to push myself.
“Professionally, I have been in tech for about 12 years in roles ranging from HR, to instructional design, to project management, and currently business operations. I’ve been able to gain experience and learn the best ways to lead teams, how to manage work, focus on outcomes, and provide the best value and experience.”
BRAINSTORM
“My husband and I wanted to experience a sauna and cold plunge experience, but every place we found locally was very expensive and luxurious. It didn’t line up with what we had been learning about this kind of experience — it should be accessible and community-driven. That’s when the idea first came to our minds: What if we built our own sauna and cold plunge space? We wanted to build a space where people could gather, relax, reset and even challenge themselves. After years of planning and preparation, we decided to take the PLUNJ.”
GIVE HER A HAND
“Our cold plunge is a creation we are proud of. What started as paint tape lines on our living room floor is now the standard, beautiful, stainless steel cold plunge you’ll find in each and every PLUNJ location. That cold plunge came with years of trial and error and working with professionals to build the best possible cold plunge experience.
“With our old tubs we had to close 2-3 hours daily and had to constantly monitor them to ensure cleanliness standards were met. With the new cold plunge, we don’t need to close daily and because we over-engineered it, we can provide an even cleaner and better cold plunge experience.”