Inspiring Conversations with Allen Penn

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Allen Penn.

Hi Allen, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
After a decade of working in the tech industry sitting in front of a computer, I wanted a different work experience for my next chapter. That meant everything from being on my feet and outdoors, working on a passion area of health and longevity, getting to know and improving the city I live in, and progressing from joining start-ups to starting one. Combining that with the experience of turning 40 and bringing home my first child within a year led me to found Framework.

I was looking for ways to improve and optimize my health. I started reading about the health benefits of saunas and cold plunges, which are tremendous and well-researched in the scientific literature. However, I had a hard time finding any facilities in Nashville that offered traditional sauna (the only type that gets hot enough to map to the research findings) and cold plunge. The offerings were the opposite of social and communal, and it was super expensive to buy for your home. So, I decided that for my benefit and that of others in Nashville, I would start a brand that would deliver that.

One year later, we have our launch location open in Berry Hill and a larger, permanent facility under construction in Wedgewood-Houston, and Nashville’s first social studio for sauna and cold plunge has arrived! No infrared lasers, no IV drips, no pseudo-science. Just space dedicated to the proven health benefits of sweating, shivering, and socializing.

We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Of course, nothing is a smooth road — that’s the nature (and fun) of the entrepreneurial journey! Some of the key bumps and lessons along the way have included:

Always take over construction projects! One of the key pieces of Framework is our Flagship facility in Wedgewood-Houston, which is (finally!) under construction. We’re located at 1411 4th Ave. South, just down from Lucky’s Bar. When I started working with my architect, I was hoping to be open in the new facility in January 2024, and that’s the date we broke ground. The new facility is going to be amazing — 4,500 sq feet that are fully dedicated to the sauna and cold plunge. We’ll have both indoor and outdoor saunas and plunges, silent and programmed saunas, public and private room spaces, and a new non-alcoholic cafe concept. But it’s going to be Fall 2024 before it opens.

With that said, another lesson is that there is always a faster, cheaper way to get up and running. Once I saw where the construction timeline was landing, I pivoted to opening a temporary location and found an amazing spot in Berry Hill. It’s an old recording studio (consistent with the neighborhood) with a large outdoor back area. We’ve turned the front building into our lobby and men’s and women’s changing rooms/locker rooms/bathrooms and the back area into our fully outdoor sauna and cold plunge area, completed with a 10-person sauna, three cold tubs with different temperatures, outdoor showers, and lounge seating. The before and after photos are pretty hilarious, but it’s been great, and we opened <60 days from when we took over the property. Speed is possible, even in physical real estate businesses!

Balance of work and family. I know all working parents feel this way, so I’ll just share my own version. In addition to my daughter, who was born just before I started working on this project, my son decided he wanted to be in the mix as well. He was due to be born in April 2024, so I had planned our launch location to open a couple of months in advance to get settled into that routine. He had other plans. The night before opening day, he was born at 31 weeks. So the first few days of Framework I was sleeping at the hospital and visiting him in the NICU for a month. But he’s now home and doing awesome.

My team at Framework (in addition to being wonderful coaches for your first cold plunge!) have been incredible in allowing me to be at the studio less than I’d planned so that I can prioritize my family in these first couple of months. But it has felt strangely appropriate given the aforementioned catalyst of my daughter’s birth being one of the inspirations for the business.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Framework, a traditional Finnish-inspired sauna and cold plunge studio, is the first studio in Nashville to offer both traditional sauna and cold plunge experiences in a social setting, providing a unique haven for those interested in the transformative benefits of sauna and cold plunge. Our brand and concept are based on the centuries-old cultural traditions of hot/cold exposure and are supported by significant recent peer-reviewed scientific research, proving that extreme temperature exposure has lasting benefits on our health.

Humans are not meant to live at a constant 72 degrees Fahrenheit. In fact, they thrive under extreme temperature exposure—and from it, derive significant short and long-term health benefits. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 60 percent of Americans are living with a chronic disease, and regular sauna usage has been scientifically proven to reduce the risk of more than half of those identified with chronic diseases.

Additional extensive health benefits include, but are not limited to:
65 percent lower incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease
46 percent reduction in hypertension development
29 percent reduction in cortisol (supporting lower stress levels)
Contributes to enhanced immune responses
Supports improved sleep
Overall, positive mental and physical health
*citations available at joinframework.com

These results have all been tracked in published scientific studies referencing a traditional sauna (rather than infrared types). Also known as a dry sauna, Finnish sauna, or Nordic sauna, Framework offers a traditional sauna that uses wood or an electric heater to heat the room to 170-200 degrees Fahrenheit with low humidity. Alternatively, the cold plunges are chilled to 40-60 degrees Fahrenheit and are the same brand used by many professional sports teams, the U.S.A. Olympians and the U.S. Military.

To maximize the benefits, researchers recommend cumulatively at least 60 minutes of sauna exposure and 10 minutes of cold exposure weekly, broken into multiple sessions. Framework’s membership-based model is specifically set up to make it easy to make these exposure workouts a part of your health routine.

Memberships at Framework begin at $99/month for four monthly sessions, while Framework’s unlimited membership is $199/month—a rate that will also be honored at the flagship location upon opening for a limited time. First-timers can try out Framework for only $15 ($45 for subsequent individual sessions).

For more information on Framework, the benefits of hot and cold exposure, to book a session and explore membership options, and to stay updated on the flagship opening, visit joinframework.com and follow @joinframework on Instagram.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Listening.

I effectively have no experience in building or running this type of business. I’ve been in charge of larger organizations, bigger businesses, more people and more complexity, but I knew nothing coming in about retail experiences, health and fitness businesses, local storefronts, real estate development or basically anything that’s associated with what Framework is.

As such, identifying people who know more than me — from architects and sauna builders and other fitness operators and my employees — and then asking them questions and really listening to the answers, has been key. I’ve learned a tremendous amount, avoided a lot of mistakes and made some great friends in the process.

Pricing:

• First-timer single session: $15
• Single sessions (regular rate): $45
• Forge Membership (4x sessions): $99/mo
• Fortify Membership (unlimited): $199/mo

Contact Info:

• Website: www.joinframework.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joinframework/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/joinframework

Image Credits
Jessica Steddom