We recently connected with Heather Gallegos and have shared our conversation below.

Heather, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Rebuilding HeatPraxia after we flooded in January of 2024 was a huge risk. We did not have the financial resources required to complete the project but we chose to jump in head first anyway. The two years we had been in business before our studio was destroyed made it clear to us that we could not quit, but we also knew we had to relocate to a larger space. We took the BIG, life changing risk to lease a new space & plan a half a million dollar build with only $50K in the bank. Every aspect of the job we could do our selves, we did. It was a scary year of riding the line with revenues & loans coming in right as we desperately needed them & not a minute sooner.
We worked our tails off for 14 months & the finish product turned out beautifully. We knew at our Grand Opening when our return clients were in tears from their return experience, the time we were down and out & all that we had been through–that we absolutely made the right decision.
Many say the risk we took to rebuild HeatPraxia was slightly insane–we would not disagree. But after being back in business now for a little over 120 days, we have no regrets!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

HeatPraxia is a modern sauna studio that offers sauna, cold plunge therapy, red light therapy, halo therapy, breathwork, yoga & pilates. We got our start based on passion, pain & finding purpose.
We believe fully in our modalities & knew the immense amount of impact we could have on our community if we built the place. So we did.
People seek us out for many different reasons-most often pain & performance. The beauty of our offerings are that they are loaded with benefits, so even if you are not visiting HeatPraxia for natural pain relief or for physical performance, you will notice improvement on both accounts.
One thing we especially love about our services, is that they are ancient. And when you are in the business of ancient healing arts, there are plenty of pieces of data to support your claims. Some people arrive because they have read the studies & want those benefits. Others join out of curiosity & learn through the practice- the amazing benefits they are stacking for themselves.
We are proud to have created (and continue to build) an amazing community of individuals who are all after the same things: self improvement, optimal mental & physical health, connecting with others on a human level & simply living our best life possible.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I believe our rebuild story illustrates our resilience well. We had only been in business a little over two years when our studio was destroyed by broken pipes in the suite above us.
We seriously contemplated throwing in the towel. But we owned like 200 hundred towels, & knew that the guests & members who wrapped up in that fluffy cotton, would not have the impact of HeatPraxia in their lives any longer.
So, without enough money to finish the project, we took a leap of faith-and started rebuilding.
We joked, “good thing we sauna,” the whole year we were rebuilding. It was a very difficult, incredibly trying time. We worked 60+ hours a week, demoing, designing, purchasing, fundraising & rebuilding.
We are so grateful to have made the difficult choice to come back bigger, better & stronger. The last 120 days in business has shown us we made the right decision & we have no regrets.

Any advice for managing a team?

My best advice for managing a team & maintaining high morale is to define your culture & your values right out the gates & do not falter on those non-negotiables. Provide each new potential team member with a copy to read & digest after their 1st interview before you meet them for their second interview. At their second interview, you speak about how they received that information. They do not have to align with you, that is fine–they just do not belong on your team if they do not. Everyone on the team must be on board. It is also expected of our team to take part in our practice at HeatPraxia so they are truly a product of the product. Every member of our team saunas every week.

I also believe that creating a team centered culture is of upmost importance. One thing that means to me is- no gossip. That is right, gossip is a fireable offense. Gossip is toxic and can ruin even the best team. If a teammate has an issue with another teammate, is to be brought to management. The funny thing is, when you establish what you will and will not tolerate-your people not only naturally follow suit, they are comforted by the simple fact that their best interests are in our interest. The boundary was set from day one & because of that–we have a cohesive team that not only gets along great, they actually genuinely care about one another.

Lastly, incentivize your team. Like all businesses, we must capture new clients & retain existing ones. Your team is what is in between you business & your clients. We reward our team for their performance, both sales & operational expectations. They appreciate the extra & the behavior is cyclic–the better they do, the more they get, the better they want to do. As a business owner, your team’s experience should be as valuable to you as your customer’s experience. After all, your team is setting up your customer for a great (or not) experience. Happy, well cared for teams created happy, well cared for clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.heatpraxia.com
• Instagram: @heatpraxia
• Facebook: HeatPraxia
• Other: Also found on Apple Maps.

Image Credits

Amy Lynn Bjornson
Jack Wade