Student Athletes Bring Mobile Sauna, Cold Plunge Experience to CSB+SJU Winter Festival

(KNSI) – Student athletes Charlie Ryks and Tom Kuriscak are bringing a mobile sauna experience to the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University as the inaugural True North Winter Festival wraps up.

Their company, Superior Recovery, will operate a Sauna Village on the CSB Mall from now through March 1st, featuring four mobile saunas and cold plunge stations designed to promote wellness through contrast therapy. The event runs from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. Thursday and Friday, with exclusive hours for CSB students from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., and from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on February 28th and March 1st.

Ryks, a senior defensive back on the Saint John’s University football team and a double major in accounting and finance. Kuriscak is a senior goalie on the Saint John’s University hockey team and a biochemistry major. They founded Superior Recovery through the E-Scholars Entrepreneurial Studies Program at CSB+SJU. The program allows students from all disciplines to design and launch real-world business ventures.

The idea for Superior Recovery took shape during an E-Scholars trip to Silicon Valley, where the pair connected with CSB+SJU alumni working at major tech companies. Inspired by advice to simply take the first step and get a venture off the ground, the two began exploring contrast therapy, the combination of heat and cold exposure, as a recovery tool for athletes. Research supporting its benefits for soft tissue injuries like muscle strains, sprains and tendonitis helped shape their business model.

The wellness-focused event is one part of a month-long festival lineup that also includes winter activities, music and food.

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