The Recovery Playbook

How clubs turn wellness into visits, value, and loyalty by Daxko

Walk into a forward-thinking club today and you’ll notice something different. Members aren’t only there to train—they’re there to recover. Contrast therapy, compression, infrared, mobility, and breathwork—what once lived at the margins now anchors the member’s week. When recovery is designed as a repeatable, bookable experience, it creates one more purposeful check-in on days a member might otherwise stay home. That extra visit strengthens the relationship, elevates perceived value, and turns your facility into a true third space—a place members choose even between hard sessions.

In fact, more members are coming in just for recovery than ever before—whether it’s a quick compression session, a cryo chair for a sore hip, or time in the sauna. This playbook is about turning that reality into an operating advantage. You’ll get a clear model for how to launch recovery with Daxko Operations or Club Automation, connect partners through Daxko Exchange (including Technogym in-app experiences and HydroMassage device access), and prove outcomes in 90 days—using your own data, in your own market.

Operators who succeed don’t chase the latest gadget—they design a repeatable system. We call it the Recovery Flywheel, and it’s intentionally simple:

• Programs and preferences: Begin with goals and safety. A short digital intake and basic contraindication flags guide members to a first session that fits.
• Access and entitlements: Gate the experience with membership tiers or monthly credits. Clear rules protect the member experience and make the value obvious.
• Frictionless booking: Recovery needs to live in your member app with reservations, buffers for cleaning, and waitlists. If it’s easy to schedule, it becomes a habit.
• Packaging and positioning: Give the experiences names—Contrast Express, Deep Flush, Mobility + Heat. Publish a simple menu with session lengths and what to expect.
• Automation: Nudge a recovery session after heavy training, invite new members to try recovery in week one, and re-engage gently when usage dips.
• Measurement: Watch attach rate, uses per device per day, sessions per recovery member, and retention deltas between recovery and non-recovery cohorts. Use what you learn to refine the menu, credits, and staffing.

The flywheel keeps you focused on outcomes, not features. It also makes recovery scalable—whether you’re testing in 500 square feet or building a marquee zone.

The size of your recovery footprint isn’t what makes it successful—it’s the visibility and flow. Two footprints consistently work:

• The Recovery Corner (≈400–800 sq ft): A compact layout with compression, HydroMassage or heat, and either a cold or infrared element. Compact, approachable, and simple to staff.
• The Recovery Zone (≈1,500–2,500 sq ft): A destination with contrast stations, infrared cabins, a compression lounge, and a small mobility/assisted-stretch area. This is the tour-stop that differentiates your brand.

Place recovery where it will be seen. Many clubs are moving from “back closet” recovery to front-of-house, glass-fronted spaces. Visibility signals that wellness lives here—and the space begins selling itself on tours and social content.

• Choose modalities to match your audience:
  • HydroMassage works for nearly everyone and delivers a fast, self-service experience.
  • Infrared/red-light appeals to wellness seekers who value heat-based relaxation.
  • Cold/contrast resonates with performance and biohacking segments; plan for clear guidance and staff education.

Name your experiences, set realistic time blocks, and make the flow intuitive. A member should be able to walk in, book, and start within minutes.

The pricing model should be clear enough that a member understands it in 30 seconds. Most operators succeed with one of two approaches:

• Premium-tier bundle: Include recovery in a higher-priced membership to drive upgrades and reinforce premium positioning.
• Universal access: In higher-priced or Y-style settings, include recovery for all members with a modest dues increase to make wellness part of your core promise.

Round out the offer with passes or day-use for guests and families, and use off-peak promotions to fill late-morning and late-evening valleys. The goal isn’t to maximize every minute on day one; it’s to create a product members adopt as a weekly routine.

Recovery thrives on trust, and trust comes from consistency. Keep it simple: 

• Use digital waivers and a short contraindications checklist (heat/cold sensitivity, age rules).
• Set session limits and posted temperatures (where relevant).
• Build cleaning prompts into the schedule and maintain logs for equipment.
• Give your team a 60-second tour script and a five-minute “try it now” experience so new members feel confident.

A predictable experience reduces staff friction and increases the likelihood that a first try becomes a habit. 

Recovery sticks when it’s part of the same journey members already know—not a bolt-on or extra app.

• Member management: With Daxko Operations or Club Automation, configure memberships, entitlements/credits, reservations/waitlists, access control, waivers, and billing—without bolt-on spreadsheets.
• Lifecycle messaging: Welcome new members into recovery during week one, send timely prompts after heavy sessions, and re-engage when usage drops—all from the same system.

Partner integrations (via Daxko Exchange)

• Club Automation × Technogym: Surface Technogym experiences inside your member app so training guidance and recovery prompts sit alongside schedules and bookings.
• Club Automation × HydroMassage (WellnessSpace Brands): Choose front-desk unlock or API-based at-device access. In at-device mode, members scan or enter their ID; entitlements are enforced and usage auto-posts to the member record. Fewer desk interruptions, cleaner data, better experience.

This is what “one journey, fewer steps” looks like—members stay in your app; staff stay in one system. That’s how habits form and scale.

WellnessSpace cites an Arizona State study in which post-workout HydroMassage or CryoLounge was associated with 32–48% lower fatigue/soreness at 24 hours versus a control group. Treat this as partner-reported evidence and a conversation starter for staff—not a definitive claim. Pair it with your own member feedback and outcomes. Recovery experiences vary by modality and individual; your data should guide your expansion.

You don’t need to overthink your first 90 days. Here’s a simple roadmap that works in clubs of every size:

• Weeks 1–4: Configure & train: Set up products and entitlements/credits; turn on reservations, waitlists, buffers, and no-show policies; load digital waivers and basic contra flags; decide on HydroMassage access mode (front-desk unlock or at-device) and test the end-to-end journey. Train your team on tours and sanitation cadence, and post simple “How it works” signage.
• Weeks 5–8: Launch & drive adoption: Publish your named menu and run a short trial for new and existing members. Use two onboarding messages (e.g., sleep/relief vs. soreness/performance) and A/B test for resonance. Collect feedback after the first two sessions and adjust copy, buffers, and scripts.
• Weeks 9–12: Optimize & decide: Balance demand with off-peak promos or credit adjustments. Review attach rate, usage, and retention signals. If the space is earning its footprint, plan phase-two stations and budget.

If recovery is working, you’ll know it—not just from your dashboards but from members who say, “this is why I keep coming back.” Still, tracking a few core metrics will give you confidence:

Meet weekly to tune operations; decide monthly what to scale. 

The next five years will favor push-button, sub-15-minute experiences that fit between meetings and require minimal staff—think emerging dry cold concepts—alongside multi-modality suites tuned to different member types. Lower friction creates more check-ins; more check-ins create the retention that powers durable growth.

WellnessSpace Brands has become the most recognized name in recovery—and for good reason. The company has grown beyond HydroMassage into a broader recovery suite, including RelaxSpace for mental wellness and CryoLounge+ for targeted cold with heat, plus additional heat/light options and an emerging dry cold concept designed for quick, self-service sessions.

Operationally, clubs have a choice: launch fast with front-desk unlock, or go straight to API-based at-device access so members scan or enter their ID, entitlements are enforced, and usage posts automatically. The latter minimizes frontline friction and keeps your data clean.

Use this one-page Recovery Pilot Checklist to align goals, configure entitlements and booking, set access and waivers, confirm integrations, finalize SOPs and signage, launch onboarding messages and offers, and review KPIs weekly with a 90-day go/no-go.

Daxko powers wellness organizations with member management, payments, access, and partner integrations that make modern experiences possible. Recovery doesn’t replace training or community—it reinforces both. It gives members more ways to feel successful and more reasons to choose your brand as their third space.

Ready to see recovery in action? Share your footprint and timeline. We’ll map a 90-day plan to validate check-ins and retention—then scale what works.