Nimbus Co's Neil O'Sullivan on preventative health and his own wellbeing hacks

Husband and wife team Neil O'Sullivan and Su Tuttle had a vision to enhance peoples' wellbeing through a preventative approach, and found that while they were embraced for this purpose overseas, infrared saunas hadn't yet caught on in Australia in such a way.

... And so Nimbus Co was born in Bondi in 2016, and it became the first dedicated sauna studio in the country, where there's a focus on both private infrared sauna and ice bath experiences.

The business has since grown from a standalone Bondi studio to Byron Bay, Manly and Melbourne's Richmond, a second outpost in the Victorian capital's Fitzroy suburb opened last month, and a recent acquisition has seen Nimbus Co welcome two more studios in Sydney's Neutral Bay and Queenscliff to the fold.

Read on as Ireland-born, now Brisbane-based Neil shares with us his own health-related journey, how their offering has diversified to become much more than sauna studios, but "a way of living," the top three reasons clients visit Nimbus Co, and some of the tools he leans on from a wellbeing perspective.

Back to where it all began…

Su and I had always wanted to start our own business, and it was over the 2015 Christmas period that we knew we had an idea.

I was working for an American advertising company in marketing and communications at the time, and about a year before we started Nimbus Co, had been diagnosed with a genetic condition known as MTHFR.

It refers to an enzyme—methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase—that plays a crucial role in processing folate—Vitamin B9—and converting homocysteine to methionine, an amino acid. Ultimately, it means my body struggles to absorb nutrients.

Meanwhile Su, who's a qualified nutritionist, had a multitude of small businesses including a healthy snack ordering service for corporates, and she worked at a clinic in Potts Point. They had an infrared sauna there, but the setup leaned more towards the sauna being part of a prognosis and post-condition remedy. 

We wanted to flip this on its head and make saunas more about prevention than cure, to create a lifestyle brand, and to fast track saunas to the modern community in the same way we've seen with yoga and Pilates.

"We recognised saunas bring so many health benefits, yet nobody really knew about them in Australia at the time—and no one was offering them from that lifestyle and preventative point of view." 

So, it was a bit of a risk, but we thought: "Why not create a wellness brand that is open to all?" We wanted Nimbus Co to be approachable and accessible, and the name came from that sense of wanting to make people feel relaxed, as though they were floating amongst the clouds.

Photography: Cedar Purchase (L), Maxwell Finch (R), Sage Hammond (bottom)

Diversifying and in turn, democratising wellness

Today while we have the studios, we now have an e-commerce store and everyday beauty range, which includes products such as face oil, body oil, and a hydration supplement—all of which have been formulated, designed and created by Su and packaged and made here in Australia—and we sell sauna machines and sauna blankets.

However, our ethos has always stayed the same—we want to help people live healthier lives, and we're trying to do it in a preventative, honest, and authentic sense.

"The idea of it sounds a bit out there, but we want to create this circular economy of health that if you live near a studio, you can come and experience us. If not, you can buy our products, and you can take them with you no matter where you are."

The exciting thing is that Nimbus Co isn't really a sauna studio now, it's a way of living. It's a preventative approach to life, and who knows what that will grow into in the future—but the idea is that we want to be accessible to everyone in the world.

The most recent part of Nimbus Co is our business-to-business consultancy arm. A lot of companies are starting to tap into employee wellbeing, and we've sold our off-the-shelf saunas to corporate offices, Pilates studios and even hair salons, not to mention we've also made a couple of bespoke saunas for people's homes.

This in turn has led us to advise and consult on larger commercial projects, whether it's a high-end residential block or corporate building, or any new build that is thinking of adding a wellness service.

"But, what we've noticed is, it's one thing to want to add wellness to your project, it's another thing to know what works and what doesn't, and that's where we come in."

Photography: Maxwell Finch

Nimbus Co's differentiators in an ever-expanding wellness space

Whilst the wellness boom is well and truly here, we still feel we have a point of difference, in that we're tackling the industry from our own personal health journeys and are focused on creating a trusted voice and authentic preventative health brand that's accessible to all of the community.

It's not about six packs or bikini bodies; it's about real health for real people. We get it ourselves, like everyone we're busy with family life and stress. Having a burger sometimes is what's needed. We don't shy away from that. The key is quite mundane, it's about balance.

We try to curate every single bit of a person's experience, from what they smell, see and hear—where we've created bespoke soundscapes—when they come into a studio, to the cold towels they apply after a sauna, and the Nimbus Cloud Form hydration supplements we provide.

When we survey our clients each year the top three reasons they come to us are: 

• Number one—The feeling they get when they leave compared to when they arrive

• Number two—The staff, people and environment

• Number three—Relaxation. They are looking for somewhere to get a good sweat on
  

When you think about these three reasons, they don't have anything to do with your physical health.

They're not saying my blood pressure, skin or muscle recovery is better, or I like detoxing, it's the emotive feelings they get, and that's something that is difficult to quantify, but it's part of who we are. We call it the 'invisible effect.'

"We create this space for people to come and it's almost like a sense of escapism where it doesn't matter what sort of day you've had, when you're at Nimbus Co, you're safe."

You're in a room where no one's telling you what to do, you can be vulnerable, let down your walls, and kind of choose your own health adventure—I think that's the secret sauce we've got. 

Photography: Maxwell Finch (L) and (bottom), Cedar Purchase (R)

On managing his own health, plus tips for others

I always say I am extremely normal and there are things that I could be doing better. The 80:20 rule. I love chocolate, I can't seem to shake it, and in the last two years with moving states and having a child, routine has gone out the window a little—and I had always lived off a strict routine with a background in corporate combined with a semi-professional soccer career.

Some of the really simple and free tools that help me, though, are:  

• Breathwork—It's really great because you can use it in multiple ways, and it can zap you out of overthinking.
  

• The physiological sigh—You only have to do it two or three times to quickly reduce stress, no matter where you are. You just breathe through your nose with a sharp inhale and at the top, you sneak in another bit and then elongate the exhale.
  

• Splashing water on my face, cold showers and ice baths—They're huge from a mental health perspective. Every summer I do the WIM HOF 20-Day Cold Shower Challenge, where you do your normal shower for a minute or two and then in week one do 15 seconds of cold, week two 30 seconds, week three 45 seconds, and week four 60 seconds. People don't believe me, but you actually start to yearn for it.
  

• The 5 Second Rule—I call it micro moves for macro changes. If you procrastinate like I do and can't make a decision, or have too many decisions to make all at once, then count to five, make a decision and then move on. It can be as simple as that. 
  

• A 90-day health reset—My final tip is about what I'm doing right now, and it basically means no alcohol, no gluten, virtually no sugar, all meat and veggies, limited nut intake and a strict training program, which has been designed by my These Lads Are Mental podcast Co-Host Gary Rafferty, who is a strength and conditioning coach.

  I'm also prioritising sleep, family time and recovery—which of course, is via a two-sauna and two-ice bath per week protocol, and it's part of our Nimbus x Whoop In the Clouds research project.

  How do I feel? Good. But I do miss bread, pasta, and a beer. Will I stick to this forever? No, and that's to my point that I said earlier: 80:20. We have to be real. Me doing this forever is not sustainable. But my gut has thanked me. I've lost eight kilograms, and for my vanity, my abs are slowly coming back. It's not about that of course but it goes back to my key wellness trend for 2025: longevity. I turned 40 last year so there's no time to waste.

Photography: Maxwell Finch (top) Sage Hammond (bottom)

Why Bondi, and what makes it so special

Bondi is a very important nodal point for Nimbus Co because for me it's the wellness mecca of Australia, and it has all the hallmarks of a great lifestyle.

With the beach, the public gyms where people actually leave the weights there, the 440 Run Club, and even the healthy—or not so healthy food options, I love a burger, especially from Bonditony's—where there's so much choice, Bondi really does have it all. 

"Anytime I'm visiting from Brisbane I'll get as far as the end of the block before running into somebody I know, and I definitely miss all that. You miss the characters, and you miss the community."

I do feel like Bondi is a case in point for all of this, and it's also the wonderful thing about Australia—the outdoor living, the socialising, you're always doing something. No one lives for the weekend here, and I feel truly blessed to call this country my home.

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