Why Nathan Kaplan Is Building a Social Bathhouse in Miami

By Steve Turk | The Hospitality Mentor

Rendering of the planned bathing space at Grotto Baths in Wynwood. Courtesy of Grotto Baths.

Nathan Kaplan had a clear path in front of him. His family had spent decades in real estate, and he was working with his father on apartment and mixed-use developments in Atlanta. He valued that experience and those relationships. Still, he wanted to build something that felt more connected to the way he wanted to live.

That search led him to Grotto Baths, a social bathhouse preparing to open in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood. When Nathan joined me on The Hospitality Mentor Podcast, I wanted to understand how he moved from developing apartments to creating a place centered on bathing, gathering and spending time together.

As a hospitality operator, I wanted to get into the decisions behind the concept. An idea has to become a location, a financing plan, a team and an experience people want to return to. Nathan talked openly about that process.

The community that started the idea

Nathan traces much of his interest in wellness to CrossFit. He began taking fitness more seriously about a decade ago, but the relationships he formed kept him coming back. Working through difficult workouts together gave people a reason to know one another beyond a passing introduction.

As he considered a career change, he began connecting three things: his interest in wellness, his appreciation for community and his experience building physical spaces.

He and his cousin, co-founder Nick Anselmo, initially explored a gym with a wellness component. Late-night conversations and early financial models gradually led them toward a bathhouse. Nathan's time visiting bathhouses in New York helped him see how the experience could become part of someone's routine.

I asked how that compares with a hotel spa, which is where much of my own experience comes from. Nathan described a more social setting, designed for people to gather while still receiving attentive service. He wants Grotto to welcome people with different interests and backgrounds, including artists, business owners and people discovering the experience for the first time.

Leaving a familiar path

Changing direction meant stepping away from a family business Nathan cared about. He described being in a good position while also feeling that he needed a different kind of personal growth.

One moment from that decision stayed with me. His grandfather had questioned why he would leave real estate to open a bathhouse. During their final conversation, Nathan walked him through the renderings and explained the concept. His grandfather told him, “I get it now,” and said he was proud of him.

Nathan shared that story as a meaningful point of understanding between them. It also showed how much this project had become his own. He was choosing work that mattered enough to him to take on the uncertainty of building it.

Finding the space and the right people

Nathan's development background helped him understand what the project would require, but he still had to find a location and secure financing. He moved to Miami and drove through neighborhoods, looking at possibilities before finding the Wynwood space.

He said the financing included an SBA-funded component and a bank that believed in the concept. There was no single step that made the project happen. The location, financial backing and team had to come together.

That team also changed the scale of the idea. Nathan and Nick brought in Antoinette Marie Johnson of Cohere, Tender Greens co-founder Erik Oberholtzer, and hospitality veteran Darryl Gibson, whose background includes The Standard and Faena.

An early search for branding support became a much deeper partnership. Nathan credited the group with helping shape Grotto's design, food and beverage offering, and approach to hospitality.

One example was especially useful: six parking spaces became the opportunity for an outdoor café. Antoinette helped develop that vision, while Erik brought his food and beverage experience to it. The planned café gives people another reason to stay and spend time together before or after using the bathhouse.

For anyone developing a hospitality concept, that is a practical example of what experienced partners can contribute. They can see possibilities in the space that were not part of the original plan.

Grotto Baths design process

Material samples and visual references from Grotto’s design process. Courtesy of Grotto Baths.

Material samples and visual references from Grotto’s design process. Courtesy of Grotto Baths.

Making membership worth using

The planned experience includes saunas, cold plunges, bathing spaces, an outdoor deck and a café. Nathan is particularly excited about Aufguss ceremonies, which he described as group sauna experiences involving steam, towel movements, music and aromatherapy.

The question I wanted to explore was how all of those elements would work for members. Selling memberships creates an ongoing responsibility to provide access and an experience people can actually use.

Nathan said the team was being deliberate about bringing members in and managing capacity. Ahead of opening, gatherings and referrals have helped introduce people to the concept and begin forming the community around it.

The café is an important part of that thinking. Someone might come for the bathing experience and stay for food or a conversation. Those opportunities to spend time together are central to the business Nathan described.

As of October 1, Grotto's official membership page lists an end-of-October 2026 opening target. Timing remains subject to change. The real test will come as the team welcomes people and learns how they use the space.

The reminder Nathan is taking into opening

When I asked what advice he would give his younger self, Nathan spoke about the pressure of getting the doors open. He has been reminding himself to approach a new challenge with “I get to take care of this.”

That thought stayed with me. Opening a hospitality business involves a long list of decisions, many of them difficult. Nathan's reminder brings those responsibilities back to the choice that started it all: the chance to build something he cares about.

Explore Grotto Baths for opening updates, and hear my full conversation with Nathan Kaplan on The Hospitality Mentor Podcast.