City Cave is a leading Australian wellness franchise that provides a holistic suite of float therapy, infrared sauna, and massage services for everyday Australians. The brand’s success is rooted in its dedication to providing private, scientifically-backed relaxation experiences with an uncompromising focus on hygiene and accessibility.
So how did it all start? The City Cave story began not in a clinic, but in a career transition for tradies Jeremy Hassell and Tim Butters. The pair had no background in health or wellness when they stumbled upon the concept of float therapy.
“We thought we’d try it out and it had a profound impact on my life,” Jeremy says. “I didn’t realise that I could feel as good as I would feel after taking that moment to take a breath and then maybe decompress a lot of my thoughts.”
The pair loved their experience so much they wanted to replicate it and share it. They realised offering the service would not only help those people under extreme duress, it would make a meaningful difference to anyone who walked through their doors.
The two friends unveiled their wellness concept in 2016 with a clear mission – to make therapeutic complementary wellness services accessible to the broader public.
The pair built a brand philosophy based on delivering a bespoke, individualised experience. Customers can enjoy deep relaxation through the sensory deprivation in a float tank, detoxify the body using heat and light with an infrared sauna, and relieve tired muscles with a massage.
The result is a devoted member base that returns week after week, building the kind of loyal community that underpins a profitable business.
The wellness chain is primed for growth
The concept tapped into a growing wellness trend, and since its launch City Cave has steadily expanded from its Queensland roots into New South Wales, Victoria, the ACT, the Northern Territory and Tasmania.
Growth has never been about speed. The founders maintain a measured, sustainable pace, ensuring the internal systems and support structures can keep pace with every new location, setting each franchisee up for success from day one.
That commitment to getting it right shows up in everything they do, from the people they bring on board to the processes they refine and the support they extend to every partner in the network. Most recently it has meant welcoming Kwik Kopy executive Eloise Penfold as head of finance and former McDonald’s executive Jessica Altman to lead marketing.
For franchisees, the proof is in the experience. From comprehensive training and onboarding through to ongoing operational support, City Cave gives its business owners everything they need to deliver a premium experience their customers keep coming back for.
A restructured business model favours franchisees
City Cave recently overhauled its business model with one goal in mind: to put more power, more autonomy and more profit in the hands of its franchisees.
That shift starts with how decisions get made. Rather than direction flowing from the top down, franchise owners now have a genuine seat at the table, with their priorities and ideas shaping the direction of the brand at a network level.
It is backed by serious investment in technology. A new centralised accounting system gives franchisees clearer visibility over their finances, while a new customer relationship management system helps them better understand and engage their membership base.
The result is a model built around franchisee productivity, consistency and profitability, giving partners the tools and the agency to run a business that genuinely works for them
City Cave has a clear goal: to change people’s lives. With a network of empowered franchisees carrying that vision into communities across the country, the founders’ mission has grown into something bigger than the two people who started it.