Nell Waters

The Podcast SOAK

Society EN ↓ 4 episodes

Soaking is personal, political, and rarely discussed. SOAK is an original podcast series that features the bold and the beautiful bathhouses that were social spots in America at the turn of the century from California to Arkansas, Detroit to New York City. The series begins in the late 1800s and spans the current moment as a renaissance in soaking is under way in part fueled by the elusive search for digital detox + nostalgia for the places that could never be built today. Or could they? Is it time to return to the bathhouse as our town square?

Author

Nell Waters

Episodes

Series Update:note from nell 28.08.2025

Hi everyone, just a quick update on the series since we haevn’t published a new episode this summer. We’ve got more coming! Listen IN. Series Update.m4a

Episode 2: Bathhouse Row 20.05.2025

Hot Springs, Arkansas was a storied place. From proto bathhouses in the wild to a government funded spa town with high stakes at every turn. The mineral rich water was money. Water that good has more than one use!

Episode 1: Kama Sutro 31.01.2025

Even before he built his bathhouse, Adolph Sutro was a paragon of scale. An immigrant, an entrepreneur, a mayor, and an engineer the founder of Sutro Baths left a legacy of influence on San Francisco culture. He is a pioneer of the experience economy in today’s marketplace and an inspiration for bathhouse proprietors worldwide. In this episode we twice utter appropriate use of adult language.

Episode 0: Creative Potential 19.12.2024

Yes.