OM and Zen Garden opens in Huntington with fitness classes, cold plunges and hot spas

Running hot and cold isn’t just an expression; it’s the key to one of the specialized services at the new OM and Zen Garden   wellness spa in Huntington.

Co-owners Sheona Golden and Mark Lim, business and life partners based in Dix Hills, have created a dual-purpose oasis, which opened in August. The airy space is divided into two distinct areas — one for fitness, the other for hydrotherapy water treatments, like hot and icy tubs.

“The focus here is really about stepping outside your comfort zone,” says Golden, 41, who brings 25 years of sports and aquatics management experience to the new business.

OM, which is shorthand for “open mat,” is an indoor exercise studio for an array of movement and fitness activities including stretching and yoga. OM jiujitsu classes focus on “self-defense and mindfulness,” says Lim, 47, an instructor with a brown belt and more than a decade of coaching and athletic training experience. 

Beyond being a space to work out, the studio area will double as “a community hub” for pop-up seminars on various issues such as depression awareness.

Zen Garden is the spa’s open-air, year-round bathhouse, where cold plunges and an infrared sauna, saltwater spas and outdoor showers are all used for hydrotherapy regimens. 

Contrast therapy has become one of the most sought-after services for recovery and other benefits. It works like this: clients move between tubs of hot and icy cold water with an aim to improve circulation, reduce inflammation and relieve pain.

Immersing oneself in a 40-degree bath can be daunting.  Contrast therapy aims to boost the mind-body connection. 

“One of the main reasons why we call it Zen Garden is because we really want to take you through this mental journey,” says Golden. “It's all about finding your peace, finding your meditation, and how you respond to stressors.” 

A 90-minute weekday visit offering access to cold plunges, hot spas, infrared sauna and showers is $65.  Weekend visits are $80. Adult jiujitsu classes are $25. Memberships are available.

OM and Zen Garden; 278 Main St., Huntington, 914-265-1729; omandzengarden.com