Inside The Rise of "Soft-Cold" Snow Rooms in Modern Wellness, with guest Sara Brenninger
Release Date: 12/03/2025
StarrCast
What if the pressure to reinvent yourself every January is actually pulling you further away from who you already are? In this episode of StarrCast Podcast, host Lisa Starr sits down with Jennifer Walsh to explore why remembering your natural intelligence matters more than optimizing your life, your body, or your productivity. Together, they unpack how presence, ancestral wisdom, and human connection offer a more sustainable path to wellbeing in an increasingly artificial world. What You’ll Learn: Why the “new year, new you” mindset can create unnecessary guilt and burnout How...
info_outlineStarrCast
In this inspiring episode of The StarrCast Podcast, host Lisa Starr travels to the breathtaking Austrian Alps to explore how strategic wellness development is transforming mountain destinations. Against the dramatic backdrop of Leogang's limestone peaks, Lisa visits Puradies eco-resort and sits down with owner Michael Madreiter to discuss the property's stunning Heaven Spa expansion and the remarkable story of how this region has achieved consistent double-digit growth through thoughtful spa and wellness investment. Michael shares the 185-year family farming legacy that informs...
info_outlineStarrCast
What happens when darkness becomes the environment for insight, recovery, and self regulation? In this episode of the StarrCast Podcast, we explore the rise of structured darkness retreats and why they are gaining traction across wellness, hospitality, and performance focused audiences. Guests Ananda Jey (AJ) and Diederik van Middelkoop unpack how controlled sensory deprivation is being reinterpreted as a tool for nervous system regulation, psychological clarity, and long term wellbeing. Listeners will gain a grounded, experience driven understanding of why darkness retreats are moving...
info_outlineStarrCast
What happens when four of the most respected voices in global wellness hospitality gather in Milan to dissect the future of spa, hotel, and guest experience design? This episode brings together Matteo Brusaferri, Emlyn Brown, Lynn Curry, and Laszlo Puczko for a rare, insight-packed conversation recorded live at the Wellness Hospitality Conference. From evolving guest expectations to seismic shifts in design, investment, and operational strategy, this dialogue explores how wellness is redefining the fabric of hospitality worldwide. Listeners will walk away with a sharper understanding of the...
info_outlineStarrCast
What happens when one of the world’s leading snowmaking innovators brings winter indoors, and transforms wellness in the process? In this episode, I sit down with Sara Brenninger, the visionary shaping the future of indoor snow experiences at TechnoAlpin. We explore how engineered snow, biophilic design, and cold-contrast experiences are reshaping wellness architecture, guest rituals, and the business models behind next-generation spa environments. What You’ll Learn: How indoor snow technology evolved from slope-making to multisensory wellness environments Why soft-cold modalities are...
info_outlineStarrCast
What happens when four global leaders in wellness, integrative health, and spa innovation come together to discuss the future of wellbeing? This week, The StarrCast is proud to bring you an amazing roundtable of experts, live from The Global Wellness Summit in Dubai: Dr. Kathryn Dundas is a leader in integrative health and clinical wellbeing, known for her evidence-based, assessment-driven approach to personalized care. Kirsty MacCormick is a global spa and wellness strategist recognized for building operational systems, signature experiences, and high-performing teams across luxury...
info_outlineStarrCast
What happens when luxury hospitality, holistic wellness, and human transformation intersect? In this conversation with Magdy Abdelaty, we explore how modern wellness leaders are redefining the guest journey through emotional intelligence, culture-driven design, and deeply personalized experiences. This episode reveals why wellness is shifting from a service to a philosophy, and what the next generation of spa and wellness leadership must embrace to stay relevant, regenerative, and meaningful. What You’ll Learn: Why wellness no longer belongs in a silo, and how to embed it across the entire...
info_outlineStarrCast
Can a spa director also be a systems thinker, a creative artist, and a human performance strategist? In this episode, Arnaud Dieutegard, Senior Director of Wellness, Spa & Retail at Four Seasons Costa Rica, shares how he’s reimagining resort wellness, from creative leadership and culturally rooted experiences to peak performance programs grounded in science. Listeners will hear how one property is using data, design, and disciplined creativity to move beyond “amenities” and build a truly transformational wellness ecosystem for guests. Arnaud traces his journey from a wellness-focused...
info_outlineStarrCast
What happens when science meets soulful healing? In this episode of the Starrcast Podcast, Dr. Jason Culp, Director of Research & Development at Chiva-Som International Health Resort, reveals how integrative wellness is evolving beyond luxury into a global movement rooted in evidence, empathy, and everyday choices. From Thailand’s pioneering Chiva-Som to the rise of holistic health leadership, this conversation redefines what it means to live well, and lead well, in a world driven by change. What You’ll Learn: How naturopathic medicine bridges the gap between science and...
info_outlineStarrCast
What if wellness could be scaled like culture? In this episode of Starrcast, host Lisa Starr sits down with Adam Bamba-Tanaka, Chief Operating Officer of Therme Group U.S., to explore how the global company is redefining bathing culture for the 21st century. From Bucharest to Dallas, Tanaka unpacks the intersection of urban design, sustainability, and social wellness, revealing how Therme is creating civic-scale wellness destinations that merge architecture, technology, and community. What You’ll Learn: How Therme Group is transforming ancient bathing rituals into modern wellness...
info_outlineWhat happens when one of the world’s leading snowmaking innovators brings winter indoors, and transforms wellness in the process?
In this episode, I sit down with Sara Brenninger, the visionary shaping the future of indoor snow experiences at TechnoAlpin.
We explore how engineered snow, biophilic design, and cold-contrast experiences are reshaping wellness architecture, guest rituals, and the business models behind next-generation spa environments.
What You’ll Learn:
-
How indoor snow technology evolved from slope-making to multisensory wellness environments
-
Why soft-cold modalities are becoming the preferred alternative to cold plunges and cryotherapy
-
How snow rooms influence guest psychology, emotional recall, and multisensory wellness design
-
The economics behind indoor snow: differentiation, experiential value, and monetization models
-
The science and strategy behind TechnoAlpin’s newest innovation, the Snow Sky
Episode Highlights:
-
00:00 – Why snow continues to shape guest emotion, memory, and wellness culture
-
04:11 – How Sara entered the snowmaking world and grew within high-tech snow engineering
-
07:20 – Understanding how modern snowmaking systems actually work
-
10:42 – The origin of the indoor snow concept and its early R&D
-
14:55 – What makes snow rooms different from cold plunges and cryotherapy
-
18:10 – Why soft-cold is more accessible for sensitive, aging, or chronic-pain guests
-
22:47 – Customization, biophilia, and the architectural impact of snow experiences
-
26:12 – Pricing, monetization models, and ROI for operators adding snow rooms
-
31:40 – Introducing the Snow Sky,TechnoAlpin’s newest immersive snow experience
-
34:58 – What’s next for snow-based wellness and contrast-therapy innovation
Meet the Guest:
Sara Brenninger, Executive Manager of the Indoor Snow Division at TechnoAlpin, leads global innovation in engineered snow experiences for wellness, hospitality, and mixed-use environments. Her work bridges technology, human physiology, and experiential design to advance the next generation of contrast-therapy solutions.
Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Mentioned:
-
Indoor snowmaking systems and programmable snow nozzles
-
Biophilic design for multisensory wellness spaces
-
Cold-contrast therapy protocols and soft-cold applications
-
The Snow Sky (immersive falling-snow installation)
-
Turnkey engineered snow rooms for hospitality and spa settings
Closing Insight
“Snow makes people smile, and it makes them feel.”
Sara’s message is clear: as wellness shifts toward experiential, next-generation thermal environments, indoor snow is becoming one of the most emotionally powerful, and commercially strategic, features a spa or hotel can offer.
Looking for expert advice in Spa Consulting, with live training and online learning?
Spa Consulting: wynnebusiness.com/spa-management-consulting
Live Training: wynnebusiness.com/live-education
Online Learning: wynnebusiness.com/spa-management-courses
Other Links:
Connect with TechnoAlpin Indoor: https://indoor.technoalpin.com/en/
Follow Lisa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisastarrwynnebusiness,
Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/at/podcast/starrcast/id1565223226
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/00tW92ruuwangYoLxR9WDd
Watch the StarrCast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wynnebusiness
Join us on Facebook: facebook.com/wynnebusiness/?ref=bookmarks
Join us on Instagram: instagram.com/wynnebusiness