Q+A with HigherDOSE Founders Lauren Berlingeri & Katie Kaps

HigherDOSE was founded in 2016 by Katie Kaps and Lauren Berlingeri, two entrepreneurs and biohackers who are passionate about bringing revolutionary wellness technology to the masses. The company was created to provide a new kind of spa experience: one with a biohacking lens that uses the power of nature-inspired technologies such as Infrared heat to elevate health and help get you high, naturally. Upon its introduction, HigherDOSE quickly became the premier infrared sauna destination in New York City, cultivating a dedicated community that was (and continues to be) equally as passionate about hacking their own alchemy. With a continued focus on making biohacking technologies more accessible, HigherDOSE launched its first at-home product in 2017: the coveted Infrared Sauna Blanket, which garnered explosive success and ignited the creation of more at-home devices, including the PEMF Mat and Red Light Face Mask. Read on to learn more about Katie, Lauren, HigherDOSE's tech, and what's next for the brand!

Q: HigherDOSE was launched in 2016 and has continued to grow since – congratulations on your success! We’d love to hear a bit about the beginning days of the company and how it got started, all leading up to where HigherDOSE is today.

We got our start by selling infrared heating systems to yoga studios and, in 2016, we pivoted from that venture and focused on opening our own infrared sauna spa locations in New York City. Through this experience, we began to build our community and think about how we can get more people connected to the healing benefits of the Sauna. By summer 2017, we launched the first version of our Infrared Sauna Blanket, while also opening up additional in-person sauna opportunities through 11 Howard, and then Equinox in 2018. By 2019, we opened our first fully-owned HigherDOSE location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and began to plan for additional at-home product offerings.

When COVID hit in March 2020, all of our locations shut down due to the pandemic — and the demand for our Sauna Blanket grew 4x overnight. By the end of 2020, our Williamsburg location reopened and we continued to launch new products, including a Red Light Face Mask, which was our entry into the beauty biohacking world. Since our start, we have focused on ways we can continue to grow and improve — not just our business, but our products, too. We recently launched an updated version of our original Sauna Blanket, which features the same technologies as previous versions, but in a more lightweight design with a zipper for easier use. We also recently launched a new website featuring an elevated design, and a YouTube series called BIOHACK-HERS, which is an inside look at the wildest health hacks and cutting-edge biohacking technologies for women.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about the technology behind HigherDOSE’s offerings and some of the backstory behind the development of the infrared blankets, mats, and saunas? What was that process like?

We believe that the benefits of Infrared are great for almost everyone and are passionate about making the technology more accessible to the masses. With that in mind, we wanted to develop a take-home infrared sauna that wasn’t a huge investment in terms of money and space, since saunas can cost over $5,000 and take up a good amount of real estate in your home. The result was our Infrared Sauna Blanket, which is an affordable, easy-to-use, and low-maintenance take on the sauna, with the same benefits. From there, we began to develop additional ways to biohack your health at home with a collection of devices that tune into nature-inspired technologies — such as crystal therapy, red light, and PEMF.

Q: Have there been any particular “a-ha!” moments since the brand’s beginnings that have made you feel particularly fulfilled or reminded you that you’re doing what you’re meant to be doing? What have been the most rewarding parts of building HigherDOSE from the ground up?

Yes — we experience a-ha moments all the time, and we are grateful to our customers for many of these moments. We receive many customer reviews that share the life-changing experiences they have had while using our products. The wellness technology that we launch is powerful, backed in research and science, and works — you can feel the difference within one session. This has fulfilled us in so many ways. To this day, when we feel stressed, deflated, or challenged, we go back into the sauna or use our Infrared PEMF mat and immediately feel that stress melt away. It’s very encouraging to have products that have that ability, especially when it’s guaranteed every time.

Q: For those who may not be familiar with HigherDOSE and infrared technology, are you able to tell us a bit about the benefits that infrared provides for overall health and wellness?

Infrared technology is a technology that uses wavelengths of light to penetrate heat into the body. This type of heat therapy is similar to the healing power of the sun, only without the damaging effects of UV light.

Infrared heat has amazing benefits. Not only does it detoxify the body through sweat, but it also increases the body’s heart rate, which can help with lymphatic drainage and burn calories — it’s like a workout without the workout. This type of heat is also used for muscle recovery, improving sleep, and improved circulation. It’s also a great mood-booster and can relax and destress the body naturally.

Q: What — and who! — keeps you inspired on a day-to-day basis?

We are greatly inspired by the biohacking community as they are at the forefront of a lot of these cutting-edge wellness technologies and products. We are also inspired by the spa experience, as we believe there is an opportunity to innovate there — think: going beyond just looking and feeling good, and more into overall long-lasting vitality.

Q: Since the brand’s beginnings, there’s been a bigger focus in recent days on at-home products. As the brand continues to evolve, what’s next for HigherDOSE?

As a community, we believe we are waking up to the idea that the most important investment we can make in our lifetime is the investment in ourselves. As a brand, we are focused on solutions for holistic recovery, beyond fitness and diet — which is what most people associate “healthy” with. For us, this means a focus on recovery for everyday life stressors like stress itself, lack of sleep, parenting, getting sick, and athletic recovery. At HigherDOSE, we have an ecosystem of products that are designed to support you through whatever life throws your way, helping you to recover and reach your wellness goals.

Q: We’d love to hear how both of you integrate wellness into your everyday lives. Can you share with us what your respective morning routines look like right now?

Lauren: My entire wellness routine requires integrating it into my daily life. As a mom of two young twins, I strike a balance with my wellness regimen by sticking to a strong morning routine for me and my kids. My morning routine is a requirement for keeping everything balanced. I begin my mornings with some “me time” at 5:45 a.m., which involves sipping on some green juice and my morning cup of coffee that I infuse with adaptogens and homemade cashew milk. From there, I head straight to my sauna for a red light therapy and detox session. Once my kids are up, we do a workout together — I either run, rollerblade, or cycle with them in a Honey Bee Trailer followed by some bodyweight-style workouts in the park — before I begin my workday at 10:00 a.m.

Katie: I begin my mornings by hydrating and replenishing my body with Mountain Valley mineral water, followed by Bulletproof coffee. From there, I get a Barry’s Bootcamp workout in, followed by hot and cold therapy at the Standard in Miami Beach and 3-minutes of cryotherapy. Then, I do a meditation on the PEMF mat and go for a 2-mile beach run.

Rapid Fire Round

Q: Worth the splurge:

Lauren: HigherDOSE Infrared PEMF Mat — your whole family will be obsessed, including your pet.
Katie: HigherDOSE Full Spectrum Infrared Sauna — it’s a total game-changer if you have the space for it.

Q: Favorite drugstore or budget find:

Lauren: Colloidal Silver Gel — I put it on everything!
Katie: Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Pillow Plump XXL Lip Gloss.

Q: Latest beauty empty:

Lauren: I dye my own eyebrows and recently ran out of my eyebrow tint.
Katie: 111SKIN Sub-Zero De-Puffing Energy Mask.

Q: Recent discovery:

Lauren: Nebulizer.
Katie: Traditional Native American sweat lodge ceremony.

Q: Product you can’t leave home without:

Lauren: RMS Lip Tint.
Katie: In Your Pleasure CBD suppositories.

Q: Brand you wish more people knew about:

Lauren: Lumen.
Katie: JJ Alcalde NYC (one-of-a-kind accessories company based out of NYC).