Questions people actually ask
The ones we get in the room, and the ones people search before they come. Can't find yours? Call us, we'd rather you asked.
The questions people ask us most
What is contrast therapy?
Moving between heat and cold on purpose. Heat widens your blood vessels (vasodilation), cold narrows them (vasoconstriction), and going back and forth is the idea. We run it as The Protocol: infrared sauna, then the cold and hot plunges, then compression, vibration and red light.
What is chromotherapy?
Chromotherapy, or light therapy, is the use of visible light in the colour spectrum, where each colour has a different wavelength. Our sauna has it. Dr. Jess wrote about it back in 2019, starting from the fact that there's a lot of misinformation about chromotherapy. Her full piece is on our blog.
What is deep tissue massage good for?
Specific, stubborn complaints more than general relaxation. A shoulder that won't settle, a low back that's been sore since a lift, a neck that's tight from a week at a desk.
What is red light therapy good for?
Muscle recovery after hard exercise. In four small trials it did better than cold for strength recovery and soreness, and the reviewers rated their certainty moderate to very low. Most people add a few minutes to the end of a visit.
Do I have to do the cold?
No. Skip it and do the sauna and the compression lounge. Or tell us you're nervous and we'll time the cold with you. We'd rather you came in and skipped it than didn't come at all.
Do I need a membership?
No. Every service books as a single session, or you can buy a pass and book when it suits you.
What should I bring?
A swimsuit if you're plunging. Everything else is here.
Is there parking?
Yes, free parking on site at WellSuite, 2043 South Lamar Boulevard.
Is this a gym?
No. There's no training floor and there are no classes. We're a recovery studio.
Were you Generator Athlete Lab?
Yes. Same people, new space on South Lamar, and we've dropped the training side.
Can I book for two people?
Yes. The sauna seats more than one and the plunges sit side by side, so bring a friend. Just tell us when you book.
Who should not do the cold plunge?
If you're pregnant, or you've got a heart or blood-pressure condition, talk to your doctor before you plunge. We'd rather you asked.
Do I need to book ahead?
Yes. Tell us when you book if it's your first visit, so whoever is on the floor keeps the cold short and shows you the stations.
Can I book just the plunges?
Yes. Every service books on its own as a Quick Reset, and the cold and hot plunges book together as one, so inside that session you go back and forth however you like.
Do I have to use the hot plunge too?
No, but the two together are the point. The tubs sit side by side, and most people who try the pair don't go back to cold alone.
What makes your contrast therapy different from a cold plunge anywhere else?
The sauna first, then a cold plunge and a hot plunge side by side, so you move between heat and cold without cooling off in a hallway, and someone walks a first-timer through it.
Is contrast therapy backed by research?
Yes, and most of it is on soreness. In 18 trials, alternating hot and cold after hard exercise left people less sore for days than resting did, and the evidence page lists each study with its link.
Will the cold plunge hurt my lifting?
Only if you're lifting to build muscle and plunge straight after. Wait two to six hours, or come on a rest day. Lifting for strength, plunge whenever you like.
If you're coming from the old Generator Athlete Lab site, here's the short version. Same people, new space on South Lamar, and we've stopped doing the training side. What's left is the recovery half of what we did before, with more room to do it properly.
Where the rest of the answers live
Most questions people ask are really about one service, and each one has its own page with the research on it.
The protocol covers the sequence, the order, and exactly how the tubs run. Cold plunge covers when to plunge if you lift, and Dr. Jess's take on inflammation. Our sauna in South Austin covers what a session in the cabin is like. Red light therapy vs sunlight answers the red light question we hear most, and Dr. Jess's chromotherapy piece covers the coloured light in the sauna.
On the health claims
You'll notice we're careful on those pages.
The research is real, and it covers more than soreness: lower stress after cold, better sleep, calmer minds after massage, and lower blood pressure with vibration training. It's all on one page, in plain words, with every study linked.
If a claim isn't on the page, it's usually because we went looking and didn't find evidence we'd put our name to.
Still can't find it?
Ask us directly. We'd rather answer a question before you book than have you guess.
If you're here from the old studio, the full story of the rebrand is on its own page: what changed, what didn't, and what happened to personal training.
If you're ready, book a session. Once it's a habit, have a look at memberships.
Generator is a recovery studio, not a medical provider. Nothing here diagnoses or treats a condition, and it isn't a substitute for advice from your own clinician.
Still deciding?
Book your first Protocol. It's the quickest way to find out which part you love.