Wellness & recovery services
Books and taxes for cold plunge and contrast therapy studios.
Hot and cold circuit sessions sold as memberships, a water chiller running around the clock, and group plunge events that fill the tub with paying guests at once. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
November came in at $7,500. The community plunge event filled both tubs on a Saturday, so I kept that group revenue apart from regular circuit bookings.
- Vagaro payout, circuit sessionsCircuit sessions
- Community plunge eventGroup events
- Chiller electric billUtilities
- Water treatment chemicalsWater treatment
- Plunge tub filter serviceEquipment maintenance
Why your books are different
A cold plunge studio's biggest cost runs all day whether anyone shows up or not.
The chiller that keeps the tub cold draws power around the clock, whether the room is full or empty, and a group plunge event fills the tub with people who each pay their own way. Neither works like a typical wellness session, and the books need to treat them differently.
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1
The chiller runs whether or not a client walks in
Keeping a plunge tub at a set cold temperature takes constant power, not power tied to how many people use it that day, so a slow week still carries the same electric cost as a busy one.
What we doKeeps chiller and utility costs in their own line, tracked against session count over time instead of judged month to month. -
2
A group plunge event is several sales in one booking
A community plunge event or a corporate wellness booking can put six or eight paying guests through the same tub in one session, and if it is logged as a single sale, it understates how many people actually paid.
What we doKeeps group events in their own line and tracks head count so revenue per person stays visible. -
3
Water treatment is a real recurring cost, not an occasional supply buy
Between-user sanitation and water treatment chemicals for a shared plunge tub add up over a month, and if bundled with general supplies, it is hard to see whether the tub is costing more to maintain than it used to.
What we doKeeps water treatment in its own line so its cost stays visible against how many sessions ran. -
4
Hot and cold circuit sessions are one price for two very different costs
A circuit pass covers both the sauna and the cold plunge, which cost very different amounts to run, and priced as one flat session, an owner cannot easily tell which half of the circuit is actually driving the cost.
What we doTracks utility and maintenance costs for the hot and cold sides separately, even when they are sold as one session.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a cold plunge and contrast studio.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Circuit sessionsCombined hot and cold sessions, paid through Vagaro or a similar app.
- MembershipsMonthly unlimited or set-session plans.
- Group eventsCommunity plunge meetups and corporate bookings, tracked by head count.
- Session packagesPrepaid multi-session packs, tracked as owed sessions until used.
Money out
- Chiller and utilitiesPower for keeping tubs cold and the sauna hot.
- Water treatmentSanitation chemicals and filter changes between users.
- Equipment maintenanceTub and sauna unit upkeep and repairs.
- Booking softwareVagaro or a similar scheduling tool.
- Towels and robesLaundry service and replacement stock.
What we watch for you
- Session count
Circuit sessions run against membership fees collected, so usage matches what is being paid for.
- Cost per session
Chiller and water treatment spend divided by sessions run, so pricing reflects the real cost of a circuit.
- Group event revenue per head
How much each attendee at a group event actually contributes, tracked apart from regular sessions.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things cold plunge studio owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
That tracks. The chiller runs constantly to hold temperature, so it does not drop much even in a slower week. I kept it in its own line so you can watch it over time.
I logged it as a group event and counted all eight as separate paying guests, so it shows up as what it really was, not one small sale.
It helps. Even though you sell one circuit price, I keep utility and upkeep costs split by hot and cold side so you can see which one costs more to run.
The tax side
The tax side of a cold plunge and contrast studio.
Most of what trips up a plunge studio is treating a constant utility cost like a variable one, and equipment write-offs that are easy to miss on tubs and chillers.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Equipment write-offsPlunge tubs, chillers, and sauna units can usually be written off the year they are bought. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Worker classificationA front desk or facilitator who works your schedule and uses your equipment is usually an employee, not a contractor, even if paid per shift or per event.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
- Quarterly estimated taxesSelf-employment tax runs 15.3 percent on top of income tax, and it is not withheld anywhere, so most owners pay estimated tax four times a year.
Deductions cold plunge and contrast therapy studios miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Chiller electric costs
- Water treatment chemicals
- Tub and sauna maintenance
- Booking software
- Front desk wages
- Towels and robes
- Liability insurance
- Marketing and lead fees
- Event facilitator pay
- License and permit fees
- Retail inventory
- Filter replacement parts
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A cold plunge studio's year, kept every month.
New Year cold exposure trends and summer heat both shift how people use hot and cold rooms. Your team keeps you ahead of the tax calendar through the swings. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
New Year interest in cold exposure brings a rush of new memberships, last year's return gets started, and a monthly set-aside gets planned.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer changed session demand for the hot or cold side.
- October
Before the cold season rush
Interest in contrast therapy often climbs as the weather turns. Gus looks at whether a second tub or chiller is worth adding before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for cold plunge and contrast therapy studios. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions cold plunge studio owners ask first.
How does Gus handle group plunge events?
He keeps group events in their own line and tracks head count, so a booking with several paying guests shows up as what it really is instead of one small sale.
Our chiller runs constantly. Does that mess up the numbers in a slow month?
No. Gus keeps chiller and utility costs in their own line tracked over time, so a steady cost during a slower month reads correctly instead of looking like overspending.
We use Vagaro for booking. Do we need to change anything?
No. Keep booking sessions the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement, and when a deposit is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.
Can I write off a new chiller or tub all at once?
Often you can. Equipment bought for the business can usually be deducted in the year you buy it, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides.
My studio ran at a loss the first year with the tub and chiller setup cost. Is that normal?
It happens often given how much the equipment costs upfront. Gus tracks the loss correctly against future years, and the accountant makes sure it is used right on your return.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever