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The viral “wellness darty” (day party) phenomenon has become a nationwide trend this fall semester. Videos of college students chugging Celsius in Lululemon matching sets have been spreading rampant.
The kids are replacing marijuana with a runner’s high, leaving post-grads — who remember their college days consisting of substance use — thoroughly confused.
Current college students insist they are doing just fine — and judgment from older gens comes from misunderstanding.
And for some of the younger crowd, the trend toward getting sauna-sweaty with peers turns out to be very good for business.
Across the country, young entrepreneurs and recent graduates sensing that campus wellness is more than just a phase are packaging the “darty” movement — and shipping it nationwide.
Aydan Child, 25, founded Peak Pulse, a wellness brand he says “pioneered wellness events on college campuses.” The University of Florida graduate originally launched Peak Pulse as a run club, telling The Post, “The vibes and events we put on were in demand, so we kept evolving and growing.”
He now leads a team of recent college grads who curate and package wellness parties for students across the country. The team brings cold plunges and saunas to fraternity and sorority houses, hosts workout classes and brings products from well-known brands.
Peak Pulse works with many Greek organizations — with those at bigger SEC schools paying him thousands of dollars, he says, to throw events.
New Balance and Lululemon provide the outfit giveaways, and Red Bull and Gatorade provide the beverages. And those are just a few of the sponsors clamoring to back his events.
“When you have a platform like the one we’ve created, the brands reach out first,” Child told The Post.
Part of his motivation was personal: “I was freshly graduated and didn’t go out a ton or drink, so I wanted a way to meet people who were similar in age.”
Recalling his own college experience, Child wanted to recreate a party atmosphere for students looking to socialize outside of bars. After starting his run club in Gainesville, Florida, the movement quickly spread to Florida State University, where students embraced the concept and spread the word.
Child wasn’t surprised by the positive response, knowing students crave fun alternatives that don’t involve “drinking all the time.” Child and his team even “brand” the event for the Greek organization, bringing props and merch embroidered with their Greek letters.
They also offer media packages, delivering photo albums and videos for organizations to share on social media, which he says is a win-win for both orgs’ marketing.
When asked about the backlash for his events, Child said the criticism mainly comes from “tons of old, angry millennials.”
“People are always resistant to change,” he told The Post. “For whatever reason, these millennials have an idea of stereotypical college being ‘let’s see how much we can drink.’ Sure, part of college is getting the partying out of your system, learning your limits, and figuring out how you hold your alcohol.”
While he admitted Gen Zers in college are very wellness-focused, they aren’t the complete puritans that the media thinks they are.
“Headlines are misleading when they say frats are ‘ditching parties for wellness darties’,” Child added. “They aren’t quitting cold turkey. I promise you, they’re still drinking, partying, and having fun — they’re just bringing balance to it. They’re doing a run or a cold plunge before going out later at night.”
Child admits he schedules events strategically, targeting times when students are awake and ready to participate, knowing that after a Friday night, students probably need to sleep in more.
One of his viral videos—captioned “Imagine explaining a wellness darty to someone who went to college in 2012” — was filmed at a Friday 4 p.m. event that some students used as a pregame for the rest of their night.
The video racked up 3.4 million views and triggered a flood of comments:
“I don’t think I ate one vegetable from 2015-2019,” one user commented.
White Claw’s official TikTok account chimed in: “I just broke out in hives.”
Other users even politicized the shift, claiming darties are a “right-wing pipeline” and linking rising purity culture to conservative trends.
Despite the internet chatter, major brands are all in.
“I’ve been in meetings with Celsius talking about formal partnerships, and college is a huge focal point for them over the next couple of years,” Child noted.
Martin (Marty) Moćs launched his own wellness darty venture, Sweat and Soak, in 2024. He labels it as a “Greek Life Wellness Experience.”
The graduate of Liberty University, one of the country’s most conservative schools, lost his mother to breast cancer two years ago — which he said reshaped his outlook on life.
“I was going through a rough patch and a good way to grieve was to help other women going through breast cancer as well,” Moćs told The Post.
That same year, Moćs and his college hockey team traveled to Finland, where a sauna and cold plunge experience unexpectedly brought the team together. “We bonded so well—we were laughing, playing really well, and everyone’s acne was going away,” Moćs recalled.
The experience sparked an idea. “How can I take that sauna and cold plunge experience and bring it back to the states?”, simultaneously noticing that run clubs were already exploding in popularity. He knew there was “something there” with promoting wellness.
“There was nothing like it on college campuses, so I decided to go for it,” Moćs told The Post. His initial event drew 15 people. “I was an athlete, not an event planner, but the environment was great and people loved it.”
When a friend went viral as a country artist on Spotify, Moćs collaborated with him to host a “wellness Coachella” on University of California, Los Angles’ (UCLA) campus, combining a concert and wellness event fundraiser for local breast cancer charities that raised thousands of dollars.
Word spread quickly, leading friends from UCLA and UNCW to request similar events.
Just a year into business, Sweat and Soak is expanding across Florida, California and SEC schools, with eyes on the Northeast next. They are going on a college tour, with plans to hit University of South Carolina, UW- Madison and more this semester.
The primary economical issue for the brand has been the reliance on sponsors to host, as Mocs put it bluntly: “Most college students are broke.”
Event costs range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on a school’s budget and capacity. Smaller schools like FAU can host an event for a few hundred dollars, while larger SEC programs invest in more services and giveaway items.
Addressing online critics, Moćs remains unfazed. “I live by the quote, ‘You’re never going to see a hater doing better than you.’ At the end of the day, taking care of your body and mind is a good thing.”
“If people want to get drunk instead, they can,” Moćs explained. “But Gen Z has a different mindset around mental health and wellness. We don’t think this is just a trend—we see it as the future of college life.”
Moćs also taps into the Greek life social hierarchy for help. Fraternity pledges handle the heavy lifting during setup, which he says is a productive way for them to do their due diligence.
“The guys love to get a good pump in, look good, get their shirts off and the girls love to do Pilates in the Lululemon Vyori sets so it’s a win-win for the girls and guys,” Mocs told The Post.
While students are free to do as they wish outside event hours, alcohol is strictly off-limits during.
Philanthropy is a huge aspect, and Sweat and Soak partners with mostly with Zeta Tau Alpha, whose national philanthropy is Breast Cancer Awareness, to raise money for them. He also helps breast cancer nonprofits like Pink Ribbon Goods.
Maya Podzorov, a Zeta Tau Alpha member at Florida Gulf Coast University, worked closely with Sweat and Soak on a philanthropic event.
“I’m known as the grandma of my sorority. I’ve always thought college glorified a culture that I don’t align with,” Podzorav told The Post. “My freshman year it was a harder adjustment to find my crowd and people who agree with that as well.”
Podzorav said she is social but values taking care of herself, so combining the big crowds and music with an event leaves her “feeling energized and connected” rather than drained is huge.
Their collaborative event had the usual saunas and cold plunges, with a Pilates instructor and weights set up for fraternity brothers to use. Alani Nutrition provided energy drinks and protein treats from local businesses like Green Bites.
She admitted that the guys loved being able to take off their shirts and “show off their fresh pump” in front of the ladies.
“Our goal is to offer alternatives to alcohol and substances so people can genuinely connect,” Podzorov said. “It’s rewarding to see students better themselves while fundraising for a great cause.”
