Adam Tanaka on Wellness As Part of Civic Infrastructure

29 Oct 25

with Adam Bamba Tanaka

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 infrastructure.
The strategy behind scaling wellness architecture for cities, blending sustainability, geothermal technology, and immersive design.
Why social wellness is the next global movement redefining leisure, connection, and civic life.
The economics behind large-scale wellness resorts, and how high-volume, low-seasonality models sustain profitability.
Insights into how younger generations are reshaping wellness culture as the new “nightlife.”

Episode Highlights:

00:00 – Adam Bamba-Tanaka on his journey from Harvard urban planner to wellness visionary
06:40 – How Therme Group is scaling bathing culture across continents
14:25 – Inside Therme Bucharest: the world’s largest urban wellness resort
22:50 – The blueprint for Therme Dallas and Washington D.C., redefining civic wellness
33:15 – The economics of well-being: how to finance billion-dollar wellness infrastructure
42:10 – Sustainability and technology: geothermal energy, ozone osmosis, and AI-driven water systems 50:05 – How the “Bathing Festival” in D.C. previewed America’s social wellness revolution
55:00 – Why communal wellness is becoming the new cultural frontier

Meet the Guest:

Adam Bamba-Tanaka is the Chief Operating Officer of Therme Group U.S., a global leader in large-scale wellness destinations. With a PhD from Harvard in Urban Planning and a background in sustainable city development, Adam bridges architecture, civic design, and wellness innovation, shaping how future cities will integrate health, nature, and community.

Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Mentioned:

Therme 2.0 Model – Global expansion of European wellness architecture.
Urban Wellness Framework – Integrating civic design with social well-being.
Ozone Osmosis Filtration System – Clean, sustainable water management.
RFID-Based Guest Flow Design – Seamless operational technology for wellness resorts.
Contrast Therapy Experience Model – Merging heat, cold, and rest for recovery and reconnection.

Closing Insight:

“Wellness isn’t a luxury, it’s a civic necessity. We’re not building spas. We’re building social infrastructure for human thriving.” – Adam Bamba-Tanaka

Explore the intersection of architecture, culture, and wellbeing, and discover how Therme is redefining what it means to live well in the modern city.