Degree Wellness brings personalized approach to health and recovery to Middleton

For John Hernan, wellness is about more than simply feeling better. It is about helping people get back to doing the things they want to do.

That philosophy is at the center of Degree Wellness, a wellness studio Hernan opened in Middleton. 

“The main idea is to get people to feel their best self,” Hernan said.

Degree Wellness offers a variety of wellness and recovery services, including full-body cryotherapy, infrared sauna, cold plunge, contrast therapy, red light therapy, compression therapy, oxygen, light facial treatments, IV hydration and nutrients.

But Hernan said the studio’s approach begins before a customer ever selects a service.

“We always try to figure out what people’s whys are,” he said.

For example, someone may walk in because of back pain. Rather than stopping there, Hernan said the staff tries to understand what that person wants to be able to do again.

“OK, well, I want to be able to ride my bike,” he said, giving one example. “Or, ‘I want to be able to play with my grandkids.’ You just gotta keep digging and digging until you get to people’s true why and help them accomplish that.”

The goal, he said, is to help customers return to their lives feeling as healthy and pain-free as possible.

Hernan’s path to opening Degree Wellness came after spending 25 years in the automotive aftermarket distribution industry.

He said the demanding nature of that industry exposed him to a number of unhealthy lifestyles, including long work hours, travel, late-night dinners and drinking. Over the years, he watched friends and colleagues experience declining health.

“I wanted to do something that I felt passionate about, and I wanted to help people,” Hernan said.

That led him to begin researching the health and wellness industry.

He initially found a company in Milwaukee that focused primarily on athletes and recovery. While Hernan saw value in that approach, he wanted to create something that could serve a broader range of people.

His search eventually led him to a wellness company in Jacksonville, Florida. The company’s owner had entered the industry while going through a cancer journey and had used a combination of therapies, including sauna, red light, cryotherapy and IV treatments.

Hernan said that story resonated with him and helped inspire him to bring a similar concept to Wisconsin.

Having grown up in Madison and spent much of his life on the city’s west side, Middleton felt like a natural location.

“I loved the area over here,” Hernan said. “Just felt like it had the best opportunity to share it with the most people.”

Degree Wellness operates as a wellness studio rather than a traditional spa.

Customers can use individual services à la carte, but the business also offers memberships because Hernan believes consistency and frequency are important parts of reaching wellness goals.

When someone comes through the door, staff members first discuss where the person is currently at, what they hope to accomplish and how much time they have available.

From there, the staff develops a plan around those goals.

Not every therapy is expected to produce an immediate result, Hernan said. Some customers may notice an effect after a single session, while other services are intended to be used consistently over several weeks.

The studio also emphasizes privacy, with services provided in private suites rather than communal spaces.

“We try to be real intentional with giving you your own space,” Hernan said.

The studio has approximately 13 employees, including six nurses. Its staff also includes managers and wellness associates who are trained on the various therapies and work with customers to understand how the services can fit into their goals.

Hernan said education is one of the biggest differences he wants Degree Wellness to provide.

“We can really help them reach their goals,” he said. “And even, you know, a lot of people I say don’t know what they are. You know, they know how they feel or how they want to feel.”

The variety of services is another part of the concept. Rather than requiring customers to visit separate businesses for a sauna, cryotherapy session, compression treatment or IV, Degree Wellness brings those options together under one roof.

Red light therapy has been the studio’s most popular service so far, Hernan said, in part because of its versatility.

Customers use it for a variety of wellness goals, including muscle recovery, energy and skin health.

Sauna is another popular starting point, particularly because it is familiar to many people who are new to wellness services.

Compression therapy has also been gaining interest. Degree Wellness has six compression units, including hip and leg options.

Hernan said compression can help with circulation, lymphatic drainage and muscle recovery. He sees it as an option for both active customers and people who spend much of their day sitting.

Athletes, for example, may use compression before or after activities. Hernan said golfers may use the hip compression before a round and leg compression afterward.

Cryotherapy is also popular, particularly because sessions are short. A full-body cryotherapy session takes approximately two to three and a half minutes, according to Hernan.

Customers often begin with one familiar service and then branch out as they learn more about the other options.

“Once they get educated on what else is out there,” Hernan said, “some people come in for sauna and then they’re starting to get into some other things.”

While Degree Wellness has attracted athletes, including UW athletes, Hernan said they represent a smaller portion of the overall customer base.

The studio’s largest demographic is people between 45 and 65 years old.

Customers range from approximately 16 to 85, Hernan said, with older adults and busy professionals making up much of the regular clientele.

For some, the goal is maintaining an active lifestyle. For others, it is simply keeping up with the demands of everyday life.

Hernan said one of the most rewarding things has been hearing customers say they leave the studio feeling better than when they arrived.

He said the business had accumulated approximately 109 Google reviews at the time of the interview, which he described as five-star reviews.

Those reviews, he said, include stories from people who had felt stuck or didn’t know certain wellness options existed.

One misconception Hernan wants to challenge is the idea that improving one’s health requires completely changing a lifestyle overnight.

He believes small, consistent changes can have a larger impact over time.

“You don’t have to change everything in your life to turn around things,” Hernan said. “Small, consistent steps will make bigger changes than anything.”

That could mean starting with a single service once a week rather than attempting to completely overhaul one’s routine.

The studio also continues to evolve based on customer feedback. Hernan said Degree Wellness recently added another oxygen machine and another light facial unit because of demand.

Customers have also asked about additional services, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Hernan said the business continues to research potential additions, but no decision had been made to add a hyperbaric chamber.

Hernan said Degree Wellness has benefited from relationships with local businesses, the chamber and other community organizations since opening.

The business spent approximately eight months preparing for its opening, including participating in community events and developing partnerships.

Now, Hernan hopes to continue building those relationships while educating more people about the services available.

Ultimately, he said, the goal is access.

“I hope they take the time to try us out,” Hernan said. “We’ve had people that have come in here and liked it so much that they’ve put in the equipment at home.”

While losing a customer might not be ideal for a business, Hernan said he still considers that a positive outcome if the person has discovered a way to take better care of themselves.

“If you’re still doing those things and you didn’t know about them before and now you do, I feel like we still accomplished our goal,” he said.

Looking further ahead, Hernan hopes to build Degree Wellness to the point where additional locations can be opened and the concept can reach more communities.

For now, his focus remains on Middleton and helping customers identify what “feeling better” means for them.

“There are options out there to help them feel better,” Hernan said. “Whether it’s stress relief, whether it’s sleeping better, whether it’s inflammation reduction, there are things outside the traditional system that can help.”