Holistic wellness brand WTHN is opening a fifth location in New York City in 2025. Since its founding in the Flatiron District in November 2018, WTHN (pronounced “within”) has opened clinics in NoHo, the Upper West Side, and Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The newest studio will open on the Upper East Side. The clinics provide a range of services, from acupuncture and acupressure to cupping and herbal medicine, and the company’s products — which include ear seed kits and rose quartz eye masks — are carried in more than 200 retailers.

Founders Michelle Larivee and Shari Auth describe WTHN as a “modern reimagining” of acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which they want to make more accessible. Treatments begin at $90 (although the clinics offer a variety of packages and memberships, each with their own discounts and perks), a price that the company believes reduces the barrier to entry. The 45 licensed practitioners, trained in speaking to patients, present TCM concepts in a way that is understandable for the average person. 50% of WTHN patients have never tried acupuncture before, and the therapists strive for an experience in which customers are comfortable asking questions.

Larivee and Auth recognize that TCM is a philosophy, and their practice seeks to understand each person’s unique symptoms. Patients often visit WTHN more frequently than they see a Western doctor (with some booking weekly appointments), and the 45 licensed therapists at the clinics work to develop empathetic relationships with their clients. This is usually impossible in Western medical offices in which doctors are constantly pressed for time.

The majority of WTHN’s patients are seeking widespread pain relief, but the World Health Organization has approved acupuncture for 140 conditions. In fact, WTHN provides treatments for disorders pertaining to stress and anxiety, sleep, digestion, fertility, skin, fatigue and energy, and immunity and allergies.

WTHN’s success is part of a national trend. Data from the National Health Interview Survey, for example, show that the use of acupuncture in the United States has more than doubled between 2002 (1%) and 2022 (2.2%). Dr. Nicole Glathe, Head of Product and Service Innovation at WTHN, partially attributes this increase to the COVID-19 pandemic and a growing emphasis on preventative health. Dr. Glathe also points to the rising number of scientific studies and medical publications available to the public through platforms like Google Scholar.

Taiwanese firms should be aware that traditional Chinese medicine, albeit modified, is a growing industry in the US. Suppliers may be interested in partnerships with WTHN, whose robust growth is evident in its expansion, or other TCM companies that are capitalizing on American demand for alternative and preventative health solutions.