Society Insider: All Blacks and Chiefs’ Luke Jacobson launching wellness studio in Cambridge

Bateman has been a pioneer in the wellness space since 2016, getting an early foot in the door of the rapidly expanding global wellness economy, which was valued at US$6.8 trillion ($11.6t) last year by the Global Wellness Institute. That figure is forecast to reach US$9.8t by 2029.

O-Studio founder Tim Bateman launched the franchise in 2019.

Jacobson, who celebrated his 100th test for the Chiefs this month at Hamilton’s FMG Stadium with a win against the Fijian Drua, is understood to be proud his new side hustle will provide people in his hometown the chance to experience the wellness benefits he has discovered in professional rugby.

Luke Jacobson and Vienna Morpeth at rugby star’s 100th game for the Chiefs this month. Photo / @Viennamorpeth

Although Jacobson lives with his long-term girlfriend, Vienna Morpeth, in Hamilton, he says Cambridge is his natural home and he can’t wait to bring the O-Studio there.

He owns his own home in Hamilton and another house in the city with his older brother, Cambridge real estate agent Kane Jacobson. Luke and Kane Jacobson also own a property together in Cambridge.

Jacobson’s other brother, Mitchell Jacobson, is a shareholder in the new studio. In 2015, the pair became the first brothers to play for Waikato in more than two decades. They’re joined in the business by their friend David Morris and former Black Sticks star Brooke Hayde and her husband Cameron Hayde, a former professional hockey player. The Jacobsons and Haydes are equal shareholders and directors; Morris is a director.

David Morris, Luke Jacobson, Cam and Brooke Hayde and Mitchell Jacobson will open their new O-Studio Cambridge in the coming months.

The Haydes have industry experience after opening an O-Studio in Hamilton last year, and they’ve filmed much of the marketing content for the new Cambridge studio there.

David Morris, Brooke Hayde, Mitchell Jacobson, Cam Hayde and Luke Jacobson filming a reel for their new O-Studio Cambridge. Photo / @ostudio_cambridge

Bateman introduced the Jacobson brothers to the Haydes and the business partnership was born last August.

Bateman tells Society Insider he is thrilled with the mix of owners of the Cambridge studio.

“Athletes don’t just have a passion for wellness and recovery, they are also very organised and detail-focused,” he says.

Christchurch-based Bateman played professional rugby from 2005 to 2022, with New Zealand teams the Hurricanes and the Crusaders before playing in Japan. His O-Studio concept began in 2019 but his journey into the wellness world started three years earlier, when he travelled to Singapore with his wife Laura Bateman, a former hockey player, to seek treatment for her multiple sclerosis.

Tim Bateman’s interest in the wellness industry began after a trip to Singapore.

While there, the pair tried floatation therapy for Laura Bateman’s symptoms. Bateman says the no-gravity feeling was a game-changer for his wife’s condition.

It was her drive and passion that led to the couple starting their own floatation centre, Cloud 9, when they returned to Christchurch.

Tim and Laura Bateman opened their first wellness studio in 2016.

After that business success, Bateman launched O-Studio in Christchurch in 2019, with a bigger studio fitted out with a sauna and ice bathroom, yoga, Pilates, massage, meditation and recovery space, as well as floatation tanks.

This was the beginning of the franchise, which now has nine studios nationwide, including spots in Queenstown, Hawke’s Bay, Christchurch and Auckland’s Takapuna and Remuera. Jacobson’s new Cambridge studio will be the 10th, with other studios coming soon to Wānaka and Rangiora.

Bateman says there were more than 150,000 visits to an O-Studio in New Zealand in 2025.

A session for a communal sauna and ice bath at an O-Studio costs about $40. A package or membership session costs less, while a private session is $80.

The communal sauna at O-Studio Hamilton. A communal plunge pool at O-Studio.

Bateman says franchise holders of O-Studios are required to have the drive and mindset to own their own business and a passion for wellness. They also need liquid capital of about $500,000, which is what a high-quality studio fit-out can cost.

“The challenge is finding the right people and the right location,” Bateman says.

Former MP Anna Lorck owns a studio in Hawke’s Bay and former Highlanders player Tony Ensor owns one in Queenstown.

Last year, Bateman created a partnership with Australian franchising giant BeWell Brands, which owns Jetts Fitness.

Through BeWell, Bateman says he already has 12 confirmed Australian O-Studios. His goal is to have 100 locations across Australia within 10 years.

Brooke Hayde tells Society Insider the Cambridge studio, which is in a new commercial development three minutes’ drive from Victoria St, the main centre in Cambridge, is going better than when she and her husband opened their studio in Hamilton. She says that venture involved three years of hard slog.

Brooke and Cam Hayde are part of the O-Studio franchise network. Photo / @camhayde

“With Cambridge, the fit-out is going much easier, with lessons learned from our first studio.”

Hayde has seen genuine friendships formed through the communal saunas at the Hamilton studio.

“We had a couple talking about their wedding in the sauna, and a man offered to supply their wedding cars.”

Jacobson is not the first Chiefs player to have a side hustle. His All Blacks and Chiefs teammate Damian McKenzie has RTD business Grins with former players Stephen Donald and Anton Leinart-Brown, while All Black Beauden Barrett launched a boutique premium wine service called Beau Jour last year.

Party People of the Week

Rialto View at The Capitol Cinema

New Zealand pay-TV network Rialto Channel launched its new premium streaming platform and app, Rialto View, last Monday evening at The Capitol Cinema on Dominion Rd.

To celebrate, there was a special screening of Illustrious Energy, cinematographer Leon Narbey’s beautifully restored 1987 feature that traces the lives of two Chinese gold miners as they navigate isolation and prejudice in 1890s New Zealand.

Wilhelmina O’Keeffe and Leon Narbey. Photo / Norrie Montgomery

Narbey took part in a Q&A with broadcaster Wilhelmina O’Keeffe, offering a reflective look at the making of the film and the process behind its recent restoration.

Guests included Rialto Film Channel (RFC) co-owner David Ross with his wife Dian Ross, RFC CEO Roger Wylie, Soul Bar & Bistro general manager Geeling Ng, Orsini Jewellery founder Sarah Hutchings and her husband Kent Hutchings, and model and media personality Lorraine Downes.

Wilhelmina O’Keeffe and Geeling Ng at the Rialto View evening. Photo / Norrie MontgomeryDian Ross, Marie and Olly Newland. Photo / Norrie MontgomerySarah and Kent Hutchings. Photo / Norrie MontgomeryLorraine Downes and Patricia Adams. Photo / Norrie MontgomeryStacey Ogg and Lisa Beauchamp. Photo / Norrie MontgomeryRachael and Eleanor Carter. Photo / Norrie MontgomeryMaree Smith and Bryan Shaw. Photo / Norrie Montgomery

Ricardo Simich has been with the Herald since 2008 where he contributed to The Business Insider. In 2012 he took over Spy at the Herald on Sunday, which has since evolved into Society Insider. The weekly column gives a glimpse into the worlds of the rich and famous.