Optimal Health Wellness Center Brings Cold Plunge Therapy to Watertown

Lori and Maurie Steinley, each carrying more than 30 years of clinical experience, held the grand opening of Optimal Health in early March at 2613 Eighth Ave. SE in Watertown, South Dakota, stacking cold plunge therapy alongside physical therapy, functional medicine, and several other integrative services under one roof.

The husband-and-wife team brings complementary credentials to the practice. Lori Steinley holds licensure as a physician assistant, physical therapist, and naturopath (PA-C, PT, ND), while Maurie Steinley is a physical therapist with a Doctor of Science degree (PT, DSc). Their model is deliberately broad: rather than treating isolated conditions, the clinic positions itself around what Maurie calls a whole-person framework.

"Our goal was to create a place that looks beyond isolated symptoms and instead takes a comprehensive, whole-person approach to health and wellness," Maurie told the Watertown Public Opinion. "We saw a clear need in the Watertown area for a clinic that combines traditional healthcare experience with integrative and wellness-based services. Many people are looking for natural, proactive ways to support their health, improve how they feel day to day, and address ongoing issues, rather than just managing symptoms."

For cold plunge practitioners specifically, the clinic's addition of cold water immersion to the Watertown market is the headline service. Optimal Health describes its cold plunge sessions as brief cold-water immersion experiences incorporated into wellness, resilience, and recovery routines, with many clients pairing them alongside mindfulness and self-care work. The cold plunge sits alongside PEMF mat therapy, salt room therapy, ozone therapy, physical therapy, and functional medicine consultations with Lori, who says she has guided over 100 clients toward better well-being through personalized plans focused on sustainable habit changes.

Optimal Health operates as a cash-based business, meaning no insurance billing. Hours are split by service type. Professional services run Tuesday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wellness therapies are available Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. by prescheduled appointment only. Additional prescheduled appointment windows open Tuesday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The Steinleys moved to Watertown in 2021 and, though not natives, have personal ties to the city through their daughter, who is married to a Watertown native. Optimal Health can be reached at (605) 303-4084.