Where strangers become regulars.

Join low-pressure groups around the interests, activities, and events you love. Start in small-group Audio Soaks, then meet near real-world places called Cabanas when it feels right.

Private by designAudio-first small groupsHost-led, not algorithm-ledFamiliar Faces over time

Soak · live now

Coffee Lovers
4 soaking
Audio-firstMorning Regulars
Mayaon pour-over ratiosSpeaking
TheohostListening
Priyasoaked together 4 timesFamiliar Face
Samfirst soak — just arrivedListening

Mics only, small on purpose — a handful of voices staying crisp and in sync. An example of how a Soak feels; real Hottubs are warming up below.

Warming up

Hottubs forming now

Early groups gathering around shared interests, activities, and events.

The model

How Hottub works

Find a Hottub

A Hottub is a shared interest, activity, or event worth gathering around.

Join a subTub

subTubs are smaller groups inside a Hottub — the people you actually start to know.

Soak together

Soaks are live gatherings — start with small-group audio, step into VR when it helps, or move into safe, verified in-person meetups.

Audio first

Small-group calls that feel like rooms.

Hottub is built around Audio Soaks: mic-only gatherings optimized for small groups, clear voices, gentle presence cues, and route controls that respect phones, speakers, and headsets. We have invested in purpose-built code and infrastructure tuned end-to-end for small-group conversation, not a broadcast stack with the volume turned down.

Tuned for conversation

Audio Soaks favor clear speech, low latency, echo control, and soft leveling so a handful of people can talk naturally.

Works where people are

Phone mode starts private by default; speaker and headset routes are explicit, so people choose the room they are actually in.

Small on purpose

The default voice circle is capped for intimacy. Bigger hosted sessions use a stage pattern instead of turning every room into a broadcast.

Engineered for small groups

We invested in the hard part: our code and infrastructure are purpose-built and tuned for small-group audio, so a handful of voices stay crisp and in sync — not an afterthought on a broadcast stack.

Phone Headphones Speaker

By infrastructure we mean the real-time path your voice actually travels: a small-group mesh that connects people directly when it can, the Opus voice codec, and relay servers we run so calls stay connected across networks and devices.

Real-world places

Cabanas: places where connection can happen

Cabanas are real-world places connected to Hottub — libraries, coffee shops, bookstores, parks, venues, businesses, and volunteer sites. Find people near these places, or open your own.

Libraries Coffee shops Bookstores Parks Theme parks Volunteer sites Local businesses
Not random

Familiar over time.

Hottub helps connection build gradually. You can notice people you’ve safely shared Hottubs, subTubs, places, or Soaks with — without pressure.

Embers

Privately save a possible connection. They won’t be notified.

Familiar Faces

See people you’ve shown up with before.

Warm Intros

Consent-based introductions, only when both people are open.

No open DMs by default

Connection grows through shared context, not random messages.

Built for safety

Connection should feel warm, not exposed. Hottub is private by design, host-led, and built around consent.

Read Safety Principles
  • No public trust scores
  • No open DMs by default
  • Sensitive groups stay private
  • Hosts and Lifeguards help rooms stay safe
  • You control what appears on your map
Get started

Find your way in

For Members

Find small groups where you can show up without pressure.

Join Hottub

For Hosts

Open a Hottub, guide subTubs, and help people feel known.

Host on Hottub

For Businesses

Become a place where customers and community can gather.

For Businesses

For Organizations

Support recurring connection through libraries, volunteer groups, faith communities, schools, and nonprofits.

For Organizations

Working with AI coding agents?Deck by Hottub is the control surface for autonomous work: visibility, governance, approvals, and audit trails for Codex, Claude Code, shell agents, and the next worker after that.

Want to help people belong?Join a Hottub, host a room, become a Cabana, or bring Hottub to your organization.