The Trinity Club — A Holistic Longevity Club in Groton, Connecticut

The idea

Most of what lengthens a good life is not exotic. It is movement, rest, breath, food, purpose and company — practised steadily, in a place that makes practising easy, alongside people doing the same. That is what a club is for, and it is what this one is being built around.

A members' association

Not a spa and not a gym open to the public. Membership is by application and annual dues, with a governing board and bylaws. The club exists for its members and their guests.

Practice, not promises

We are not going to tell you we will extend your life. We will give you a place to practise, teachers worth learning from, and the company of people who keep at it. What that adds up to over years is the point.

A building worth keeping

A timber A-frame with clerestory glazing and exposed heavy-timber framing, and an attached masonry wing, on 13.41 acres. It has stood empty for years. Bringing it back is part of what the club is.

The practice

Four strands, each with its own room and its own rhythm. Members take what they need and leave the rest — nobody is handed a protocol at the door.

Movement

Strength and mobility

Keeping the body able, which is the part of ageing you can actually negotiate with.

Yoga, in several traditions
Strength and mobility work
Walking the grounds
Movement for older members

Stillness

Breath and attention

The half of the day most people skip, and the one that changes how the rest lands.

Meditation, guided and silent
Breathwork
Sound and chant in the sanctuary
Days of quiet

Recovery

Heat, cold and rest

Recovery treated as practice rather than luxury — the oldest tools there are.

Sauna and cold plunge
Contrast and bathing rituals
Bodywork and stretch
Sleep and rest habits

Knowledge

Food and study

The club as a place to learn — from teachers, from researchers, and from each other.

Nutrition and cooking
Talks on longevity research
Reading and discussion
Guest teachers in residence

The Trinity Club is a membership club for practice, learning and community. It is not a medical facility and does not offer diagnosis, medical treatment or clinical care. Nothing here is medical advice, and members should keep their own physicians.

Gatherings

Beyond the weekly rhythm, the club gathers — for study, for seasons, and for the occasions in members' own lives. Members and their guests; not the general public.

Weekly

Practice and table Morning movement, evening stillness, and a shared table afterwards. The ordinary week is the part that does the work.

Monthly

Talks and teachers A visiting teacher, researcher or practitioner — longevity science, breath, nutrition, contemplative traditions — followed by discussion.

Seasonal

Retreats and days of quiet Longer gatherings on the grounds at the turn of the seasons: silence, practice, walking, and food cooked for the group.

Members' own

Occasions in members' lives Members may hold their own gatherings at the club for themselves and their guests — a celebration, an anniversary, a naming, a wedding, a memorial — subject to the club calendar.

The grounds

231 Gungywamp Road sits on 13.41 acres in Groton, with paved drives and parking already in place. Mystic is ten minutes away; the Thames and the sound are close enough to be part of an ordinary week. Woods and open field on the property itself — the walking is on site.

The photographs on this page show the property as it stands today. There are no renderings here and no images of finished interiors, because those interiors do not exist yet — the buildings are a shell, and restoring them is the work ahead.

Aerial view of the grounds at 231 Gungywamp Road, Groton, Connecticut

Founding membership

Three categories are proposed. Dues will be fixed by the founding board when the club is constituted — no figures are published here, because publishing a price for something not yet approved would be an offer, and this is not one.

Practice

Individual

For the member who comes for the weekly rhythm — movement, stillness, recovery, the table and the talks.

Full access to the practice calendar
Grounds, sauna and cold plunge
Monthly talks and teachers
Guest privileges

Dues to be fixed by the founding board

Household

Family · Founding tier

The core membership. Extends to a household and carries the right to hold private occasions at the club for members and their guests.

Everything in Practice, for the household
Seasonal retreats and days of quiet
Use of the sanctuary for members' occasions
Priority on the calendar
Founding members named on the club roll

Dues to be fixed by the founding board

Patron

Supporting the restoration

For members who wish to underwrite the restoration of the sanctuary and take part in how the club is governed.

Everything in Household
Standing invitation to the board
A voice in programme and teachers
Recognition in the restored building

Dues to be fixed by the founding board

Where things stand

A club that is being formed should say what is done and what is not. This is the honest account, and it is here rather than in fine print.

The property

231 Gungywamp Road, Groton — 13.41 acres with roughly 35,000 SF of buildings. The buildings are a vacant shell with no certificate of occupancy. They were damaged during the years they stood empty. Restoration has not begun.

Land use

The parcel is zoned RU-20. Under the Town of Groton's regulations, a club, lodge or association is an allowed use in this district by special permit — an application, a public hearing and a decision by the Planning & Zoning Commission. That application has not yet been decided. Until it is, the club cannot operate.

What registering does

It puts your name on the founding-member list, and nothing more. No fee, no deposit, no commitment on either side. If the club is approved and constituted, founding registrants are contacted first. If it is not approved, you are told so.

Why we are not taking money

Because the club cannot yet provide what dues would pay for. Collecting membership fees before the approval exists would be selling something we are not in a position to deliver. Dues begin when the club does.

Register as a founding member

Free, and it obliges you to nothing. We will write to you as the formation progresses — including if it does not progress.

First name *

Last name

Email *

Telephone

Category of interest

What draws you to it

Anything you would like us to know

I understand that The Trinity Club is in formation, is not yet operating, and depends on land-use approval from the Town of Groton. I understand that this registration is free, creates no obligation, and does not reserve a date, a membership or a place.

No payment is requested or accepted on this page.

Questions

Is this a spa, or a clinic?

Neither. It is a membership club. The sauna, the cold plunge and the practice rooms are club facilities for members and their guests, in the way a country club has a pool. The club does not provide medical care, diagnosis or clinical treatment of any kind, and it is not open to the public as a spa.

Will you promise results?

No. What we offer is a place to practise, teachers worth the time, and the company of people who keep at it. Anyone promising you a number of extra years is selling something; we would rather be the club you actually attend.

Can I hold my wedding or another occasion there?

If you are a member, yes — for yourself and your guests, subject to the club calendar and to the approvals described above. What the club does not do is rent itself to the public as a venue. If you are looking to book a venue rather than to join a club, we are not the right fit, and we would rather say so now.

When will the club open?

We cannot give a date honestly. It depends on the land-use decision and on restoring a building that is currently a shell. We would rather tell you that than invent a timeline.

What happens if the approval is refused?

Everyone on the founding-member list is told. Since no money has been collected, there is nothing to refund and no one is out of pocket. That is precisely why the registration is free.

Is the building open to visit?

Not yet. The buildings are a vacant shell without a certificate of occupancy and are not open to visitors. When that changes, founding registrants are the first invited to walk the grounds.