Exclusive | Gen Z turns college wellness darties trend into big business: We have a different mindset

The viral “wellness darty” (day party) phenomenon has become a nationwide trend this fall semester.Videos of college students chugging Celsius in Lululemon matching sets have been spreading rampant.

The kids are replacing marijuana with a runner’s high, leaving post-grads — who remember their college days consisting of substance use — thoroughly confused.Current college students insist they are doing just fine — and judgment from older gens comes from misunderstanding.And for some of the younger crowd, the trend toward getting sauna-sweaty with peers turns out to be very good for business.Across the country, young entrepreneurs and recent graduates sensing that campus wellness is more than just a phase are packaging the “darty” movement — and shipping it nationwide.

Aydan Child, 25, founded Peak Pulse, a wellness brand he says “pioneered wellness events on college campuses.” The University of Florida graduate originally launched Peak Pulse as a run club, telling The Post, “The vibes and events we put on were in demand, so we kept evolving and growing.”He now leads a team of recent college grads who curate and package wellness parties for students across the country.The team brings cold plunges and saunas to fraternity and sorority houses, hosts workout classes and brings products from well-known brands. Peak Pulse works with many Greek organizations — with those at bigger SEC schools paying him thousands of dollars, he says, to throw events.New Balance and Lululemon provide the outfit giveaways, and Red Bull and Gatorade provide the beverages.

And those are just a few of the sponsors clamoring to back his events.“When you have a platform like the one we’ve created, the brands reach out first,” Child told The Post.Part of his motivation was personal: “I was freshly graduated and didn’t go out a ton or drink, so I wanted a way to meet people who were similar in age.”Recalling his own college experience, Child wanted to rec...