It was 4:30 p.m., and I was hiding in the basement of a building in the Flatiron District, fighting the urge to escape. Sweat was pouring off my body as sauna instructor Kieran O’Leary led a group of about 25 sauna-goers through an ancient ritual called aufguss. “Set a goal,” he said, tossing a puck scented with essential oils onto the hot stones. “My goal is to love myself.” The thermostat was approaching 200 degrees Fahrenheit. O’Leary expertly twirled a towel, filling the room with warmth. I am loved, I kept telling myself. I am good enough. Then I whispered, “I am so hot. Oh my God.”
Bathhouses have a 5,000-year tradition. They’ve been around for as long as humans have discovered the comfort of hot water (and, as the onsen-loving snow monkeys of Nagano Prefecture show, that desire isn’t limited to Homo sapiens). But in New York City, bathhouses have long been the preserve of the poor and recent immigrants. On the Lower East Side, where the first municipal bathhouses were located, the demographics were the same. Bathhouses were built not only to promote hygiene, but also to “baptize some of the filthy anarchists, Poles, Russians, and Italians into good Americans,” as the New York Sun reported in 1891.
For years, bathhouses flourished in predominantly Russian and Eastern European neighborhoods like Coney Island and the East Village, providing Old World immigrants with the opportunity to enjoy a sauna. On Wall Street, saunas, like cigar bars, locker rooms, and conference rooms, became another “board room” where deals were made in a thick, stuffy atmosphere. Titans in towels and slippers.
Today, bathhouses are back in fashion. Trendy newcomer Bathhouse recently opened a 35,000-square-foot facility in the heart of Manhattan and is in the process of a major expansion of its original Williamsburg location. Spanish company Aire Ancient Baths is opening a second location in a former MoMA warehouse on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The clientele they attract is democratic and diverse. As the world becomes more chaotic and unpredictable, more people are seeking refuge in heated pools and hot rooms, says Jason Goodman, co-owner of Bathhouse. “The heat is real, the cold shower is real — these are simple, basic human sensations,” he said. “You don’t need someone to teach you how to do it. You don’t need to understand the theory. It’s just a mind-body connection.”
As you walk through this massive new bathroom in the Flatiron District, the light dims and the air gets warmer. As you descend to the lower level and pass a café carved into the Manhattan cliff face, you’ll see glittering figures against the illuminated water. People are both stylish and sweaty. Visitors can relax in the large pool, where the water is body temperature. There are two Jacuzzis, a steam room, a dry sauna, and an infrared sauna, but true believers will opt for the sauna, which is heated by a large brick oven. Afterwards, they’ll plunge into the cold pool, where the water hovers between 7 and 10 degrees Celsius. abathhouse.com; Directions
There’s no more diverse space in New York City than the Grand Banya at World Spa. It’s the largest spa in the United States, located beneath elevated train tracks in the deepest part of Brooklyn, and its opulence is almost laughable. Orthodox Jews, tattooed hipsters, LGBTQ+ and straight, old and young, all come together in three floors of unusual rooms. The meticulously tiled hammam has a Moroccan feel; the sauna, filled with dried herbs, has a rustic feel; and the wavy-walled infrared sauna looks straight out of 2001: A Space Odyssey. In one room, snow fell from a hole in the ceiling. It’s not quite Moscow on the Hudson, but more like a Brooklyn dacha. worldspa.com; Destinations
Regulars at the bathhouse know the story of the feud between business partners Boris Tubman and David Shapiro, who took turns running the 130-year-old bathhouse for years. Though David passed away in 2020, his son Dmitry has continued the business. Guests are still required to purchase a David or Boris pass. The Russian and Turkish baths, a holdover from the East Village’s largely Eastern European days, initially catered to Jewish gangsters, later embraced celebrities (Sinatra and Saturday Night Live’s John Belushi were regulars), and now attract new and old customers. David’s, now run by Dmitry, has a distinctly youthful slant, while Boris (who eschews technology) caters to a more traditional clientele. Both bathhouses feature steamy saunas where men armed with oak branches will whip you for a fee, a procedure known as a “platza.” russianturkishbaths.com; Directions
Part of the bathhouse experience is getting up close and personal with people and rubbing towels together. But if you prefer a more private spot, the Aire Ancient Baths are candlelit caves in a former textile mill in Tribeca where only 20 guests are allowed in at a time. Visitors soaked in four baths, wore robes, and enjoyed spa treatments including body scrubs, hair masks, and massages. beaire.com; Directions
If the temperature of a sauna is proportional to the number of people who speak Cyrillic, then the rooms at Mermaid Spa are definitely the hottest in town. Located in the Westgate area of ​​Coney Island’s traditional Russian ghetto, this bathhouse is one of the oldest in New York City. A spacious backyard terrace, a traditional Russian restaurant, one of the largest Jacuzzis in New York City, and a dry steam sauna that reaches 93 degrees Celsius — hot even by Russian standards — attract customers. mermaidspa.us; Directions
Can you recommend any favorite spas or bathhouses in New York City? Let us know in the comments below. And follow FT Globetrotter on Instagram, @FTGlobetrotter
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