Fall is Here, and You Look Like You Already Need a Vacation The Secret Joys of Bathhouse Culture in NYC
We’ve reached the longest, laziest days of summer, a time when “OOOs” are as prevalent as mosquitoes on a Sunday evening in the backyard of the Red Hook Ice House, and time seems to simultaneously expand in the form of sunny, shapeless days and contract as the buzziness of September and “back-to-school season” claw at the door.
I won’t pretend this is my favorite time of year — I struggle with an empty calendar, and what my teammate Ruben calls “forced fun,” or perhaps more appropriately in this case, forced relaxation. And I realize that some of you reading this have already been launched full-throttle into the joyful chaos of the International Downtown Association’s annual conference, and a lazy summer may feel a thousand miles away. But as I write this, sitting at the airport en route to a family trip (see above, “forced fun”), I am reflecting on how to carry a little of the relaxed creativity of summer into the chaotic fall season.
Last year my colleague James wrote about how August provides the time and space to explore some of NYC’s hidden gems without the lines and crowds. And, albeit perhaps a strange activity for summer, for me this means having time to go to the baths.
When a friend first invited me to go to the “baths,” I imagined what might be more accurately described as a “spa” — beautiful young people lounging in a hot tub, getting massages and pedicures while Enya plays. But the baths are something entirely different.
My first experience of a real bathhouse was at the Russian Turkish in the East Village, which has been around since 1892, used to be a mob hideout (allegedly the wet heat prevented the wearing of recording wires), and is in my mind the quintessential bathhouse experience.
It’s only in the last few years that I’ve started to explore different bathhouses around NYC, as a means of relaxing, rejuvenating, and yes, also connecting with friends (and maybe even making new ones, though I haven’t quite been brave enough for that yet). What I love most about the bathhouse is that it’s, well, kind of intense. The banyas are hot, the cold plunge is cold, and it definitely takes self-discipline and mental fortitude to stay inside.
Outside of the researched benefits of a trip to the bathhouse — improving circulation and cardiovascular health, opening up your pores, reducing inflammation, staving off dementia — the baths can also serve as focused, dedicated time to spend with a friend or several, without cell phones or outside distractions. (I can’t understate how huge this is — I never am more than a few feet from my iPhone from the moment I wake up until minutes before bedtime.) And the intensity of the experience helps rip you away from damaging circular thought patterns, so you leave feeling rejuvenated, both physically and mentally.
Ready to sign on? Here’s my little (certainly not exhaustive) recap of bath houses I’ve visited in NYC:
Russian Turkish in the East Village
Pros: This place is the Real Deal. Very diverse clientele, very hot saunas. Located in an iconic part of the East Village, close to lots of great food options. Usually offers great package deals a few times a year.
Cons: Can get very crowded. You can walk in at any time, but if you buy a package – which offers significant savings – you have to buy either Boris’s pass or David’s pass, and can only go on their respective weeks. Allegedly, Boris and David were business partners but hated running the business together, so they decided to divide it between them.
Pros: Beautiful, massive facility with an incredible swimming pool, if you feel like swimming laps (I never do). Extremely convenient. Usually not too crowded.
Cons: I once was stuck in a sauna with some Wall Street bros complaining loudly and without nuance (or accuracy) about the current mayoral administration. But I’ll chalk that up as a one-time thing.
Fun fact: you can hear the subway rumbling below you while you sit in the steam room!
Pros: Beautiful facility, great food, in Coney Island (this may be a con for some but it’s a pro for me), an environment that makes you feel very far from NYC. Lots of people drinking beer and vodka in between saunas, which was never really my vibe, but definitely makes the place feel more authentic.
Cons: a lot of rules; staff and clientele will probably speak to you in Russian and then scowl at you when you don’t understand. You need to bring your own slippers, which I always forget and then am forced to purchase theirs at a premium. There’s not much to do directly nearby, though I have brought a change of clothes and walked 20 minutes to have dinner at Gargiulos, which was super fun.
Pros: Feels very warm and homegrown, not corporate. Located outdoors, which is unusual! And has a fire pit. cityWell is the most convenient location to where I live.
Cons: They’re not open all the time – you have to book a private session, which is pricey.
Pros: Kind of like hot yoga meets bath house culture; really friendly and one of the more luxurious experiences you can have. They offer both classes and “guided sessions,” which may not be everyone’s cup of tea but I enjoyed. Othership really embraces the idea of creating community around their facilities, and hosts “social hours” in their facility.
Cons: You only get 90 minutes a session, which can feel a bit rushed. Definitely corporate. A little cult-ey?
Bathhouse (Williamsburg, Flatiron, and Atlantic Avenue):
Pros: The Atlantic Avenue location, which just opened a few months ago, is pretty much perfect. Gorgeous, expansive facility, very social environment but also leaves room for solitude. Less than a block from the subway at Atlantic Avenue Barclays Center. Very diverse crowd, and accessible, demand-based pricing (this may change as demand increases). They offer guided sauna experiences with aromatherapy, which are 12-15 minutes and feel like the perfect dose of heat and meditation.
Cons: I found the Williamsburg facility to be not quite as intense as I prefer - sauna not hot enough, cold plunge not cold enough, etc. Plus too many intimidatingly beautiful people. But it’s been years since I’ve been, so this may have since changed (not the part about the intimidatingly beautiful people).
Tips for how to Bath Best!
Wear a swimsuit, otherwise you may be forced to wear one of those robes they have on hand (which I hear are fine but may make your feel like you’re in the Handmaid’s Tale)
Read the vibe of the room you’re in — sometimes the saunas can feel quite social, but if the vibe is people trying to get some solo meditation time, maybe avoid having loud, disruptive conversations. On the other hand, when I go to the bath house alone, I often find that listening to other people’s loud conversations distracts me from how hot I feel (shrug)
Do the cold plunge!! I try to stay in at least 30 seconds. Some people do it for minutes. My trick is that when I’m walking in, I say to myself (sometimes out loud) “You can DO IT, you can DO IT”!
Post sauna and plunge, just sit for 5 minutes. Feel the utter joy coursing through your body.
Don’t rush! Give yourself at least three hours, if your pass allows. You might even consider bringing a book and just chill out, distraction-free.
Anyway, as the weather cools and the workdays get longer, I highly recommend finding some time to treat yourself to a trip to the baths, or make it part of your regular routine. Instead of “micro-dosing relaxation,” as one Curbed article recently described hipster sauna culture, it’s a much-needed opportunity to unplug and care for the things that make us different from the robots – our human bodies and human relationships.
