Enjoy New York's Best Bathhouses
People thirsting for warmth seek relief from the winter in saunas, steam rooms and hot tubs. “If the bathhouse could not cure you, then you are terminally ill,” says Alona Krug, owner of the Brooklyn bathhouse. These days, there are more ways to "take the Schvitz," as old-school heat fans call it, than ever before. Whether you want to be massaged, beaten with oak leaves, fed pancakes and dumplings, we have places for you to make the most of it:
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Mermaid Spa (3703 Mermaid Ave., Brooklyn; SeagateBaths.com)
The Rusalka Spa is a great place to visit and has free parking. Located near the entrance to Sea Gate, a private community on the southern edge of Brooklyn, Mermaid Spa's seven-option dumpling menu ($9 to $22) will have you coming back again and again, despite the lack of a subway. All necessary towels and a locker are included in the price ($50/adult), as with most bathhouses in New York City, but Mermaid Spa allows you to bring your own flip-flops.
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Brooklyn Bathhouse (602 Coney Island Ave., Kensington; BrooklynBanya.com)
Brooklyn Banya has three heated chambers and a staff of former Russian athletes turned massage therapists. They're all trained in the bathhouse's signature massage ($95/hour), a firm rubdown aimed at specific knots or sprains. According to owner Alona Krug, if you visit the bathhouse on your birthday, you will be given a glass of vodka. Day passes ($40 per adult) give you access to all amenities until closing time, plus unlimited towels, flip-flops, and a locker key.
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Spa 88/Wall Street Bath (88 Fulton St.; WallStreetBath.com)
This bathhouse has been soothing tired Wall Street employees in its three-story underground facility for 20 years. "We have a lot of celebrities," says owner Dimitri Lerner, who counts Cynthia Nixon and Lindsay Lohan among his clients. Lerner recommends a Russian treatment called "platsa" ($45), which involves being beaten with a handful of leafy oak branches while you lie in a sauna heated to 194 degrees, the highest temperature allowed by the city health department.
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Russian and Turkish Baths (268 E. 10th St., East Village; RussianTurkishBaths.com)
Possibly the city's oldest bathhouse, at 126 years old, it is a favorite hangout for New Yorkers including Harvey Firestein and Angelica Page. Most bathhouse regulars are amused by the feud between owners Boris Tuberman and David Shapiro. Sworn enemies since at least the early 90s, they manage to live together, splitting their shifts: In the online calendar, black days are marked for Boris, red days for David. Admission costs $45 per person. There is no Jacuzzi, but daredevils can take a dip in the ice-cold pool to cool off. The kitchen, located in the corner of the ground floor, serves borscht ($4) and dolma (grape leaves stuffed with rice, $4). Those hardy enough can cool off on the open rooftop area.
