The Bathhouse - Brooklyn
If you know, you know (or, as the kids say, "IYKYK").
We emerged onto the street from the subway, departing from Midtown Manhattan to Brooklyn, New York.
At the intersection of N. 10th and Berry Street, you immediately notice the BathHouse's black-enclosed awning. Upon entry, you come to the check-in desk and merch shop. If you left home without your swimsuit, don't sweat it (pun intended), you can buy one upon arrival.
Snaps to their concierge services. We were visiting NYC that weekend for a continuing education seminar. We had our luggage in tow, and the Bathhouse was willing to store our luggage in a secure area.
We made our reservations on a Monday, thinking it would be less busy. Coincidentally, the NYC Marathon occurred the day prior; naturally, the athletes gravitated to the Bathhouse for their post-run recovery.
Other friends of ours have enjoyed the Bathhouse on a weekend adventure. They reported that it was crowded and hard to find space in one of the pools.
You receive a wristband connected to your credit/debit card at check-in. When you go to the cafe or add-on service, your wristband is scanned and charged at the end of your stay. The nice thing about Bathhouse's wristband is that it's sleek, and you keep it as a souvenir after.
From there, you head to the locker room; lockers are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. The lockers have USB outlets, which seemed handy, but some needed to be fixed - without the power to charge your phone. P.S. No Phones are allowed in the hydrotherapy space.
The locker room had half-dozen water closets and three showers. In the locker room, you'll find a basket of (sanitized) flip-flops to wear throughout the Bathhouse.
Each locker room directly leads to the hydrotherapy room - which features:
One Steam Sauna, HOT HOT HOT - but I loved I.T.! Great placement; the sauna room has a cold shower to cool off. The Steam Sauna is a dark room with celestial lights. Through the purple haze (steam), you notice the room is marble; be careful, as it can be slippery— and there is ample space to lie down.
One Tropical (Humid) Cedar Sauna - 2 large heaters - brick overlays - lots of space to lay down (largest sauna room)
One Dry Cedar Sauna - 1 large heater - less seating space (smallest room)
One Hot pool 105+ degrees
One Neutral Pool 97 degrees
One Cold plunge - 55 degrees - felt like 35 degrees
3-5 treatment rooms - massage and body scrubs (I didn't receive one this trip - would like to on a return)
Due to many visitors, the pool room got deafening - an attendant addressed the patrons in the pool area to quiet down - we were in the tropical sauna, so we couldn't hear what the attendant said. But there was a noticeable volume change - which quickly crept back up.
Cafe and Lounge: I loved my food. The menu is simple, and plenty of healthy food options. I recreate the meal I had here frequently. The Lounge area attached to the restaurant was my favorite - maybe because I’m a Midwest girl living her best NYC life for that day.
Pros:
Cool Location
Great Food
Easy to schedule
The entry price is fair.
The heat in the saunas was on point.
The cold plunge was frigid.
Clean - attendants were always around tidying up.
Cons:
Noisy Pool Room
The locker room is somewhat small
Some USB outlets in the lockers didn't work.
4.5/5 = would go back on a Wednesday, and get a treatment.
