Therme Group’s Robert Hammond gives us the local’s perspective on the newest bathing openings in Manhattan’s “wellness alley” created with our friends at Sauna Times.
New York has more bathhouses than one person can hit in a week. So when Glenn Auerbach of Sauna Times asked me to share my recommendations for a bathing circuit around the city, I decided to stick close to home in the Village. NoHo to Flatiron, a stretch of about 20 blocks a few of us call “wellness alley,” is probably the highest concentration of bathhouses in the country. It’s also on my mind: I did four of these bathhouses in four days over the Fourth of July weekend. I’m now convinced that sauna in 100°F weather is just a better sauna experience.
That said, this selection really just scratches the surface. For a better sense of all the offerings, check out my Google map with over 30 bathhouses and growing.
“NoHo to Flatiron, a stretch of about 20 blocks a few of us call “wellness alley,” is probably the highest concentration of bathhouses in the country.”
Robert Hammond, Therme Group
As I said in my previous Substack article on the new wave of bathing openings in New York City, it feels like we’re at the beginning of something huge here. A new bathhouse is opening almost every month, for example SCHWET which opens later this year.
Russian & Turkish Baths
Russian & Turkish Baths is the first bathhouse I visited back in the 90s, and it’s still the OG. No polish, no pretense: this is the closest you’ll get to an old-world Eastern European banya. If you’re searching for the hottest, best heat, the Russian room is for you. And I won’t judge you if you finish with a vodka shot, or a Baltika, or whatever else they’re pouring.
In the area
The R&T Baths is on one of my favorite blocks in New York, right in the heart of the East Village, East 10th between 1st Ave and Avenue A. There’s an eclectic crystal shop called Crystals Garden, a plant store that still feels like the New York I moved to in the 90s, a Japanese sticker-and-stamp store called Nico Neco Zakkaya, a great bakery called From Lucie, and a string of quirky little food spots in between. The whole area is worth a slow wander through either before or after the heat; it’s easy to spend a whole afternoon on the block. One of co-owner Dmitry’s favorite restaurants to go to after a sweat is Il Posto Accanto. Also, Tompkins Square Park has a pool that’s just for kids.
Othership Flatiron
Othership Flatiron is the bathhouse I’ve visited most over the past few years and the one that’s most distinct from a traditional bathhouse. To me, it’s a really thoughtful North American take on the tradition. I love the structure: there’s a hangout room and an event sauna where you can just chitchat with friends, or you can go through one of their guided programs and come back to the hangout afterwards. The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful, and the cold plunge is famously brutal, the coldest in the city as far as I can tell. I celebrated my birthday there with my friend and Othership guide Kym.
In the area
It’s right next to The Gallery by Odo, which is the less expensive outpost of the Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant next door. They have nice plants and always show great art. Right across the street is Fireclay Tile, a tile store where the samples are so beautiful I’ll buy one even when I’m not actually in the market.
Bathhouse Flatiron
Bathhouse Flatiron is my go-to double-date spot. It’s more of a traditional bathhouse format as you don’t have to follow any prescribed activities or programming. I’ve spent the whole time just sitting in the warm bath catching up with a friend. If that’s not what you’re looking for on any given day, they also have the most developed Aufguss program in the city led by Alonzo Solorzano, who won the US Aufguss Championship in 2025. There is a bar and snacks on site, which I love because bathing makes me hungry.
In the area
It’s not right next to Bathhouse, but you can walk a few avenues west to the High Line, the elevated rail line-turned public park that I co-founded and ran for 20 years before getting into the world of bathing. That’s why my Instagram handle is The High Line Guy.
Elahni
Probably the least-known stop on the circuit, but Elahni was actually one of the first to open. It’s been nicknamed the “speakeasy bathhouse” because it’s a small second-floor space with a four-person sauna, a four-person cold plunge, and a wellness bar to enjoy after you’ve finished a circuit. The owners are almost always there, and they’re warm and knowledgeable, so this is the place I’ll take both first-timers nervous about contrast therapy and friends who are deep into it. They also have a free take-with-you library that really captures the spiritual side of the practice – and which inspired the library at our pop-up in February.
In the area
Speaking of books, Rizzoli Books is right around the corner and has a great section devoted to New York City books and architecture. Madison Square Park is close by with its beautiful old trees and the original Shake Shack, if you’re into that.
Lore Bathing Club
I was happy when Lore opened: it’s the closest bathhouse to my office, and a genuinely different product. Membership-based and built for daily drop-ins. One big main room holds what might be the biggest cold-plunge tub in the city, plus a large event sauna, with aufguss occasionally led by the founders themselves. It’s warmer and more welcoming than the nightclub-lit spots, and the clientele skews a wider range of ages. Thirty minutes, in and out, when I need it.
In the area
A perfect Saturday for me is Jiu-Jitsu at Clockwork with my son, a Lore session, Go Greek for yogurt, and then Spiral Books for the best selection of children’s books in the city.
The Altar
The Altar is the newest stop on the circuit and the closest to my apartment. Beautifully designed, and you can tell they worked with a range of craftspeople. They have one of the best-curated shops and, even if I don’t buy anything, I go in just to look at the packaging. The last things I bought were a St. Lucie sauna serum and an over-the-counter peptide drink that tasted like gasoline. The crowd skews a little more gay and a little more fashion-forward, which I don’t mind. And they have a whole longevity clinic attached so if you want to do peptide injections and sit in a hyperbaric chamber, then this is the place.
In the area
Union Square Greenmarket (Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat) is right there. Plus two of my favorite coffee shops in the neighborhood, OCafe, which has great Brazilian pastries, and Travelers Poets and Friends, where they make fresh pasta every day and the baristas are actually Italian. It’s also not too far from my favorite store in the city, Eva Joan, where you can bring any piece of clothing and they’ll embroider whatever you choose on it. Maybe you’ve seen one of my bathe-ing button-downs?
A few more worth knowing about
This circuit is really just the wellness alley slice of it, there’s so much more happening around Manhattan that didn’t make the cut this time but deserves a mention. Remedy Place in Flatiron and Soho is a great bet for an upscale experience. Saint just opened and I haven’t even had time to go. Wall Street Baths is a good classic if you’re already down in the Financial District and need a reset mid-week. Kove Studio is in the East Village and opening one in the West Village soon. And keep an eye out for Akari, coming soon to the Lower East Side. They already have two great facilities in Brooklyn.
Speaking of Brooklyn, there’s so many new bathhouses you could probably do three or four circuits. Next time.
Robert Hammond, President of Therme Group US and founder of Culture Bathe-ing.
@thehighlineguy @thermegroup
News, happenings and openings
The Financial Times talks us through how the French fell for wellness
A new Finnish study by stove-maker Harvia challenges global sauna norms: the research shows humidity is as crucial as heat for health benefits
Are at home snowrooms the new saunas? The New York Times has the details.
Soma sauna opened at the beginning of this summer in London to encourage people to build a simple sauna ritual into their week.
One last thing
How many public saunas should you expect where you live? Mika Meskanen, one half of Sauna Wave with Wendy Liu, delves into the data in the UK. We’d love to see the results in other countries too.
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