From its origins as a Jewish Community center in the 1920s to a mafia hangout under FBI surveillance in the 1960s, Detroit’s storied bathhouse, The Schvitz, has a racy past.
holy shit, this is incredible. the timing is perfect, as well, because I am planning a drive back from the midwest to the northeast, and now it is very clear i have to go through detroit. ❤️🔥
interesting! I learned to love bath houses on a week in Budapest, Hungary. It was at the end of a 4 week trip to Europe with a study abroad art group. I was in my 50s as a non traditional art student with the University. We hiked across the chain bridge every evening (crossing the Danube!) and went to a few of the ancient baths there. One had an updated wave pool outside. They were built by the Moors back in the day. There were communal swimming pools but separated saunas, hot pools and ice plunges. A lovely way to end a whirlwind trip.
On your roundup of historic North American bathhouses, don't forget Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Many historic places to take a dip, ranging from spa-like to historically unchanged (read as: abrasively "medicinal"). It's a national park. Plenty of sordid gangster history here too https://www.nps.gov/hosp/learn/historyculture/bathhouse-row-today.htm
Cleveland also has a Schvitz. It has also gone through a Renaissance over the past few years. It's an old school place in the hood. I haven't been there in over 25 years.
holy shit, this is incredible. the timing is perfect, as well, because I am planning a drive back from the midwest to the northeast, and now it is very clear i have to go through detroit. ❤️🔥
interesting! I learned to love bath houses on a week in Budapest, Hungary. It was at the end of a 4 week trip to Europe with a study abroad art group. I was in my 50s as a non traditional art student with the University. We hiked across the chain bridge every evening (crossing the Danube!) and went to a few of the ancient baths there. One had an updated wave pool outside. They were built by the Moors back in the day. There were communal swimming pools but separated saunas, hot pools and ice plunges. A lovely way to end a whirlwind trip.
On your roundup of historic North American bathhouses, don't forget Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Many historic places to take a dip, ranging from spa-like to historically unchanged (read as: abrasively "medicinal"). It's a national park. Plenty of sordid gangster history here too https://www.nps.gov/hosp/learn/historyculture/bathhouse-row-today.htm
Ah yes, you left out Archimedes Banya in SF, too, a great old-time place, clean, offer laurel branch massage..
Thanks for the tip. We'll have this on the radar for another feature
Cleveland also has a Schvitz. It has also gone through a Renaissance over the past few years. It's an old school place in the hood. I haven't been there in over 25 years.
Great read; thanks for posting it!
i’ve been to the schvitz and loved it! i don’t live in the area anymore but dream of going back
Fascinating. So happy to have discovered this little pocket of Substack.
I love the word schvitz, so fun to say. Another great Yiddish word though hard to fit into a general conversation.
Very cool!!
What does "Schvitz" mean?
It’s a Yiddish word. As a noun it refers to a location w steam bath/sauna. As a verb it means to sweat
i honestly didn't even know bathhouses were still a thing - great piece!