"Call it a bathhouse, banya, or spa - everybody's got an opinion on where to get a shvitz. As a big primper, I seek grandeur and premium amenities wherever I can find them. I have gone as far as Edgewater, New Jersey, to dip in the rooftop pool at SoJo's multilevel complex (followed by a compulsory stop for onigiri at Mitsuwa across the street) even though it requires finding someone to chauffeur the two-hour round trip."
"It was a little disorienting when my Uber dropped me off in front of a brutalist building with concrete panels and the F-train tracks overhead. I stopped thinking about the street view once I walked past the security guard and down a curved staircase to the marble service desk. (A $100 fee included a robe and a locker but no anti-slip footwear, so BYO Crocs if you want to avoid paying $30 for a pair of World Spa's fake Yeezy slides.)"
World Spa opened in Midwood in late 2022 and occupies 50,000 square feet, positioning itself as one of the city's largest bathhouses. The exterior sits beneath F-train tracks with a brutalist facade; entry proceeds past a security guard and down a curved staircase to a marble service desk. A $100 admission includes a robe and locker but excludes anti-slip footwear, which the spa retails. Facilities include multiple hammams, banyas, pools, an ice room with simulated snow, roped-off cabanas, and a central lounge and dining area. Nearby alternatives include SoJo in Edgewater and QC on Governors Island, both requiring longer travel.
Read at Grub Street
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