I Tried Bathhouse Flatiron in New York City: Full Review
This year, I was in charge of making plans for our first Valentine's Day in New York City! I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I did know that it's been a long six months since we moved from San Francisco to New York City for my grad school program, so I wanted to do something extra nice. If you know my partner, you know that this guy LOVES baths. He can't take enough of them! When we're in Florida at my dad's house, he basically lives in our outdoor hot tub. So knowing all this, I combined my love of massages with his love of baths, and booked us an experience at Bathhouse Flatiron!
Before I went, I did a ton of research and didn't find as much as I wanted. I looked on TikTok (which was helpful until a certain point because you're not allowed to have your phones in the facility), and tried to read a lot of Reddit threats. Both were bine, but there wasn't anything that comprehensive from a neutral third party. Because of that, I made sure to come back from my day at Bathhouse, and write you all an incredibly in-depth review! So let's dive in.
Bathhouse Promo Link
If by the end of this blog post I've convinced you to give Bathhouse a shot, I have a Bathhouse promo code for you! Use this special link here to get 30% off your first day pass. Full transparency, I do get 30% off my own day pass for every time the link is used, but genuinely no pressure! I just love sharing little ways to lower the cost.
What is Bathhouse?
You may be wondering, what is Bathhouse and why should I care? Well, I'm here to break it down for you. Bathhouse is NOT a spa. That's the biggest misconception, and honestly what I thought Bathhouse was at first. Bathhouse is all about community (according to their website). It's social (so there's definitely noise), people go with their friends, and it's all about the facility. So the Bathhouse concept isn't anything new (I'm thinking about the ancient bathhouses in Rome and Budapest from back in the day), but this is a modern take on it all.
How Does It Work?
To get access to the basics aka just the facility and no services, you can buy a day pass online! Honestly, I highly recommend JUST doing the day pass because the additional treatments are just fine, if not just too expensive for what you're asking for (we'll get to that in a little bit). The prices for a day pass do differ day-by-day, but roughly hover around $40.
What's Available at Bathhouse?
At the Bathhouse Flatiron location, there is SO much available for guests. I tried every thing available minus the scrub (so apologies to all who want to know about that). I know there are different locations in the city, but this is what's here. Also sidenote, I wasn't able to take photos of the actual pools so these are all photos pulled from Bathouse's website! Picture these places with a TON of people, and you'll get the image.
Thermal Pools
There are a total of six thermal pools available at this location: two hot pools (104°F), two cold pools (45°F and 50°F), a neutral pool (98°F), and a salt pool (98°F). I absolutely loved getting in one pool, getting out, and dipping into another. While the two hot pools, neutral pool, and salt pool are pretty typical, the cold pools were the biggest hit with people. It was so fun doing the equivelent to an ice bath and absolutely FREEZING, and then popping into the sauna to bring the body temperature back up.
Banya
I really can't tell you the difference between a bany and a sauna because to me, it's all the same, but according to the website it's powered by a gas furnace and runs between 185°F and 195°F. This room was the HOTTEST room, and I could not hack it. Coley loved it though! It was HOT HOT HOT.
Dry Sauna
This is the biggest sauna room out of all of them, and honestly, it was way too hot for me but a clear crowd favorite. People LOVED clamoring in this place because every hour or so, a Sauna Master performs Aufguss aka a sauna ritual. It was personally not my thing because I was getting a litle claustrophobic but seriously, when I say people were obsessed, people were OBSESSED. They came into this room in troves.
Infrared Sauna
This is the coolest sauna out of the three, going up to 135°F. This was personally the best sauna for me! I still got a great sweat on while still feeling like I wasn't about to die. It's a smaller room but genuinely felt so refreshing after doing a cold plunge or being in a cold pool.
Steam Room
Oh my god, you could not see a THING in the steam room. Which is obviously the point, but personally I felt like the steam was suffocating me so I had to quickly leave after entering.
Salt Pool
This was genuinely one of my favorite pools. It's kind of in a separate part of the area because it's by the private treatment rooms, and if you need some more quiet, this is the place to go. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's still social. I just think people kind of forget about this one! I also just love swimming in salt water.
Massage
Okay, we're getting into the additional treatment territory! So you won't get this during the day pass option, but still I thought I would add it in just in case you were curious. Coley and I booked the full-body massage for couples so we were just in the same room. As someone who LOVES massages, this massage was lackluster. My masseuse spent more time climbing all over the table than actually massaging me, which was a disappointment. The essential oils did smell good though! I will say, I did feel very covered up and safe, just wasn't my favorite massage.
Bathouse Restaurant
Yes, there is food available at Bathouse! I want to do an actual deep dive into the food experience (so scroll down to find that), but wanted to make sure you know that there is food. You will not go hungry if you want to purchase something! I also do think it's very doable to sneak snacks in lol, just tuck them in your bag.
What to Expect
So you've looked over all the amenities and booked yourself a day pass. What's next for a first time visit? This was the big question for me because I couldn't figure it out based on the information currently available online.
When you get to Bathouse, check-in will be the first thing you do! They'll give you this very comfortable bracelet that serves two functions: your credit card and the key to your locker. You don't HAVE to put your credit card on it, but we were definitely going to purchase food later so I let them. Then, you climb down a set of stairs with all your stuff, to the locker rooms.
There are two locker rooms separated by gender. Coley and I parted ways so I have no idea what's going on in the men's side, but this is what's happening in the women's! You pick up a pair of water sandals/shoes (they have so many and in many sizes), and pop further into the locker room. And guys, the locker room is HUGE. I was kind of overwhelmed when I walked in.
I highly recommend getting a locker as far in as you can! I found a place to put my bag and change from my street clothes to my bathing suit. I will say, I did feel like I was in gym class again because everyone just changes in public areas. There were a lot of women just walking around nude (and respect to them!), but I think I'm more shy. I just changed as fast as I could, huddled in my little corner, and I did indeed feel like a middle schooler again.
I locked up all my things in the locker including my phone, and from there, you can grab a towel and walk through the shower and bathroom area to the back exit of the locker rooms! I did not use the showers but they did look amazing. They're enclosed so there's more privacy, and the soap smell was a really nice scent. There's also blow dryers for your hair if needed.
Once you leave the locker room, there's a mini lounge room and the restaurant! This is where I met back up with Coley, and we descended further into the building to get to the actual amentities area. But you can definitely hear the amenities area before you see the ameneities area!
When we got downstairs, I was like oh! It's busy! There are people everywhere, just hanging out in the different pools or saunas. It definitely can feel overstimulating, so I highly suggest finding the salt pool that's in the secluded area and starting there. There are bathrooms down there so don't feel like you need to run back and forth between the pool area and the locker room. You'll get the hang of it the longer you hang out, but truly, the first twenty minutes can feel stressful.
At the end of the visit, there are little bags you can put your wet bathing suit in, Then you retrace your steps! I promise, at the point you'll be an expert.
What to Bring
I brought too many things, so don't make my mistake! This is what you'll actually need for your visit. Come in your comfy street clothes, and bring a bathing suit, a water bottle, and a book if you're feeling like flying solo. If you don't want to eat at the restaurant but you want some food, pack a couple granola bars or snackies to secretly eat. For fun, this is what I brought!
I wore this suit for our day to the Bathhouse! I wanted something comfortable, one-piece, and easy to move around in. This was the perfect thing.
Water was my best friend at the Bathhouse. I loved bringing this one around because it kept it so cold and easy to drink!
This is one of my favorite sweatshirts ever. The fleece is just so delightful.
The coziest fleece sweatpant ever. I loved wearing these! I felt so cozy afterward in this.
Bathhouse Restuarant
I told you we would be revisiting the restaurant, so here we are! After spending almost three hours going between pool and sauna, I had worked up an appetite. We decided to try out the restaurant because it was our first time there, and I thought it was so fun! The restaurant is a phone allowed area, so I was able to take some pictures for you.
The Asian-inspired menu has SO many options, but we went with these three: chicken dumplings, chicken curry bao buns, and kalbi style short ribs. I know, the short ribs was an insane choice but I was so curious if they would actually taste good. I would defintely reorder the dumplings and bao buns, but the short ribs were a hard no. They were just so flavorless and just strange for a Bathhouse. Also the most expensive thing on the menu!
Overall Thoughts
Would I go to Bathouse again? Sure, why not. Am I jumping at the opportunity to go again? Maybe not as much, but I totally understand how spending time in the pools and different amenity rooms can be so good for your mental health. Coley truly loved the whole experience though! I think if your someone who loves a wellness destination, you have to try this at least once.