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It was inevitable. New York restaurants have been turning to unusual menus for the past few years.ChobsterWith local hotel chains focusing on quirky-themed experiences, it was only a matter of time before creativity (aka weirdness) made its way into our wellness spaces.
As a health nut and health conscious person, I decided it was time to try some of the strangest sounding health techniques in town, literally, on my own skin.
I got my start at Remedy Place in Flatiron. Co., Ltd. Created as a joint venture between Soho House and Equinox, it’s pitched as a social wellness club with an emphasis on relationships as much as actual treatment. But I didn’t interact much with others on the rainy afternoon I spent in that quiet space, probably because I literally couldn’t breathe after a few seconds in the ice bath that’s meant to improve circulation and relieve pain.
The experience began with me lying next to a 39 degree bathtub and doing 11 minutes of guided breathing exercises, followed immediately by a 6 minute immersion in the tub.
Though I’m not normally a fan of the meditation techniques espoused by many New Yorkers (I find physical movement more soothing than confronting my thoughts), I vowed to give it a try. After all, there must be a reason why everyone swears by it. I was a little anxious thinking about the time I was wasting away from my desk “meditating,” but I’m happy to report that overall I felt calmer.
But the pleasure didn’t last long. The moment my bottom touched the cold water, I lost all feeling. “Let me out of here!” I wanted to scream, but all I could do was yell “Ahhhhh!” while shivering and trying not to fall into the bath.
Although this session was meant to be a group experience, I attended with what I’m still convinced was an anthropomorphic robot, which, without flinching or complaining about the bath’s coldness, managed to dive directly into the water and chat with the instructor about plans for the upcoming weekend and possible summer vacations.
I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach and couldn’t imagine flying for even one minute, let alone six. I only lasted a total of 33 seconds (or so my instructor told me, but I think he felt sorry for me and added 20 seconds to my actual time).
Word of wisdom: cold baths aren’t just cold, they’re icy cold, even colder than freezing. And apparently, they’re all the rage: Many New York City wellness centers now offer the freezing-water immersion experience, including the renowned AIRE Ancient Baths in TriBeCa.
One of the best-known names in the local spa world, AIRE opened in 2012 and now seems to be working on diversifying its offerings. A modern take on the ancient baths popular in the Roman and Ottoman Empires, it’s a collection of pools of different temperatures (including a cold one) aimed at soothing the skin and mind in different ways.
Perhaps as a way to stand out again in the now-competitive wellness industry, AIRE has introduced a quirky-sounding signature wine experience that offers a private red wine soak made with red grapes from Spain’s Ribera del Duero region.
For starters, the wine flows from a giant tap directly into the stone bathtub, and the alcohol has been removed, so it won’t stain or get you drunk.
But what might change your mind is the bottle of red wine provided as part of the experience, which is accompanied by three types of cheese and grapes.
The experience costs $650 per person and lasts a total of 180 minutes, and includes a cranial massage, a hot spring tour, a 50-minute full-body massage, and a wine bath, which is supposed to help with cleansing and exfoliation due to wine’s antioxidant properties.
Did I feel relaxed after the wine bath? Absolutely. Was it worth the price? Probably not, but I’m not one to judge where New Yorkers spend their extra money. AIRE was pretty busy for a weekday morning, supporting my claim that New Yorkers these days are all-out when it comes to their health.
After my memorable wine bath, I headed to the relatively new Virgin Hotel in midtown Manhattan, which also houses the Exhale Spa, which, of all the spas I’ve visited, most closely resembled the traditional spas that have defined the spa industry for the past few decades. Exhale put me in perhaps the strangest state ever, and I can’t wait to get into it again.
I signed up for the Salt Lounge trip and was ushered into a quiet, relatively small room lined with zero gravity chairs equipped with sound and vibration therapy.
The experience, which focused on the “healing properties of salt”, included the use of giant compression boots that reached up to my thighs, and lasted about 30 minutes, after which I was fitted with an LED face mask and asked to just sit there.
Alone with my thoughts again, anxiety was sure to creep in… I woke from a deep sleep, completely unexpected, and felt even more at ease thanks to the compression boots I was wearing.
The “shoes” would press and release on my constantly aching feet. It was essentially a massage with the boots that lasted for hours. A similar experience was given to my head. During the 30 minutes I spent in the salt room, the goggles vibrated, as if massaging my temples. My first thought when I woke up was, “Where can I buy these boots and glasses? And can I wear them while sitting at a desk all day?”
Sadly, my adventure has come to an end, despite the fact that there are countless other “unusual” wellness treatments around New York City, including nap pods, face gyms, head spas and crystal bed therapy sessions.
Did you feel lighter? Did you feel more relaxed? Did you feel cleaner? Did you feel better? Yes, maybe.
But thinking back, of all the treatments, what resonated with me the most was that it was all done without any invasive technology around, meaning that during each session I was able to step away from my phone and laptop, away from people shouting in my ear, and certainly in a calmer state of mind to take in what was going on.
I’m not sure whether it was the wine soak and the alien-like boots that contributed to my overall well-being, or the lack of distractions while undergoing the treatment. Probably the latter, just as likely as the former.
