Spas are arriving in New York

(New York) It is often said that Manhattan and Montreal have a lot in common. However, for a very long time, our two metropolises did not share the spa culture.

In Montreal, you can long escape to Bota Bota, Ström Spa on L’Île-des-Sœurs or Scandinave Vieux-Montréal without leaving the city, but in Manhattan, there was no equivalent. Montrealers passing through New York could therefore not include a visit to the spa in their travel itinerary, while for our neighbors to the South, a stop at one of the metropolis’s many spas is often a must.

Why were there, until recently, no spas in New York? The answer can be summed up as follows: culture.

“Spa culture is ingrained in the DNA of Italians and Europeans,” explains Andrea Quadrio Curzio, originally from Italy and co-founder of the QC Spa group, which opened New York City’s first-ever outdoor spa in 2022. , on Governors Island. In the United States, however, it is different. When we were thinking about the idea of ​​opening a spa in New York, we realized that the concept of outdoor bathing in winter is not at all present in American culture. For us, it’s quite the opposite: it’s in winter that our spas are busiest! For them, it makes no sense to go in the water when it’s cold. We wanted to see, by opening our spa, if Americans would be open to changing this perspective. »

A clarification is necessary: ​​the abbreviation QC of QC Spa does not refer to Quebec, but to Quadrio Curzio, the name of the owners. However, the mistake is pleasant.

QC Spa is the first so-called “Nordic” spa in New York, offering 74,000 square feet of relaxation space along the East River. A quarter of this space is exterior and offers two stacked hot baths, domes and heated relaxation rooms with views of Manhattan. “There was obviously a need in New York,” says its co-founder. There was nothing like this before and 2023 was a great year. We are in the process of [New-Yorkais] convert, slowly but surely. »

A second, a third…

Indeed, since the inauguration of the QC Spa, no less than three spas have opened their doors in the city that never sleeps.

Around the same time, in winter 2022, a second spa was established in the Big Apple. The World Spa NYC occupies 50,000 square feet of space in which we draw inspiration from the different spa traditions of the world: Japan, Turkey and Finland, among others. There we find the traditional Turkish hammam, without forgetting the onsen of the Japanese tradition.

Then, in January 2024, in the Flatiron district, the Bathhouse spa was inaugurated. It offers an urban spa experience right in the city center. Its 35,000 square feet of relaxation space is divided into six baths. The hyper-modern decor is by Rockwell Group, which also renovated the Château Frontenac’s dining areas.

The idea was to reach neighborhood residents who want to include this ritual in their day, a bit like the Scandinave Spa Vieux-Montréal which, thanks to its unlimited monthly subscriptions, is aimed primarily at neighborhood residents, who live in smaller spaces and do not have wellness facilities in their building.

Toronto-NYC

Finally, the Othership brand, born in Toronto, recently announced that it was making the jump to the United States with the opening of an address in New York in the summer of 2024. This will be the first American foray for this spa which already has two addresses in the Queen City. “We said to ourselves that if our concept works in Toronto, a very urban, moving city, where people are stressed and work a lot, it would work in New York, a city 10 times more stressful,” says Robbie with a laugh. Bent, co-founder of Othership.

This first American address will offer a sauna for 100 people as well as “the coldest ice baths in the United States”. Will the Americans dive? The future will tell.