Brooklyn is the centre of America's new sauna wave. Bathhouse (Williamsburg, then Flatiron), Othership (Williamsburg), Mermaid Spa (Coney Island, the old-school Russian banya counterpoint). The full Brooklyn catalogue is in the iOS app, including the Russian and Polish baths that predated the wellness wave by decades.
"Williamsburg sauna culture is what happens when post-rave kids discover the Finnish-Russian tradition and decide to do it on their own terms."
The Brooklyn sauna scene is two scenes stitched together. The old one (Mermaid Spa in Coney Island, the Russian banya on Brighton Beach, the working bathhouses on King's Highway) has been quietly running since the 1970s, serving an immigrant population that brought the form from Odessa and Moscow. The new one (Bathhouse, Othership, the modern sweat-and-cold-plunge venues that opened post-2020) is the wellness-aesthetic interpretation aimed at the post-pandemic recovery-culture market.
Our Brooklyn Curator's Picks deliberately span both eras. The iOS app's verified Brooklyn venues catalogue both: the wellness places that get featured in magazines and the Russian banyas that get featured by their regulars. Mermaid Spa is the Coney Island institution; if you only visit one, that's the one with the most character.
Each card links to a full venue page with hours, access notes, type, and editorial context. Cards are ordered alphabetically.
Discover thermal pools, cold plunge, saunas, & steam rooms. Indulge in a massage, a body scrub, or facial. Yoga classes and special peerformances and events occur weekly. Enjoy the perfect Spa Day at Brooklyn Bathhouse.
Mermaid Spa is a sauna in Brooklyn, NY, USA, offering wood-fired, electric, and steam saunas.
Shop Book A Class Buy a pass GET 22% OFF X Give 22%, Get 22% Refer a first-timer friend and you’ll both receive 22% off a single drop-in. Your code unlocks after their visit.
United States has 21 Curator's Picks across 9 indexed cities. Browse another or jump to the country page.
The iOS app is free. Curator's Picks are highlighted. Pro adds proximity alerts when you're near a saved venue.