Bathhouse Flatiron features atmospheric interiors by Rockwell Group
In NYC, Bathhouse Flatiron evokes the 'futuristic remnants of an ancient civilisation'
Bathhouse Flatiron, by New York studio Rockwell Group, was transformed from a Manhattan parking garage into a sophisticated destination for relaxation and socialising. The second Bathhouse outpost to open in NYC invites patrons into a communal space where they can move between hot and cold pools, just like the Greeks and Romans did two millennia ago. But unlike the bathhouses of antiquity, the interiors here are intriguingly dark and futuristic, more akin to a stylish nightclub than classical thermae.
Inside Bathhouse Flatiron, New York
The new Flatiron location for Bathhouse follows the success of the company’s inaugural outpost in Williamsburg, housed within a former soda factory that’s full of exposed brickwork, subway tile, and other industrial details. Not long after opening in 2021, co-founders Travis Talmadge and Jason Goodman hired Rockwell Group to conceptualise a second location, across the East River on West 22nd Street, which began welcoming visitors earlier in January 2024.
Although missing the same rich architectural bones, the empty concrete shell offered a blank slate that allowed for large open spaces and provided freedom to implement a newly developed visual language for the location. 'Our design concept for Bathhouse’s first Manhattan location was the idea of the hero’s journey, the common template in our stories from mythology that involves a hero who embarks on an epic journey or quest, encounters challenges with a decisive apex, and returns home transformed by the adventure and personal growth,' said Rockwell Group principal and studio leader Michael Fischer.
Upon arrival, visitors are greeted at a street-level reception and retail space, with a central stone counter that funnels incoming and outgoing foot traffic on either side. Once registered, the guests embark on their 'journey' as they descend down a series of dramatically illuminated staircases and through multiple portals, which each indicate entry to a different functional area. 'The view is always obscured as you move along the route, so you never quite see the destination,' said Fischer, whose team intentionally configured the labyrinthine locker rooms and quarter-turn stairs to add to the sense of mystery.
A moody material palette also elevates the ambiance. Travertine, fluted glass, stone, concrete, tile, and patinated metals are used together to create 'a new architectural language, allowing guests to feel as though they’ve discovered futuristic remnants from an ancient civilization,' Fischer said. For example, a series of inverted pyramid structures covered in patterned markings are suspended over some of the bathing pools, revealing lighting installations inside when viewed from underneath.
Along with the hot, cold and temperate pools, amenities include a hot-coal dry sauna, a banya, an infrared sauna, and a steam room—all kept at different temperatures. A separate area for those who’ve booked treatments like massages and scrubs has an additional salt-water pool, and there’s also a restaurant serving beverages and snacks. Bathhouse day passes are available, offering an ideal winter activity in NYC.
Bathhouse Flatiron
14 W 22nd St
New York, NY 10010
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Dan Howarth is a British design and lifestyle writer, editor, and consultant based in New York City. He works as an editorial, branding, and communications advisor for creative companies, with past and current clients including Kelly Wearstler, Condé Nast, and BMW Group, and he regularly writes for titles including Architectural Digest, Interior Design, Sight Unseen, and Dezeen, where he previously oversaw the online magazine’s U.S. operations. Dan has contributed to design books The House of Glam (Gestalten, 2019), Carpenters Workshop Gallery (Rizzoli, 2018), and Magdalena Keck: Pied-À-Terre (Glitterati, 2017). His writing has also featured in publications such as Departures, Farfetch, FastCompany, The Independent, and Cultured, and he curated a digital exhibition for Google Cultural Institute in 2017.
-
Tiffany & Co nods to its theatrical history with a surreal new campaign
Tiffany & Co campaign ‘With Love, Since 1837’ sees Dan Tobin Smith and set designer Rachel Thomas create an offbeat set
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Celine’s new fragrance Zouzou is inspired by 1960s heroines
Celine debuts a new fragrance, Zouzou, inspired by Hedi Slimane’s obsession with 1960s youth culture
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
Bar Spero, in Washington DC, nods to the playful nature of Spanish cuisine
Bar Spero is a Spanish seafood bar and grill designed by Streetsense and led by chef Johnny Spero
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Taxi cabs and pizza boxes: New York icons are reimagined by Paa Joe at Superhouse Gallery
New York’s beloved tokens, from the Statue of Liberty to the classic yellow taxi cab, are reimagined by Paa Joe for Superhouse's inaugural show in New York, ‘Celestial City’
By Julie Baumgardner Published
-
Brooklyn’s Nine Chapel unveils interiors by Gubi
Designed by SO-IL, Nine Chapel in Brooklyn is a new residential tower with a model residence by Danish design brand Gubi
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Homeware and design store Beverly’s puts down roots in New York’s Chinatown
Beverly’s was founded by Beverly Nguyen as a retail destination focused on community by supporting small business owners, creatives and craftspeople
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
Frank Traynor makes everyday objects extraordinary
Frank Traynor’s ‘A Can Opener of Myself’ – a ‘maximalist, minimalist contradiction’ of adorned objects – is at The Future Perfect, New York (until 31 December 2023)
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
Sandbox Films’ New York office nods to the Golden Age of Hollywood with a film noir setting
Sandbox Films, a Manhattan-based production company, gets an interior overhaul inspired by European art-deco cinema
By Tianna Williams Published
-
‘Angle of Repose’ at Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery is a cabinet of design curiosities past and present
The exhibition at New York's Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery (until 27 January 2024) includes silver cutlery inlaid with gemstones, Victorian papier-mâché chairs, and Otto Zapf shelving
By Diana Budds Published
-
Abask gets real at Salon Art + Design in New York
Digital retail destination Abask presents its design collectibles as part of a select group of Special Design Partners, a new feature of the fair’s 12th edition (until 13 November 2023)
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
Salon Art + Design 2023: highlights from New York’s leading collectible design fair
Here are the Wallpaper* highlights from Salon Art + Design 2023, held at New York’s Park Avenue Armory, 9 – 13 November
By Adrian Madlener Published