Spa experiences offer sweat, icy plunge in New York

To get the blood really pumping, do what the Finns have been doing for decades: Sit in a hot sauna for 20 minutes, then hustle outside and roll in the snow. Repeat as endurance allows.

InNewYork City, a similar experience can be had any time of year at Aire AncientBaths, a spotNew York magazine dubbed the city’s best schvitz of 2013. And by “similar,” I really mean different in keyways: Rates begin at about $75 for 90 minutes and go up, depending on whether you add extras like a massage or an exotic bath infused with red wine or olive oil.

The spa, which opened in June 2012, is a romantic interpretation of the baths of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The subterranean space features stone and white marble, cast in flickering shadows by scores of candles (some real, some battery-operated). Four bathing pools cover the waterfront fromhot to suckthe-air-out-of-your-lungs frigid. Asteam room, saltwater pool and jetted spa round out the options.

Ona visit withmy husband, we opted for a 30minute couples massage, noting massage minutes would be added to our 90minute visit to the pools. We loved the peaceful saltwater pool; massageswere justOK, but even anOKmassage is better than no massage. And we made like Finns, substituting steam for their sauna, then plunging into the frigid pools. No need to search for a snowbank.