Best Hot-Tub Paradise

As the weather turns from fall to winter and visions of tropical-island vacations begin to dance in your head, the quickest and cheapest way to escape the chill is Spa Castle, a five-story, 100,000-square-foot Korean-spa sanctuary in College Point, Queens. For $45 on weekends ($35 from Monday to Friday), you can spend the entire day (it's open daily from 6 a.m. to midnight) bathing, steaming, and feasting on treats from a snack bar—or, even better, sipping fruity cocktails in the whirlpool lounge. Upon arrival, everyone receives the Spa Castle uniform to change into (a pair of cotton shorts and a T-shirt) and an electronic bracelet that doubles as a locker key and charge card for food and drinks. Based on the traditional Korean bathhouse called a jimjilbang, Spa Castle features separate men's and women's all-nude steam rooms and baths (that's right, no bathing suits allowed). However, do bring your bathing suit for the co-ed rooftop hot tubs and heated pools, which can be incredibly romantic on a winter's night with a light snow falling around you. Several dome-shaped saunas with labels such as "Salt," "Jade," and "Gold" have signs boasting their various healing powers and temperatures (a large mud room stands at a scorching 190 degrees). Though it's not the easiest place to get to for those without a car, a free shuttle bus will pick up and drop off clients at the last stop on the 7 train (Flushing–Main Street).

Source: The Village Voice

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