Aire Ancient Baths is set to open a second New York location in an historic Upper East Side building, featuring a dramatic suspended salt bath as its centrepiece. Olivia Palamountain reports

Wellness brand Aire Ancient Baths will open its second Manhattan location this month, marking the brand's ninth global location, following the successful launch of Aire London in 2021.

The new Aire Ancient Baths New York Upper East Side will occupy the first three floors of a historic building at 305 East 61st Street, originally built in 1900 and once used by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) to house priceless antiques and works of art.

Inspired by the bathing traditions of ancient civilisations, the new 9,600 square-foot spa will feature six different thermal baths, including a Caldarium (hot bath; 104F), Tepidarium (two warm baths; 97F), Frigidarium (ice bath; 50F) and Balneum (jet bath). The standout feature will be the Flotarium (salt bath), a first for the brand, which appears to hover between two floors with translucent glass walls and a glass floor that emits a blue glow.

"As with all Aire locations, we chose this building extremely carefully. We worked to meticulously preserve the building's rich character, with exposed bricks, original beams and vaulted ceilings throughout the space," says Amadeo Serra, CEO Aire Ancient Baths. "We are so proud of this new location and look forward to welcoming New Yorkers and tourists alike to experience a new level of relaxation at Aire Ancient Baths New York Upper East Side."
In addition to the thermal bath circuit, the Upper East Side location will offer a range of relaxing massages, couple experiences and body rituals. A new exclusive treatment called The Signature Monet Experience will debut here, inspired by Claude Monet's iconic Water Lilies painting from the MoMA collection. The treatment includes aromatherapy, full-body exfoliation, body wrap and massage designed to evoke the garden that inspired Monet's masterpiece.The new location maintains the brand's signature ambience with hundreds of flickering candles, the Orange Garden fragrance and decor hand-selected from shops around the world. Facilities include two marble exfoliation beds, 12 massage beds across multiple treatment rooms, including rooms for couples treatments, and separate men's and women's locker rooms.

To maintain exclusivity, the spa will host no more than 16 people per hour, allowing guests to fully escape the bustle of city life.

Aire New York Upper East Side joins the brand's existing locations in New York (Tribeca), Chicago, London, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Sevilla, Vallromanes and Almería. Like all Aire centres, it is housed in a historically significant building—the London location, which opened in 2021, occupies the building where J.M. Barrie created Peter Pan, with a first edition copy housed within its walls.

The new spa will be open daily from 9am to 9pm, with pricing for the 90-minute bath experience starting at US$150 per person.