Hot hotel: Sleep coaching and cryotherapy chambers – is this the fittest hotel on earth?
Equinox, one of the most recognised luxury brands in the fitness world, is making a foray into the hospitality arena. The first-ever Equinox Hotel – at New York’s buzzed-about Hudson Yards development – will open its doors on July 15. The brand is not merely hoping to shake up the travel industry: it’s attempting to coin a whole new lifestyle.
The design of the hotel revolves around the concept of 'high performance living', encapsulating all essential activities for wellbeing – whether that’s sleep, exercise or dining. This means a star-studded fitness programme, high-tech rooms, and more restorative facilities than you can imagine: cryotherapy chambers, IV drips, and even your own personal 'sleep coach' to ensure the best shut-eye possible.
Take a look around as we walk you through all the bells and whistles this hot hotel has to offer.
The Fitness Club
The crowning glory of the hotel is the sprawling Equinox Fitness Club, the brand’s largest-ever-built training studio. Guests at the hotel will gain temporary Equinox memberships, giving them access to equipment, personal training and group fitness classes, including HIIT, Barre and yoga.
Spinning enthusiasts will be happy to hear that a SoulCycle studio has set up shop on the hotel’s ground floor. The hotel can also organise special workouts taking place at The Vessel, Hudson Yards’ lattice-like staircase monument.
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The Facilities
The hotel boasts an expansive spa with cryotherapy chambers, an infrared sauna and a hot-and-cold plunge pool – all aimed at healing and reviving your muscles after an intense workout. Rounding out the tip-top offering is the highly photogenic outdoor relaxation pool, looking over nearby skycrapers and The Vessel.
The spa menu reads like a glossary of outlandlish, futuristic treatments: for $660 (£526), you can receive a FaceXercise™ Ultimate Facial, a firming and contouring massage favoured by celebrities, while the ‘Arrive + Revive’ treatment ($360 [£287]) targets jet lag with a cryotherapy massage and Quantum Harmonics therapy. LED light therapy and Microjet streaming are also available to purchase as add-ons.
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The Rooms
The 212 rooms and 48 suites take up the 24th to 39th floors in the 93-storey building and can be accessed by mobile keys on an Equinox phone app or a physical key card. The bedrooms, designed by Rockwell Group, are sleek and moody. Sleep is the name of the game: the hotel has implemented the latest soundproofing technologies and high-end blackout blinds to help ensure a good night’s rest. The all-natural mattresses are custommade by Coco-mat.
But the hotel’s preoccupation with rest and recuperation doesn’t end there: minibars are stocked with green juices, sleep supplements and a special tonic designed to help battle jet lag. Nurse-administered IV drip sessions can also be booked to overcome hangovers.
The Food
Not much is known about the hotel’s food and drink offering yet, other than it being overseen by Stephen Starr, the celebrated restaurateur behind Le Coucou and Buddakan. The restaurant, set on the 24th floor with views of the Hudson River, will serve American fare using fresh seasonal ingredients from the mid-Atlantic. There will also be a lounge bar serving superfood lattes, cocktails and international wines throughout the day.
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The Details
Equinox Hotel is currently open for reservations. Double rooms from $700 (£558). More locations are planned in other cities in the United States, including Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago and Houston.
