Gym With Sauna and Salt Lounge on 14th St: CompleteBody

CompleteBody Union Square, at 25 West 14th Street, lists saunas, a Himalayan salt lounge and cold eucalyptus towels among its club amenities, and first-timers can try it with a complimentary day pass. The Premium monthly plan that covers this club is $204, and the doors open at 6am on weekdays. It is a smaller, spa-leaning alternative to the big-box gym with sauna clubs further uptown.

Resident Magazine reported in June 2019 that the club opened on June 1 of that year at this address, describing it as a luxurious new health club and spa. The same piece credited founder and celebrity trainer Alex Reznik and noted that CompleteBody had already been in business for 25 years by then. The Union Square club was built as the brand's most spa-focused location, which is why the amenity list reads more like a day spa than a weight room.

The official list runs through spa services, saunas, lockers and laundry, the Himalayan salt lounge, cold eucalyptus towels, Malin+Goetz products, Keiser equipment, a roof deck and Pilates reformers. That combination draws a specific crowd. Expect downtown creatives fitting in a lunch session, clients meeting independent trainers, and people who book a facial and then stay for the heat.

The website lists saunas without specifying the room type or how the rooms are split, so bring a towel to sit on. A comfortable rhythm is ten to fifteen minutes in the sauna, a cool shower, one of the chilled eucalyptus towels on your neck, and then a quiet spell in the salt lounge before you dress.

The salt lounge is the detail that sets this club apart from most Manhattan gyms with a sauna. It is meant for sitting, not training, so treat it like a library. Leave the phone in the locker, keep voices low and give the room to the next person after twenty minutes if it is full. Facials and other spa treatments are offered here and at the Midtown East club, and they are booked separately from the membership.

Keiser pneumatic equipment fills much of the strength area, which suits rehab clients and anyone who prefers smooth resistance over clanking stacks. Pilates reformers sit alongside the floor, and the club offers InBody body composition scans. CompleteBody also welcomes independent personal trainers, so on a weekday afternoon you will see several coaches working with clients who never set foot in a group class.

Do not come here expecting a swimming pool. The saltwater pool that the brand advertises is at its Midtown East location, not on 14th Street. If laps matter to you, either pick that club or a YMCA branch with a pool. Union Square is the choice when you want heat, quiet recovery and a well-kept floor rather than a big aquatic center.

The location page offers a complimentary day pass to try the club, which is the easiest way to see whether the sauna and the salt lounge fit your routine. Use it on a weekday morning or late afternoon so you can judge how busy the rooms get at the times you will actually come.

On the official join page, the Premium monthly plan is $204 per month and includes access to the Union Square club. A twelve-month commitment brings it to $190 per month, and paying a year in full costs $2,180, about $182 a month. Watch the plan names. The cheaper Passport monthly plan at $120 covers Chelsea, FiDi, Midtown East and Grand Central but does not include Union Square.

Club hours are 6am to 9pm Monday through Thursday, 6am to 8pm on Friday, 9am to 6pm on Saturday and 9am to 5pm on Sunday. The early weekday close is the main thing to plan around. If you work until 7pm, a Friday sauna is tight, and a Sunday afternoon session needs to start by around 3:30pm to leave time for the salt lounge and a shower.

Lunch is the busiest window on weekdays, with trainers and their clients filling the floor between noon and 2pm. Mid-morning after 9:30am is quieter, as is the first hour on Saturday. The roof deck is a pleasant cool-down on mild days, though it is no use in a January wind.

This club suits someone who trains three or four times a week, cares about recovery and wants a calmer room than a 24-hour chain. It also works well if you already pay an independent trainer, since you can bring them in. Serious powerlifters should skip it, because the Keiser-heavy floor and boutique layout are not built for loaded platforms, and swimmers should head to a club with a pool. Night owls will also be frustrated by the 9pm weekday close.

Union Square Park is a two-block walk east. On Greenmarket days, which fall on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, farmers set up stalls around the north and west sides of the park, so a post-sauna stop for apple cider and fruit is easy. Washington Square Park is about ten minutes south through the Village if you would rather walk off the heat under the arch.

For a light meal, the cafes along Fifth Avenue and University Place are close. Fourteenth Street itself is loud and crowded, so stepping out of the salt lounge onto it can be a jolt. Turning south onto Fifth Avenue gets you onto quieter brownstone blocks within a minute.

Address: 25 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10011. Hours: Monday to Thursday 6am to 9pm, Friday 6am to 8pm, Saturday 9am to 6pm, Sunday 9am to 5pm. Free day pass for first-timers. Premium monthly $204, or $190 a month on a twelve-month commitment. The nearest trains stop at 14th Street station on Sixth Avenue or at Union Square.

Open the Karpo APP to fit a sauna session around lunch, a Greenmarket stop or dinner in the Village, and keep the plan in one place.