Book a Squash Court Without Membership at Nicol Squash, Hell's Kitchen

You do not need a membership to book a court at Nicol Squash, and the club says so in the first line of its FAQ. The four-court club at 476 West 42nd Street, near Dyer Avenue and Tenth Avenue in Hell's Kitchen, charges non-members $60 per court before 4pm on weekdays and $100 per court in the evenings and on weekends, for a 45-minute booking made through the Playbypoint app. For a squash court near me search around Port Authority, that is the most straightforward pay-and-play option in Manhattan.

Peter Nicol picked up his first racquet at age eight in Aberdeen, Scotland, and went on to become world No. 1 and a world champion in the late 1990s. He and his partner Jess Winstanley, who grew up in the sport too, opened Nicol Squash on West 42nd Street in 2021, with four courts, classes and coaching. Tribeca Citizen profiled the couple in March 2022, describing the venture as a family business.

Unlike most Manhattan squash, which hides on upper floors of office towers or inside members-only clubs, Nicol is a street-front club. New York Squash lists it as public with no membership required, with a fitness area and a lounge alongside the courts. The club also runs a sister venue, Nicol Rackets in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, with outdoor padel courts.

Every court booking lasts 45 minutes. Off-peak means Monday through Friday before 4pm, at $60 per court; peak covers weekdays from 4pm to close and all weekend, at $100 per court. Because the fee is per court rather than per player, two friends splitting a 2pm Tuesday slot pay $30 each, which is cheaper than a lot of fitness classes on this stretch of 42nd Street.

The honest verdict: if your only free time is Saturday afternoon, $100 for 45 minutes is steep, and the nonprofit clubs downtown or in Harlem cost far less. Nicol earns its price on weekday daytime bookings, when a remote worker or a theater employee with a free afternoon can walk in, play and be back at a desk within the hour.

The process takes two steps. Create an account on the club's booking platform, Playbypoint, and add a payment card; then tap Book a Court and choose a time. The same app handles class sign-ups, and members are added to WhatsApp groups that organize games. If you are new, it is worth reserving a few days out for evenings, since four courts fill quickly once offices empty.

Gear is free on your first visit, then $8 to rent according to the booking instructions, while another line of the FAQ quotes $10 for a racquet, goggles and a ball. Bring your own frame on repeat visits and skip the debate. Non-marking shoes are mandatory, and the club's dress code is relaxed: comfortable clothes are fine.

Beginners can start with Squash 101, which covers fundamentals and assumes no racket-sport background, and move on to Squash 102 for technique. Racquets and goggles are included with Intro to Squash reservations. Players rated roughly 2.0 to 3.0 can join the Adult Academy clinics, and organized leagues cover both friendly gameplay and more competitive matchups.

Juniors have their own track led by Jamal Callender, the club's Junior Squash Director, with programs for ages four to eighteen and summer camps. Junior programming runs after school, so an adult who wants a quiet off-peak court should aim for the morning or the early afternoon.

The rarest thing on offer here is a private lesson with Nicol, priced at $250 per session, plus court fees depending on membership. Callender teaches for $175, and the club's advanced coaching team charges $150. For a serious club player, an hour with a former world No. 1 who now coaches daily is a genuine bucket-list item; for a first-timer, Squash 101 teaches the same basics at a fraction of the cost.

Memberships exist if the habit sticks. Off-Peak costs $149 a month on a 30-day rolling basis and removes court fees on weekdays from 7am to 4pm, while All-Access costs $249 a month with no commitment and no court fees at any hour. Members also get free gameplay sessions and free towels.

Run the numbers before your second visit. Two off-peak weekday bookings at $60 each already cost $120, close to the $149 Off-Peak membership that removes court fees on weekdays from 7am to 4pm. A player who books three or more peak evenings a month pays $300 as a non-member, more than the $249 All-Access plan. Below those thresholds, paying per court keeps you flexible.

Facilities are compact. There is a locker room with single-use lockers, plus lockers for monthly rent, and two single-person gender-neutral restrooms with showers. Towels cost $2 for non-members. The setup works for a lunchtime game, though two showers can mean a short wait after a busy evening slot.

The club sits just west of Dyer Avenue, the ramp that feeds the Lincoln Tunnel, so the block carries heavy bus and car traffic at rush hour. Allow a few extra minutes if you are coming from the west side piers or from Tenth Avenue on foot.

Ninth Avenue, one block east, is lined with restaurants in the West 40s and 50s, the classic pre-theater strip of Hell's Kitchen. Walk west instead and you reach Pier 84 at Hudson River Park and the Intrepid Museum on Pier 86, both within fifteen minutes on foot. The Theater District starts a few blocks east if you have tickets for an 8pm curtain.

If all four courts are taken, Open Squash Bryant Park at 25 West 39th Street sits about fifteen minutes away on foot and rents to non-members during off-peak windows. For a cheaper flat rate, Harlem Squash Club on West 115th Street charges $22.50 for 45 minutes.

Address: 476 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036, near Dyer Avenue and Tenth Avenue. Booking: Playbypoint app, 45-minute slots. Subway: 42nd Street Port Authority Bus Terminal on the A, C and E. Bring non-marking shoes; gear is free the first time.