By the time August’s heat rolls around each year in Manhattan, baking the concrete and turning the subways into saunas, New Yorkers hunt for an escape. Some jet off to the Hamptons while others make their way to the Rockaways.
A local pool, however, is the uncontested holy grail: no traffic and no packing — just water within city limits (or several stories above it). Luckily, you can find some in New York’s top hotels. With sleek sanctuaries, subterranean oases and splashy rooftops, make the most of summer with these six posh pools around the city.
Baccarat Hotel New York
The meditative hush of Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Baccarat Hotel’s La Piscine can be accessed in any season. Two floors below street level, this subterranean space feels miles away from the chaos racing above on 53rd Street. The Baccarat’s heated, 55-foot indoor pool trades the brand’s signature crystal spectacle for something quieter, letting the water and light do all the sparkling. Striking black-and-white marble tile and crisp white cabanas, Côte d’Azur in spirit and tucked into private alcoves, create a jewel-box feeling instead.
Non-guests, take note: the price of admission to the pool is, conveniently, a facial at the adjoining Spa de La Mer.
Equinox Hotel New York
A high performer deserves a high-performing pool. Four-Star Equinox Hotel New York delivers exactly that. Wellness runs through every corner of the luxury fitness brand’s hotel: in-room amenities, specialty sleep suites, mindful menu options and a rooftop terrace pool that overlooks the Hudson. Open to hotel guests and Equinox Hudson Yards members, the pool is drenched in unfussy materials and a cool, calming palette that makes the space feel less like a tourist scene and more like a reset button.
When it’s time for refreshments, look no further than Broken Coconut. The poolside café serves up healthy staples like avocado toast, a crunchy kale salad bowl and various smoothies. Refreshing cocktails, frozen Aperol spritzes and frosé round out the menu.
The William Vale
Forbes Travel Guide Recommended William Vale’s pool has undergone quite the makeover courtesy of the Sephora Summer Club. Umbrellas, inner tubes and cabana curtains now sport the retail giant’s signature black-and-white stripes through early September.
The Williamsburg hotel’s 60-foot outdoor pool, on the fourth floor, is the city’s longest. The deck takes full advantage of that scale. Hotel guests and day-pass-wielding locals mingle amid a ring of daybeds, cabanas and chaise lounges.
The collaboration goes well beyond decor. Sunscreens from leading and emerging brands are available to sample, including Tatcha’s Milky Sunscreen and YSE’s Skin Glow tinted primer. And just past the elevators, a Sephora Beauty Kiosk tempts with skincare, suncare, haircare, makeup and travel-size favorites.
Sephora Presents brings major slumber-party energy to the hotel’s traditional dive-in movie series with a lineup of screenings inspired by iconic looks. Grab your group and snag tickets to cozy up on a lounge bed for Legally Blonde on August 10 and Mean Girls on August 24.
Chef Andrew Carmellini’s well-curated menu brings summer-appropriate fare like double-smash burgers and tuna poke, alongside Sephora-inspired specials such as a black-and-white ice cream sandwich and the Sephora Spritz (Galliano — an Italian herbal liqueur — melon and Sanpellegrino Limonata).
The Dominick
Anyone who has spent time in downtown Manhattan knows the necessity of an urban oasis. Four-Star The Dominick is here to help. Its seventh-floor pool shares the space with the Four-Star Sisley Spa, earning it genuine sanctuary status.
Stepping out onto the serene Terrace on 7, overlooking the Hudson River with panoramic skyline views, feels like an exhale. Hotel guests are invited to lounge around the heated pool in stylish, sleek chaises upholstered in dark charcoal. Shrubbery running along the perimeter enhances the hideaway feel.
Chef Luis Pous brings his bright Hawaiian flavors to poolside eatery El Ta’Koy, with dishes such as an ahi tuna poke bowl and the spicy-sweet Sassy Sesame cocktail that’s crafted with infused jalapeño-cucumber tequila and pineapple and finished with a toasted sesame rim.
Park Hyatt New York
The Four-Star Park Hyatt New York’s pool is elevated in every way. Soaring above Midtown on the 25th floor, beneath 23-foot-high ceilings and awash in natural light from three-story windows, the pool gives bathers a 65-foot stretch of saltwater.
Such a cathedral-like space requires a soundtrack to match. Underwater speakers pipe in a curated Carnegie Hall playlist, so swimmers hear the music rippling through the waves, an apt touch given the famed concert venue sits just across the street.
Combine the sensory swim with time in the coed eucalyptus steam room and a bubbling, oversized hot tub. Non-guests can gain entry to this glittering tower with a service at Spa Nalai, pairing a pool day with a personalized treatment.
1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge
1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge technically has a plunge pool, but it splashes well above its weight. Perched 11 stories above the East River, it provides unobstructed views of downtown Manhattan alongside a showy social scene.
In the sustainable hotel chain’s signature elevated eco-luxe style, the space is dressed in verdant native plants and reclaimed wood salvaged from the Domino Sugar Factory. The angular, L-shaped pool cuts a sharp silhouette, with its infinity edge dropping just below the horizon line.
Although deck chairs are reserved for hotel guests only, anyone chasing a cool scene can book a Sky Swim Lounge table, tucked below the pool deck. The views are equally impressive. And between laps, drinks and bites arrive courtesy of Harriet’s, the hotel’s buzzy rooftop restaurant and bar. Seafood-forward, Asian-inspired plates (like crispy rice with spicy tuna and salmon avocado rolls) pair well with a watermelon margarita.
