Business Finance Media Technology Policy Wealth Insights Interviews

Art Art Fairs Art Market Art Reviews Auctions Galleries Museums Interviews

Lifestyle Nightlife & Dining Style Travel Interviews

Power Index Nightlife & Dining Art A.I. PR

About About Observer Advertise With Us Reprints

Inside SCHWET’s Steamy, Under-the-Radar Debut

Headline names from arts, entertainment, culture and media converged in Tribeca for a hedonistic, tightly curated evening anchored in the present moment—no phones allowed.

You could be forgiven for missing one of last week’s hottest parties, which unfolded semi-secretly inside a three-story, still-under-construction space in Tribeca, where hard hats have not yet fully given way to hand towels. The guest list was tightly curated, and the soiree itself was notably phone-free by design, resulting in an evening that was anchored in the present, delightfully off-the-cuff and marked by rare discretion. Upstairs, the mood was salon-like and conspiratorial and the conversation flowed like cocktails. Downstairs, on a pool deck that has since been demolished, propriety dissolved; the empty pool, four-and-a-half feet below ground level, became for one night only the city’s most exclusive dance floor.

Sign Up For Our Daily Newsletter

Thank you for signing up!

By clicking submit, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge we may use your information to send you emails, product samples, and promotions on this website and other properties. You can opt out anytime.

This was SCHWET, a new bathhouse concept, in the act of becoming. For those not in the know, bathhouses are back, and this one promises to be particularly hedonistic, outfitted with a Japanese scrub room, a red-light infrared sauna, a hot mineral pool, a bracing cold plunge, a traditional Russian banya and, crucially, a bar. Founder Mauri Waneka’s vision is a deliberate departure from typical wellness spaces that have in recent years leaned hard into the Scandy aesthetic. Think social club—there’ll be dinner parties and artist takeovers this spring—with a side of sweat.

Among the A-listers in attendance were headline names from arts, entertainment, culture and media. There were curators Zoe Lukov and Kyle Dewoody, Pioneerworks founder Dustin Yellin, the High Line’s Robert Hammond, Creative Art Partners cofounder Brian Ludlow and artists Taylor Nelson, Ceren Arslan and Rich Aybar, among other creative types. Also spotted were designers Irina Eicke and Max Eicke, tastemaker and man about town Harry Hill and scads of people who spend their days on set, including Patrick Ball, Lauren Patten, Ben Sinclair, Linda Emond, Alden Ehrenreich, Grace VanderWaal and Madeline Brewer.

Harry Hill and friend

Robert Hammond and Ilun Hsu

Kyle DeWoody and Zoe Lukov

SEE ALSO: The New Luxury: Why Story, Experience and Authenticity Matter More Than Exclusivity

We noticed you're using an ad blocker.

We get it: you like to have control of your own internet experience. But advertising revenue helps support our journalism. To read our full stories, please turn off your ad blocker.We'd really appreciate it.

How Do I Whitelist Observer?

Below are steps you can take in order to whitelist Observer.com on your browser:

Click the AdBlock button on your browser and select Don't run on pages on this domain.

For Adblock Plus on Google Chrome:

Click the AdBlock Plus button on your browser and select Enabled on this site.

For Adblock Plus on Firefox:

Click the AdBlock Plus button on your browser and select Disable on Observer.com.

© Observer