Despite New York City’s stunning skyline, it’s fair to say that after navigating its famously feeble infrastructure and traipsing around the shabby sidewalks that characterise parts of the city, there’s an urge to seek solace – even in trendy Tribeca. Thankfully, Aire Ancient Baths is on hand to offer a welcome respite.

On entering the candle-lit welcome area, you’re met with walls that feature Greco-Roman pillars sandwiched by panels of dark wood, while flashes of exposed brickwork lend a pleasantly modern Williamsburg finish. Down in the communal bathing area, the salubrious surroundings of marble and more stone columns evoke an air of Alexandrian opulence, complemented by the soft sounds of Hellenic strings.

First port of call is the spacious steamroom in the centre. Fabulously fashioned – with the glass panels offering panoramic views of the surrounding baths – the room is somewhat lacking in terms of function. The steam vents are inexplicably aimed straight into the air, meaning occupants need to stand upright on the bench and waft the hot air back down with their arms if they want to work up a sweat.

After a baptism of lukewarm steam, it’s on to the floatation pool for the first of six bathing experiences. The high salinity makes buoyancy easy and though males should take care if they’ve recently shaved – the salt leaves a slight sting on a shorn face – it’s altogether an enjoyable experience.

Guests are then free to meander through a jet bath, caldarium, two plunge pools and finally an extended chillout pool – offering neatly chiselled alcoves in which to retreat. As well as offering diversity to the user, the array of pools provide plenty of sparsely-populated sections in which to bask, even though our bathing session was fully booked.

For those who want more than just a soak, the spa offers a number of upsell treatments and I enjoyed a reassuringly assertive 45-minute full-body massage and exfoliation. The only drawback was that the unisex (and not just couples’) treatment room leads to a few awkward moments as you change from your swimsuit into a towel – behind a hastily drawn curtain in my case – but this doesn’t distract from the overall experience. For me at least, Aire Ancient Baths provides a much needed slice of serenity in the core of the Big Apple.

I should start by saying I am, in every sense of the word, a spa newbie. If I want to relax, I’d opt to sit on the sofa and play Call of Duty. So for my first spa experience to be the Aire Ancient Baths was taking a plunge into the deep end.

I had no idea of what was to come and hoped for an explanation of how to ‘take the waters’. As it was, I received a brief orientation and knew I’d been booked for a massage, but beyond that I was left to fend for myself.

Unfortunately, the first thing I noticed was the smell of chlorine – obviously there for hygiene purposes – but heightened in the warm environment. Next was the steamroom. When you don’t know what to expect, the hot vapours really hit you and breathing is hindered – not the most relaxing start for me.

I spent most of my time pre-massage in the warm waters (chickening out on the cold plunge pools) and these were my favourite part of the experience. The long L-shaped pool was great for a gentle, casual swim and this also kept my mind stimulated: I have a hyperactive brain. And although the facility restricts the level of talking, it’s not (thankfully) strictly enforced and I was able speak with my friend without disturbing anyone.

After an hour, I went for my massage and I can’t fault the quality of it. My brain, however, came into play 45 seconds in and said ‘oh boy your nose is itchy’. As I wasn’t in a position to scratch it, I found it difficult to switch off. It didn’t help that I was lying there with wet hair and trunks: not a pleasant feeling.

Did it relax me? Physically yes, I could feel it was doing my body good. Mentally, not really. Having an option to change the music to occupy my mind would have been a nice addition.

If I was to go again, I’d want someone to describe each experience to me beforehand and what I might expect as a beginner. Instead I felt unprepared and out of my comfort zone. While I can’t fault the facility itself, I just don’t think the spa world is really for me.

We arrived in New York on the coat tails of snowstorms. Manhattan, despite its bright blue skies, was freezing. What better way then to spend a Sunday morning than to soak in Aire’s thermal baths?

The reception area is stylish with comfortable seating and the beginning of the experience is well-managed with detailed instruction and orientation. You’re given some strange-looking fabric socks to wear to prevent slipping, which isn’t the nicest feeling on your feet, but it’s understandable for safety reasons.

We were given a quick briefing on the different pools, but weren’t told anything about their benefits, which would have been interesting to know.

The staff said they’d find me when it was time for my massage. That was OK, but I would have rather been told a specific time.

Then you’re left to your own devices – namely, soaking in the baths and enjoying the surroundings. The whole experience is quite sociable. You’re not allowed to be too noisy, but you can chat quietly which adds to the enjoyment.

The baths hit a note of urban cool. The pools look bright and inviting against the dimly lit backdrop of subterranean brick chambers – it’s moody and atmospheric. I thought it was the kind of place you’d shoot a movie or a music video.

I’m not one for a weak massage and my therapist was great. She explained she likes to start off quite firmly and then ease off if you ask and she was happy to customise the treatment around my needs.

It was an invigorating massage. The only downside is that you have to put your wet swimwear and socks back on if you want to go back in the pools.

Aire Ancient Baths is a relaxing, social and pretty cool thing to do – especially on a winter’s day or night when New York is biting cold.

A few weeks later I watched a film. In one part, Russian gangsters partied with beautiful models until Keanu Reeves burst in and started shooting… Can you guess where they filmed that scene?

“We work very hard to create a unique experience in every sense and nothing makes me more happy than hearing that clients enjoy it. The entire setting is designed for people to let go and relax and part of that is having your massage happen at any moment rather than clock-watching. That’s also why there’s no set circuit: we give a tour explaining the different baths, but think it’s important to allow each client to listen to their body and move freely – some want to spend 30 minutes floating in the salt pool, while others love the hot-cold alternation. We do have a brief explanation of the health benefits of our pools on the website, but we’re working to add more details.”