Winter apartment fantasy: Fireplace or sauna?

By Mayra David  | January 11, 2016 - 3:59PM
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After our warmer-than-wished-for-holiday season, New York is now properly chilly. So, how does the city like to warm up?  We asked  six New Yorkers: If you had your pick, would you rather have a fireplace or a sauna in your apartment?

  • Sauna for the southern gal Ever since I lived in Russia, I’ve loved saunas and I’ve been dying to have one! And also, I’m originally from the South, where nobody really uses a fireplace, so… a fireplace just seems messy to me! —Becky, East Harlem (pictured at left)
  • S’mores over saunas I’d so much rather have a fireplace. I mean, I’ve been to the sauna and it’s nice and all, but if I need to sweat it out, I can go to the gym. I don’t do that that often, anyway. Plus, the electricity using a sauna is a disadvantage, I think. The fireplace, I’d use more often. My family still toasts s’mores by the fire to this day and we did that at Christmas when I was home. —Kat, Inwood
  • Background burner I think for ambiance, I’d prefer the fireplace, even though I really like to go the sauna. It’s nice to look at in a room, and it’s nice to have it just burning in the background. I’d even take one of those ones you just flick on a switch and it burns, you don’t have to mess with wood logs. —Derrein, Hamilton Heights.
  • Desire for a fire A fireplace! Well, I think fireplaces are much more desirable in a property, so that would increase the value of your home. It’s a really good investment. And one of the reasons I think a fireplace is so desirable is because it’s so romantic. The light it gives is nice, and sitting by a fire… so romantic! —Neta, Harlem (pictured at left)
     
  • Turning up the heat  (wink, wink) I love a sauna but I never thought about having my own! I like to use it after the gym, or when I go to the spa with my friends, which we do a lot. A fireplace is nice, too, though. Very romantic and when it’s cold like this, all I want is a cozy fire! So, fireplace! —Ivana, Upper West Side
  • Comfort from the cold My friends have a sauna in their bathroom and I’m so envious. It’s just nice a the end of the day to have that heat to knock the cold our of your bones. And no clean up! —Marianne, Upper West Side

Verdict: New York’s aflame for fireplaces!

Related:

Fake your way to a fireplace this winter

A wood-burning fireplace or an adjustable thermostat?

Some stylish faux-fireplace options to get you through a NYC winter

 

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