One thing I don’t miss about living in New York is summer in the city. It’s hot; it’s humid; you’re constantly coming in contact with other people’s sweat; air conditioning costs a fortune … everything about it just sucks. At least Improv Everywhere managed to find the silver lining in the gross, disgusting cloud that is summer in NYC, though. They figured, gee, it’s already so steamy down on the subway platforms, so why not take advantage of the fact and turn ‘em into a luxury spa?
As always, they pulled out all the stops: In addition to the sauna, they had complimentary water with slices of lemon and lime in it, complimentary towels, a misting station, and even hot stone massages. Naturally, they garnished it with a bunch of plants hanging out in towels as they steamed all the impurities out of their pores. Some onlookers seemed a little baffled; others, however, jumped right in and joined the fun (the lady at the 1:55 mark who opted for the hot stone massage is my favorite). Me? I definitely would have taken advantage of that misting station. Nothing feels more refreshing than a cooling mist hitting your skin on an 85-degree day — especially when you’re spending that day on a 95-degree subway platform.
The one piece of bad news? It looks like they did it at 34th Street… on the NQR platform. Hi there, bedbugs. Hope you enjoyed your stay at the Improv Everywhere Luxury Subway Spa. It must be hard work wreaking havoc on all those N trains.
In all seriousness, though, summer heat safety isn’t something to be scoffed at. Make sure you drink lots of water, stay in the shade when you go outside, try to spend at least a few hours in an air-conditioned building on the hottest days (the library, the mall, or a museum are all good places to go if you don’t have air conditioning at home), and for the love of all that is holy, wear your damn sunscreen. At least we’ve only got another month or so of grossness to go, right?
Image: Improv Everywhere/YouTube
