The closest you’ll come to South Beach in Boston, this rooftop pool is the preferred haunt of a moneyed international crowd whose bathing suits (designer bikinis that can’t get wet, Vilebrequin trunks) and accessories (Goyard totes and Prada backpacks) sit atop plush white towels emblazoned with RTP, alongside sweating bottles of rosé in ice buckets. The blender at the bar is always going, while speakers pump in appropriately hip music and two TVs offer something other than tanned flesh to look at. Cover ranges from $20 to $40 (check the website for hours), and the party lasts until 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays and, especially, on Monday industry nights. For ballers, there are cabanas ($200 on weekdays, $325 on weekends) with a $100 food minimum, but that’s rarely a problem with a menu that boasts specialty cocktails, decent Champagne, wine and beer lists, and a full menu that includes salads, mezze platters, swordfish tacos, lamb kabobs and Regina Pizzeria pizza. And Brasserie JO, located in the hotel lobby, will send up steaks and oysters for cabana occupants. Author and yoga instructor Rebecca Pacheco leads a $15 class at 7 am on Wednesdays, and changing rooms with showers make it easy when it comes time to bounce. The downside: The pool is very small, more appropriate for dunking than swimming.
120 Huntington Ave., Boston (617-425-3408) colonnadehotel.com
Pool Hopping
A Deep Dive into Six of Boston’s Coolest Watering Holes.
By Jonathan Soroff | Photo Credit: Vanyaland Party at the Verb Hotel: Diego Navarro | June 12, 2015
If David Hockney lived in downtown Boston, he might still be a struggling artist, so rare is the sight of his most famous subject, the swimming pool. In a city where the weather is (ahem) uncooperative for much of the year, a pool is something of an extravagance, which explains the paucity of places to go for a dip when the mercury starts edging toward the sweltering.Some people will settle for a kiddie pool on the back deck, of course, and there are a few municipal pools, like the North End’s harborside Mirabella, a steal at $15 for a season pass (but, alas, not open till June 20, too late for our deadline). And for decades, the cluster of apartment buildings on the corner of Comm. and Mass. Ave. known collectively as Charles White has hosted a storied summerlong party for its residents and their guests in the alley behind Newbury Street. Plenty of other private buildings—from Lewis Wharf on the waterfront and the Macallen in Southie to bazillion dollar townhouses on Beacon Hill—boast pools as an amenity. Still, the type of urban oasis where you can order a bite to eat, toast to summer and possibly ogle some eye candy is harder to find. But not impossible: We chose to take a lap at six such scenes and report back. So come on in—the water’s fine.
By Jonathan Soroff
The Clubs at Charles River Park
If you lived here you’d be home now, and if it were July, you might also be parked outside on a chaise lounge. Despite being located in the middle of Boston’s original high-rise development, the pool complex is owned and operated by Mass General, so it’s a good place to meet a nice doctor or triathlete. Four 25-yard lap lanes separate two free-swim areas—one family-friendly, one adults-only—and there are coaching and master classes available. (A separate wading pool for the little ’uns is blessedly located at a remove.) A pop-up from Back Bay juice bar Jugos serves smoothies and healthy fare with a Latin flair—think grilled corn, guac-topped turkey burgers and paleta popsicles. And although there’s no bar, alcohol can be brought in (and mixed with the aforementioned smoothies). There are 79 seasonal cabanas for rent, as well as one for daily use that has a grill, a refrigerator, lounge chairs, tables and showers, but there are also full locker rooms in the health club on the lower level. Day passes cost $40, seasonal membership is $490, and they offer a yoga class on the deck every Wednesday at 6:45 a.m. and outdoor Zumba once a month. The downside: the occasional siren of an ambulance or rotor wash from a med-flight headed to MGH.
10 Whittier Place, Boston (617-726-2900) clubsatcrp.com
By Jonathan Soroff | Photo Credit: Jeff Newcum Photography
RTP at the Colonnade Hotel
The closest you’ll come to South Beach in Boston, this rooftop pool is the preferred haunt of a moneyed international crowd whose bathing suits (designer bikinis that can’t get wet, Vilebrequin trunks) and accessories (Goyard totes and Prada backpacks) sit atop plush white towels emblazoned with RTP, alongside sweating bottles of rosé in ice buckets. The blender at the bar is always going, while speakers pump in appropriately hip music and two TVs offer something other than tanned flesh to look at. Cover ranges from $20 to $40 (check the website for hours), and the party lasts until 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays and, especially, on Monday industry nights. For ballers, there are cabanas ($200 on weekdays, $325 on weekends) with a $100 food minimum, but that’s rarely a problem with a menu that boasts specialty cocktails, decent Champagne, wine and beer lists, and a full menu that includes salads, mezze platters, swordfish tacos, lamb kabobs and Regina Pizzeria pizza. And Brasserie JO, located in the hotel lobby, will send up steaks and oysters for cabana occupants. Author and yoga instructor Rebecca Pacheco leads a $15 class at 7 am on Wednesdays, and changing rooms with showers make it easy when it comes time to bounce. The downside: The pool is very small, more appropriate for dunking than swimming.
120 Huntington Ave., Boston (617-425-3408) colonnadehotel.com
By Jonathan Soroff
Rooftop@Revere
With an expansive feel (16,000 square feet), this outdoor retreat on the Revere Hotel’s seventh floor offers dramatic city views in a park-like setting, thanks to lush landscaping by Winston Flowers. The extensive menu includes light bites and plates perfect for sharing, while the cocktail, Champagne, wine and beer lists are better than most clubs. The staff is outfitted in clothing by local designer Bless Mazarura, and the 21-plus age limit guarantees an afternoon or evening free from shrill children (or even shriller parents). General admission is $20 on weekdays, $30 on weekends, and there are four- and eight-person cabanas available ($150 and $300 on weekdays, $225 and $450 on weekends, with food and beverage minimums). There are plenty of hotel guests working on their tans, but you’re just as likely to see a pair of models sipping Champagne or well-dressed professionals enjoying an al fresco lunch. Sunday brings a daytime Sun&Set party, Monday features an industry night, and Athleta hosts free Pilates workouts on Tuesday evenings. The downside: The actual pool is under glass, and the bathrooms double as changing rooms.
200 Stuart St., Boston (617-457-2663) reverehotel.com
By Jonathan Soroff | Photo Credit: Adrian Wilson
The Verb Hotel
Built mid-century and revamped under new ownership last year, this Fenway hotel has a decidedly Palm Springs-cum-Vegas feel. The music theme is immediately apparent, with rock ’n’ roll memorabilia from the collection of local legend David Bieber in the lobby, and carries on outside, where the refrigeration units are reminiscent of Marshall amps. The pool, located in a courtyard, is surrounded by the guest rooms’ brightly colored grid of Mondrian-esque windows. A visitors’ policy has yet to be finalized, but there’s certain to be demand, especially with O Ya proprietors Tim and Nancy Cushman opening Hojoko, an izakaya, or Japanese tavern, serving ideal fare for warm weather. The emphasis on music—in homage to the neighborhood’s history as a nightlife destination and onetime home to rock stations WBCN and WFNX—extends to programming by alternative music website and streaming radio station Vanyaland, not to mention the oversight of marketing director Lauren Recchia, the drummer for punk-dance band Petty Morals. Live performances have already included artists like Swedish pop sensation Tove Lo, who performed a gig for Kiss 108. It might be premature to say, but we’re guessing this will be the place for extravagantly pierced, highly tattooed hipsters to hang out. The downside: The pool deck is limited and hemmed in by the hotel.
1271 Boylston St., Boston (617-566-4500) theverbhotel.com
By Jonathan Soroff | Photo Credit: Brian Samuels
The BOKX Pool at the Hotel Indigo
A slightly more grown-up version of the Colonnade or Revere, this boutique hotel in Newton attracts singles and families from both Boston and the western suburbs. Like its downtown counterparts, it has a full bar offering everything from cocktails to bottle service and an outdoor menu featuring lighter fare, plus the high-end steakhouse BOKX 109 just inside the door (although you’ll need to cover up). Conveniently located next to the Riverside T station (the last stop on the D Line), it boasts a country-club-gone-Vegas vibe, accessible with a $25 day pass. There are cabanas ($150 plus food and beverage minimums), as well as fire-pits with seating options for 30 to 200 people, making it an ideal place to host a summertime blowout. Every Sunday is a themed party where they bust out floaties and tubes to make it easier to sip Champagne while kibitzing in the saltwater pool. The music goes from loungy to thumping as day turns into night, and any time, it’s a happy hunting ground for suburban divorcees. Bring your fashion A-game, too, to avoid having shade thrown your way from over a pair of Tom Ford sunglasses. The downside: When you’re ready to leave and hit the town, you’re all the way out in Newton.
399 Grove St., Newton (617-969-5300) newtonindigo.com
By Jonathan Soroff
Ink Block
An outdoor pool seems to be the It amenity for Boston’s current boom of luxury residential developments, and Ink Block is no exception. The swimming pool at this newly opened rental and condo complex, set on the former site of Boston Herald headquarters, is currently open only to residents and their guests, but the surrounding area is open to the public for special events. Indeed, the ethos behind the entire development is to create a sense of community in this newly enlivened corner of the South End. The expansive garden surrounding the pool, with a lush lawn and spacious areas for entertaining, hosts exercise classes, grilling demonstrations by local chefs and activities such as a cornhole league, movie nights and wine tastings that are open to anyone. Alcohol is allowed on the premises and stocked at the enormous new Whole Foods downstairs (connected directly by elevator), and restaurants that are due to open in the building will offer delivery. The pool can be converted into a stage for live music and other performances, and there are outdoor showers and restroom facilities. The downside: Bring your own towel.
300 Harrison Ave., Boston (877-784-9514) inkblockboston.com
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