How Bitcoin Mining Powers This Brooklyn Luxury Spa

In the heart of Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood, Bathhouse spa offers a luxurious retreat where steaming pools, marble hammams, and soothing showers create an oasis of calm. Yet behind the serene ambiance lies an innovative twist: the spa’s water is heated not by traditional methods but by the computational power of Bitcoin mining. This unconventional approach, spearheaded by co-founder Jason Goodman, harnesses the heat generated by cryptocurrency mining to warm the spa’s facilities, blending cutting-edge technology with wellness.

Goodman, who opened Bathhouse Williamsburg in 2019, initially relied on conventional pool heaters. His dive into the world of Bitcoin revealed an opportunity to integrate mining into his business. Bitcoin mining involves specialized computers, known as miners, performing trillions of calculations per second, earning Bitcoins in the process. This computationally intensive task consumes vast amounts of electricity, producing significant heat as a byproduct—heat that typically goes to waste. Recognizing the potential, Goodman saw a way to repurpose this energy to heat his spa’s pools and hammams. At Bathhouse, six Bitcoin miners, each roughly the size of a gaming console, maintain a hot tub at a steady 104°F. Housed in a storage closet, these units are submerged in non-conductive oil to absorb heat, which is then piped through tubes to warm the spa’s water features. Additionally, mining boilers circulate cold water to cool the mining computers, outputting water at 170°F, while a thermal battery stores excess heat for later use.

A Growing Trend

The concept of using Bitcoin mining for heating extends beyond Brooklyn. In Finland, Marathon Digital Holdings has transformed Bitcoin miners into a district heating system, warming homes for 80,000 residents. In China, HeatCore employs mining to heat commercial buildings and maintain pool temperatures for fish farming, with plans to explore seawater desalination. On a smaller scale, individuals can purchase miners that double as space heaters. Goodman and other crypto enthusiasts anticipate further growth, particularly with potential policy shifts under the Trump administration, which has expressed interest in establishing a Bitcoin strategic reserve.

For Goodman, the energy used to heat Bathhouse’s waters is valuable by the unique experience it provides. The spa’s integration of Bitcoin mining not only maintains the luxurious warmth of its facilities but also aligns with a vision of challenging traditional economic systems. As visitors relax in the Bitcoin heated pools, they engage with a fusion of technology and wellness that sparks curiosity about the future of energy use.