Equinox expands its wellness reach, the Met’s latest exhibition at the Costume Institute immerses museum-goers in nature, and Milan is getting a $55 million thermal park. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
The Met’s Sleeping Beauties exhibition awakens the senses
The Mermaid Bride dress designed by Callot Soeurs on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; photo courtesy of the Met
The first Monday in May has come to symbolize one of fashion’s biggest nights, the annual Met Gala, orchestrated by Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour, who has chaired the gala since 1999. The theme this year, the Garden of Time, coincided with the Costume Institute’s new show, Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion, which opened after the Met Gala this week. The immersive exhibition features 220 garments and accessories spanning four centuries, all connected to themes of nature, serving as a metaphor for the transience of fashion. The name “Sleeping Beauties” references the institute’s archives that are too fragile to be displayed on mannequins. Instead, AI, animation, and X-rays bring these garments to life.
While the gala keeps the Costume Institute—tickets are around $75,000—well-funded, real-world issues surrounded the event, according to Surface magazine’s Design Dispatch newsletter, including a ban of the title sponsor TikTok in the U.S. and the Condé Nast union, representing employees of Vogue and other publishing titles, threatening to walk out and disrupt the gala over the pace of contract negotiations. (They reached a tentative deal before the event.)
$55 million thermal park set to open in Milan
Terme di Saturnia in Tuscany, designed by THDP; photo by Giorgio Baroni
The operating company behind Terme di Saturnia, a 132-room retreat in Tuscany, plans to open a 172,000-square-foot wellness center in Milan, writes European Spa Magazine. Said to be the largest in Italy, the Scuderie de Montel project is scheduled to open at the end of the year in Milan’s prestigious San Siro district, known for its residences and gardens. As for the thermal water, a spokesperson for the project said it will be used for the park’s pools and extracted from the source at a depth of 1,300 feet. Additionally, the thermal park will be home to various experiences, including saunas, Turkish baths, treatment cabins, and more.
Equinox’s $40,000-a-year plan to help you live longer
The club lounge at the Equinox hotel in New York, designed by Joyce Wang Studio; photo by Jesse Dittmar
High-end fitness chain Equinox is also expanding its wellness reach by launching a $40,000-per-year program aimed at improving overall health and longevity. In partnership with lab-test startup Function Health, Optimize by Equinox is a personalized health program that includes everything from personal training to nutrition plans and sleep coaching. After submitting to a series of tests, members will be assigned a core team to help execute the personalized plan determined by an Equinox concierge. The move, reports CNBC, is a test of Equinox’s efforts to grow beyond fitness into the broader health and wellness business. The Optimize program will be available starting at the end of May in New York and Highland Park, Texas, and will eventually roll out to other states.
Using TikTok to find New York’s hottest restaurants
Meduza Mediterrania in New York from Tosh Berman’s Noble 33; photo by AVABLU
Recently, reporter Becky Hughes of The New York Times used TikTok as the ultimate guide to New York City restaurants. Hughes spent hours perfecting her algorithm and FYP page to curate a list of venues delivered to her from TikTok. She tried Tosh Berman’s latest Meduza Mediterrania, which she describes as “a pleasant surprise.” She also noshed at Quality Bistro (described by one TikTok user as “the best NYC restaurant to meet eligible bachelors”); ThisBowl, an Australian fast-casual concept in NoHo; Datz Deli with locations in Queens and the Lower East Side; Cask Bar + Kitchen in Murray Hill, which offers $60 deal for an appetizer, entrée, and dessert with unlimited wine; and BonBon, a candy store on the Lower East Side.
ICYMI: Read all things hospitality in our April issue
Warren Street Hotel in New York, designed by Kit Kemp; photo by Simon Brown
Spanning four covers, our annual April issue is an impressive mix of insightful stories impacting the industry, including how experts are reducing their carbon footprint and a preview of what to expect from our annual HD Expo + Conference, which was held last week (see our takeaways here). In addition to profiling some of the industry’s most respected hospitality veterans—like Kit Kemp of Firmdale Hotels and Aparium’s Mario Tricoci—there are interviews with top restauranteurs and chefs (including Simon Kim and Missy Robbins) in our Open Table F&B section as well as a deep dive into six hotel properties from around the world. Read the full issue!
