Next month, Detroit’s historic Schvitz Health Club will close for the replacement of about 15,000 pounds of rock from its oven.
The Russian Jewish bathhouse closes for about a month every year to continue the tradition of replacing the rocks that heat the building to about 225 degrees in the morning, and keep it at 180 by the end of the day, owner Paddy Lynch told the Free Press. The Schvitz will close on Wednesday, July 1, this year.
“Over the course of the year, they (the rocks) get blasted with so much heat that they crack, they crumble over time. They can’t hold the heat like they once did, so all of them are removed,” Lynch said.
Schvitz will turn off the heat for a few days before employees and volunteers spend a day passing the rocks out of the furnace, the same one used when the traditional Russian Jewish bathhouse opened in 1930.
Along with moving the rocks, employees will check and potentially replace the steel pieces that sit under the rocks in the furnace to protect them from the flames, as well as perform maintenance on other parts of the health club, such as changing shower heads, Lynch said. The ballroom above the Schvitz is ready to use, though renovations and upgrades continue.
How the Schvitz heats up
A grill-like furnace with four high-powered pipes heats the rocks every night, and the rocks, along with the nearly 2 feet of concrete thickness in the walls, hold the heat in the building for the day, Lynch said.
Steam seen in the sauna comes from throwing water on the hot rocks.
Daniel Vaysenberg, who has worked at the Schvitz for over 40 years, is an expert who carries on the knowledge and tradition of the Schvitz and what it takes to maintain it.
When the rocks are removed each year, the workers usually put them outside the building, and they or others aware of the tradition usually take them home for landscaping, or the rocks are so crumbled they get thrown away.
Usually, Schvitz posts on Facebook ahead of the rock removal day, looking for volunteers to assist, Lynch said.
Why Schvitz closes in the summer
Lynch said in the winter months, the bathhouse averages over 1,000 visitors each week. The summer is a good time for maintenance of not just the oven, but things like shower handles and cedar planks in the saunas, because it’s usually slower.
In the past, the Schvitz has closed in August and tried to reopen by Labor Day, Lynch said. Because July was such a slow month, now Schvitz closes in July and tries to reopen mid-August.
For updates on the closure, renovations, and how to volunteer for rock replacement, follow Schvitz Health Club on Facebook.
Contact Natalie Davies at ndavies@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why the Schvitz in Detroit is moving 15,000 pounds of rock
Reporting by Natalie Davies, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Natalie Davies, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
