Situated near
Detroit's New
Center area lies
apiece of Jewish
history called the Schvitz.
JENNIFER FINER STAFF WRITER
eginning with a post-Depression heyday, the down-
town Detroit Oakland Bathhouse was known for its Porterhouse steak, a steam room like no other and a massage
called a platsa that could make anyone's stress seem inconsequential.
The steaks are still succulent. The steam, members say, is still the finest anywhere. And Isadore "Izzy" Cohen, a
platsa man for 60 years, still gives the best platsa (Yiddish for back rub) in town.
"What brings people here?" Mr. Cohen said. "It's a nice atmosphere, the people are friendly and everyone comes for
the same reason: to relax. This place gets all the tension out of all of us. Even if you hate someone, you learn to relax
with him."
Long after the Jewish community fled
Detroit for the more affluent suburbs,
Jewish men continued going to the bath-
house, renamed the Schvitz in the
1970s. Many began the tradition with
their fathers decades ago.
When they went as young boys, there
was no such thing as couples' nights on
Friday and Saturday. And, what used
to be a mikvah for the women has since
been filled in and transformed into a
movie room, used mainly during the
weekends.
The Schvitz, still at its original Oak-
land and Clay Avenue location, is situ-
ated near Detroit's New Center area.
Nothing about the outside of the large,
black, windowless building tells passers-
by what is housed within. It looks like
an old warehouse.
Inside, the smell of chlorine runs
throughout the dimly lit club. Paintings
of half-naked women decorate the brick
walls, and a large parrot named Nimo
occasionally chirps a few words.
The newly renovated top floor is used
for banquets or bachelor parties. The
main floor is where the lockers, massage
tables, kitchen and dining area can be
found.
Those who choose to dine at the
Schvitz know better than to ask for a
menu. The club serves steak, ham-
burgers, lobster tail and chicken, and
prices range between $10 and $40.
Downstairs is a pool and two rooms
— one with a whirlpool where hot foam-
ing water bubbles above the surface, and
the other (the reason the club is still fa-
mous), the steam room.
"The steam here is the best, hands
down," Mr. Cohen said. "I was raised on
this type of steam."
In a corner of the room is a small door
which, when open, reveals the source of
the steam. This 5-foot by 5-foot oven con-
tains boulders of rock, called field stone.
Owner Bob Wetzel, 31, uses 1 million
BTUs (British Thermal Units) of gas to
heat the oven and the more than 7 tons
of stone it contains. Dumping buckets of
water on the stone produces a dry heat.
"There is no place like the heat if your
bones are aching," said Lou Gold, a West
Bloomfield resident who has been going
to the Schvitz for 50 years.
Inside the steam room, on the top of
the bleacher-style benches, is where Izzy
Cohen works his magic. Before he begins
aplatsa, the person is covered with Ivory
soap suds to prevent the skin from burn-
ing. Then, Mr. Cohen takes a broom
made from oak leaves and soaks it in hot
water, then twirls it over the person's
body. The process takes between eight
and 10 minutes.
"It's like 1,000 fingers giving you a
massage at one time," Mr. Wetzel said.
"Some people describe it as feeling like
they are going through a car wash. When
you leave, nothing aches."
The Schvitz is a membership club, and
like other private clubs is not open to the
general public. Those interested in join-
ing Metro Detroit's only remaining bath-
house must be referred by an existing
member. Mr. Wetzel issues the new-
comers a three-day pass for $50. After
that, an individual pays $500 for a one-
SCHVITZERS page 28