Wow!

No, no, scratch that! Try, WOWWW!!!

We do indeed love those character filled “neighborhood mikvahs”, but this is something else! This is a space aged “big city” mikvah! (located on Kingston Ave, across the street from Kingston Pizza, BTW).

As we passed through the grand entryway (nice solid door in a new decorative facade), we were surprised at first to see a very limited space – A single hallway stretching ahead of us with a few doors along each of the long walls.

We realized very quickly that this mikvah is likely to be different from most other mikvahs we had been to or heard about as we walked down this beautifully made hall and passed by newly installed change machines (set nicely in the left wall, clean, and presented as professionally as ATM’s in the best of uptown banks).

The door to the mikvah is the final door on the left side of this short hall, or so we thought. It’s labeled “Mikvah” (in Hebrew), so we expected to walk straight into the main event.

Instead, as we walked through the door, we found a long staircase leading down and running parallel to the entry hallway (back toward the street).

We went down the long stair case, again, surrounded by well finished surfaces. At the bottom landing, we found an automated mikvah attendant and a locked metal turnstile.

Now, the automated attendant won’t hand you a towel or wish you Hatzlacha (success) in your day, but it will unlock the turnstile for you – After you feed it the required mikvah fee ($3 per dip per person on weekdays, $5 on Erev Shabbos, and a bulk discount card is available).

At the beginning of the entry process, the metal turnstile is locked and a red light glows directly above. As you feed the attendant, a screen counts remaining fees required. Once the feeding is complete, the red light turns off, a green light atop the turnstile turns on, and the turnstile unlocks for a single 1/3 turn (enough for one person to pass).

It’s not the cheapest fun to be had in Crown Heights, but it is indeed fun! And the turnstile is so much cleaner than the average subway turnstile – It may well be the only clean one for miles.

So, is Mikvah Meir worth the cost? Let’s go through this spinning metal marvel and take a look!

Upon passing the turnstile, we enter the dressing room. This place is made up so beautifully, one can easily imagine sitting in here for relaxation. The ceilings look like grand palace spaces, formed of sweeping arches conjoining into classical domes. The lights all point upward, further enhancing the grand feeling of this space while illuminating it with gentle grace.

The showers are arranged in a hall (within shallow stalls) that connects the dressing room to the actual mikvah. Each stall is outfitted with a large rectangular overhead showerhead that turns on automatically as you step into the stall. The temperature dial is directly in front of the user’s normal standing position, and it is very easy to control and very responsive.

Each stall is also outfitted with soap and shampoo dispensers and a small hand towel that can be draped in front of the motion sensor in case you want the water to run continuously, even when when you step momentarily out of the shallow stall.

As we exit the shower hall, we arrive, finally, at the mikvah itself. The water is pristinely clean, the temperature is just warm enough to be comfortable (and comforting), and the space plentiful and entirely free of breaks, wares, or blemishes.

So, again, is it worth the expense? Let me put it this way – Schneur Zalman and Yisroel Shem Tov were in rare absolute agreement that there was no reason to leave! Even for ice cream! Yes, Mikvah Meir is absolutely worth it! Of course, if we were to make a regular habit of this, the discounted pre-paid card would be a must.