Hook Hall. 3400 Georgia Ave., NW.
In winters past, Park View drinking garden Hook Hall has transformed into an ’80s-style ski lodge and a “Viking Village” (think wooden huts and turkey legs). This year, owner Anna Valero wanted to bring the Northern Lights to DC. “You start looking at all of the beautiful images of Lapland, and you have the domes and you have the fires, and, inevitably, there’s always a hot tub,” she says. “It’s like reindeer, huskies, and hot tubs.”
So—why not?—Hook Hall has brought in an actual hot tub.
The hot tub is located in a private outdoor cabana for up to eight people. A two-hour rental goes for $300 with online bookings available now. The cabana area is outfitted with its own changing room and two fire pits. The “tundra experience” even has a sponsor—Uncle Nearest whiskey—who supplies branded terry cloth robes and a warm welcome cocktail.
Now onto the more pressing question: how grossed out should we be? Valero says that the hot tub is chemically cleaned between reservations in addition to a weekly and monthly maintenance regimen. “It’s probably going to be cleaner than most places in DC. We are being much more aggressive [with cleaning] than the typical hotel hot tub that most people think nothing of getting into,” Valero says. The robes are washed by a professional linen service (sorry, you don’t get to keep them).
If you’re thinking of getting a little, um, frisky in the hot tub, please don’t. For starters, the hot tub isn’t totally private. In fact, the cabana directly faces the sidewalk of Georgia Avenue, though there is an optional curtain. “We’re constantly going to be going in and checking in on folks in the hot tub. No differently than if you are in a bar regularly, management always reserves the right to pull your ripcord or to tell you, ‘Hey guys, I need you to drink some water and take a break,'” Valero says.
Valero adds that guests are required to wear “appropriate” swim wear: “It has to be an actual bathing suit. You can’t just strip down to your skivvies and jump in.” There are other rules too, but most of them are pretty obvious. For example: no diving, no electronics, no dogs, and don’t forget to hop in and out every 15 minutes so you don’t overheat.
Hook Hall also has four completely dry cabanas which seat up to 25, all decked out with aurora borealis decor. (Fun fact: the Northern Lights will be the brightest in 20 years this year.) The lounge-y sections include heaters and fire pits, plus a bottle of bubbly with 2.5 hour rentals ($99 on weekends, $75 on weekdays). A larger “grand winter cabana” fits up to 50 people ($350 for weekends, $250 on weekdays). Normal garden tables are also available for walk-ins who just want to gawk at the people in the hot tubs.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
