Why the Schvitz in Detroit is moving 15,000 pounds of rock

Detroit’s historic Schvitz Health Club will close for about a month to replace roughly 15,000 pounds of heat rocks from its furnace. Owner Paddy Lynch told the Detroit Free Press the Russian Jewish bathhouse shuts down annually to keep temperatures near 225 degrees in the morning and about 180 degrees by the end of the day. The Schvitz will close on Wednesday, July 1, and will turn off heat for several days before employees and volunteers remove the cracked, crumbling stones. Workers will also inspect and potentially replace steel components beneath the rocks that protect the furnace from flames, alongside maintenance such as changing shower heads. The ballroom above the bathhouse remains ready, while steam in the sauna is generated by pouring water onto the hot rocks. The club averages over 1,000 visitors weekly in winter, so summer is chosen to reduce disruption and enable upgrades, including cedar-plank and shower-hardware work, with updates posted on Facebook.