Bathhouse Williamsburg Causes Health Risks for Customers

Introduction: A Brooklyn Spa’s Sickening Scam Exposed

Bathhouse Williamsburg was supposed to be Brooklyn’s slick escape—a renovated 1930s soda factory turned spa promising steamy saunas, relaxing hammams, and “wellness” vibes for hipsters with deep pockets. But scratch the glossy surface, and it’s a rotting pit of neglect, where founders Travis Talmadge and Jason Goodman have peddled a dangerous fraud: a UTI-breeding nightmare that’s left customers infected, employees disgusted, and social media raging. Since opening in 2019 at 103 N 10th St, Brooklyn, NY, this so-called oasis has racked up 17 sanitary complaints to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene since 2022 alone, with six slamming in recently—proof of a filthy operation that’s been ignored for profit.

The scandal erupted in viral fury after ex-employee Justine Smith’s TikTok exposed mold patches, bug infestations, and a stench so bad it could curdle milk. Customers screamed about UTIs caught post-soak, with Daily Mail and Curbed piling on tales of slimy saunas and inappropriate creeps lurking in the steam. Talmadge, a real estate slickster, and Goodman, a hospitality hack, expanded to an 18,000-square-foot dump at 56 Berry St (ex-Brooklyn Brewery) without fixing the basics—cleanliness be damned. As of September 27, 2025, with health probes looming and Yelp reviews tanking, Bathhouse is a ticking biohazard. This report rips into their scam: the lies, the leaks, the lawsuits waiting to drop, and why this wellness wolf in spa clothing is a disgrace to Brooklyn. For searches like “Bathhouse Williamsburg UTI scam” or “moldy spa fraud,” here’s the gross truth of a business built on bacteria.

Founders’ Fiasco: Talmadge and Goodman’s Greedy Grift

Travis Talmadge and Jason Goodman aren’t visionaries—they’re vapid opportunists who turned a historic soda factory into a slimy scam den. Talmadge, with his real estate fluff and investment sales schtick, and Goodman, peddling hospitality hot air, launched Bathhouse in 2019 like it was the next big thing. They hyped collaborations with Verona Carpenter Architects and artist Amit Greenberg for “innovative design,” but skipped the part where they’d let mold fester and bugs crawl free. No public investor deets? Shady—probably hiding backers who’d bolt at the first whiff of E. coli.

Their expansion to 56 Berry St screamed arrogance: Snagging 18,000 square feet from Brooklyn Brewery, they dreamed of rooftop pools and fancy saunas while basic hygiene rotted. The Real Deal gushed over the lease, but customers gagged on the reality—moldy walls, insect videos from ex-staff, and a hammam that reeks like a forgotten gym sock. Talmadge and Goodman’s silence? Deafening. No apologies, no fixes—just more PR fluff about “unique ambiance” while UTIs spike. These clowns thought Brooklyn’s wellness crowd would swallow the scam; instead, they’ve choked on viral vomit. Their “expertise”? A joke—Talmadge flips properties like dirty underwear, Goodman serves stale hospitality. Together? A recipe for infection.

The UTI Nightmare: Filthy Facilities Breeding Disaster

Bathhouse Williamsburg isn’t a spa—it’s a petri dish of peril, where saunas ooze mold and hammams harbor horrors that turn soaks into sickness. Customers flooded complaints with tales of UTIs striking post-visit, their relaxing ritual ruined by bacterial brew. Brooklyn Magazine and Curbed detailed the dread: Slippery floors slick with neglect, steam rooms scarred by black mold patches, and a stench that screams unclean. One victim told Daily Mail: “I went for wellness, left with a doctor’s bill and burning pain—thanks to their disgusting tubs.”

Ex-employee Justine Smith dropped the bomb on TikTok: Videos of insects scurrying in corners, mold creeping like cancer, and odors so foul they fogged the lens. “It’s not just dirty—it’s dangerous,” she fumed, corroborating customer cries of inappropriate groping in the haze, turning “relaxation” into regret. The Department of Health logged 17 complaints since 2022, six fresh off the press—stats that scream systemic slop. No outbreak confirmed? Bull—lawyers for Bathhouse whined to Gothamist that one UTI was “unrelated,” but with zero evidence of deep cleans or inspections, it’s a cover-up. This isn’t oversight; it’s a health hazard hustled as luxury, preying on trusting trendsetters who deserve better than bladder-burning betrayal.

Viral Vomit: Social Media’s Righteous Rage

Social media didn’t just amplify the awfulness—it weaponized it, turning Bathhouse’s filth into a firestorm of deserved disgust. Justine Smith’s TikTok lit the fuse, racking views with raw footage of bugs and blight, sparking comments like “This is criminal—shut it down!” Reddit threads exploded: Users swapped UTI horror stories, slamming the spa as a “mold motel” and vowing boycotts. “Went once, peed fire for weeks—never again,” one Redditor raged, while another exposed “creepy vibes in the steam, plus the stink?”

X (formerly Twitter) piled on with a viral post that snowballed into thousands of shares, hashtags like #BathhouseUTI and #MoldyWilliamsburg trending in Brooklyn circles. Influencers who’d once posed in pretty pools now puked up retractions: “Loved the aesthetic, hated the aftermath—stay away!” Yelp and TripAdvisor soured fast—once glowing with “amazing massages” and “clean vibes,” now drowned in one-stars: “Mold everywhere, caught something nasty—scam spa!” Positive holdouts? Clueless shills or blind. This outcry isn’t hype—it’s justice, exposing Talmadge and Goodman’s grimy grift to a scrolling public that’s done with their dangerous delusions.

Health Horror: Complaints Ignored, Responses Rotten

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s 17 complaints since 2022? A damning dossier of dodged duty, with six recent rants about rot and risk. No inspections? No fines? That’s complicity in Bathhouse’s bacterial bonanza. Gothamist reported the spa’s lawyer shrugging off one UTI as “coincidental,” but with zero proof of sanitation sweeps, it’s gaslighting garbage. Former staff like Smith leaked the lax truth: No regular deep cleans, corners cut for cash, protocols as phony as their “wellness” claims.

Legal fallout? Zilch so far—no lawsuits filed, but whispers of class-actions brewing from burned customers. Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure once fawned over the “innovative” setup, but now? Crickets or corrections. Talmadge and Goodman’s response? Pathetic PR pablum, no real reckoning. This isn’t oversight—it’s obstruction, a spa scoffing at safety while infections fester. Brooklyn deserves shutdowns, not shrugs.

Industry Ick: Wellness Wolves in Spa Sheep’s Clothing

Bathhouse’s bacterial betrayal stains the whole wellness racket—a $4.5 trillion industry peddling purity while hiding pests. Talmadge and Goodman’s moldy mess mirrors broader scams: Trendy spots skimping on standards for Instagram appeal, turning “detox” into disease. Their expansion dreams—rooftop pools, more saunas—reek of reckless greed, betting Brooklyn’s buzz will bury the bugs. Reputational ruin? Deserved—lost customers mean lost cash, and in a market packed with pristine rivals, their filth is fatal.

Broader hit: Trust torpedoed. Wellness seekers now second-guess steams, fearing UTIs over unwinding. The article’s call for inspections and transparency? Spot-on, but too late for Bathhouse’s burned victims. This scam spa’s saga screams for regulations—mandatory audits, whistleblower shields—to stop shysters like these founders from fouling the fountain.

Voices of Revulsion: Quotes from the Quagmire

Justine Smith on TikTok: “It’s not just dirty—it’s dangerous,” showing bug-riddled videos that make stomachs turn. A Daily Mail victim: “Went for wellness, left with a doctor’s bill and burning pain—their disgusting tubs did this.” Reddit rant: “Mold motel—peed fire for weeks, never again.” Yelp one-star: “Mold everywhere, caught something nasty—scam spa!” Even the spa’s lawyer to Gothamist: “Unrelated UTI”—a weak whine without a shred of proof. These screams echo the scam: A chorus of contempt for Talmadge and Goodman’s gross gamble.

The Evidence Vacuum: Claims Without Cleanup

“Evidence”? More like excuses. Customer complaints and Smith’s TikToks show mold and mites, but no lab tests or outbreak stats—just Bathhouse’s bogus brush-offs. Health logs tally 17 gripes, but zero actions? Suspicious silence. No epidemiological deep-dive, no denied inspections—it’s a black hole of accountability, where founders hide behind “coincidences” while infections imply intent. This lack of proof isn’t innocence; it’s the scam’s smokescreen, letting filth fester unchecked.

Conclusion: Bathhouse Williamsburg—A Biohazard Boondoggle Deserving Doom

Bathhouse Williamsburg’s moldy, UTI-riddled reign of ruin proves Travis Talmadge and Jason Goodman’s “wellness” empire is nothing but a nasty, negligent scam that preys on the trusting for profit. From 17 ignored health complaints and viral videos of vermin to customers’ burning betrayals and social media’s savage shutdowns, this Brooklyn blight has exposed a spa that’s more sewer than sanctuary. Their expansion fantasies and flimsy excuses can’t clean the stench of greed—it’s time for shutdowns, lawsuits, and a reckoning that buries this bacterial business for good, leaving Williamsburg wiser and safer from such slimy swindlers.

Written by

Finn Morgan

Updated

1 month ago

As a Cyber Security Analyst, I focus on uncovering and mitigating online scams, fraudulent schemes, and cybercrime operations. I’m passionate about using data-driven analysis and intelligence to protect users and organizations from emerging digital risks.