New York apartments come with a lot of things. Radiators that hiss, a super who gaslights you, and usually no pool.

Luckily, a handful of NYC hotels sell day passes to their pools, many through ResortPass, so you can claim a lounger, order a drink, and head home without paying for a room. Passes start at $25 and go up from there.

Most are open only during the warmer months, while a couple stay heated all year. A few also use minimum spends instead of a traditional day pass.

Price: $$$

Arlo's rooftop is the Williamsburg pool scene without the velvet-rope attitude. Wooden cabanas, plenty of greenery, and Manhattan lined up across the East River do most of the work, and Sunday DJ sets keep the energy climbing through the afternoon. It's a social scene, not the place to disappear into a novel for four hours. Passes start at $100 for a sunset swim, and reserved loungers and cabanas cost more.

Price: $$$

Real sand, a glass-bottomed pool, and a bar, all on a Chelsea pool deck. That glass bottom doubles as a skylight for the lobby below, so yes, someone checking in downstairs may get a very good look at your pedicure. Passes start at $80. The Beach is seasonal and popular on hot weekends, so book a few days out.

Price: $

This is the best value on the list, and it isn't close. Passes start at $25 for an infinity-edge rooftop pool that looks straight onto a JFK runway, wrapped in a mid-century aviation schtick that's pure Catch Me If You Can. The pool stays open year-round and is heated to 95 degrees in winter, AKA a hot tub with a flight path. Doesn't everyone want to watch a jet take off from a steaming pool in January??? Whether you're killing a long layover or just want a cheap, wonderfully weird Saturday, start here.

Price: $$

Yes, the Jimmy Buffett resort has a pool, and it's the only outdoor one in good ole Times Square. The schtick is fully committed, right down to LandShark beers and a rooftop bar literally named 5 O'Clock Somewhere. Passes start at $50. It's one of the more kid-friendly pools on this list, and surrounding towers shade the deck later in the day, so go early if you want sun.

Price: $$$$

The pool itself is tiny. The view is not. This rooftop plunge pool faces the Brooklyn Bridge and the Lower Manhattan skyline head-on. Lounge chairs are reserved for hotel guests, so non-guests book a Sky Swim Lounge table just below the pool deck, which comes with pool access. Tables are 21+ and carry a high food and drink minimum, so treat it more like a group dinner reservation than a lazy pool day. It's seasonal, too.

Price: $$

Rockaway is the move people sleep on. The hotel sits a short walk from the beach and runs an outdoor pool that's heated year-round, plus a cedar sauna once the Winter Pool House kicks in. Passes start at $50. An hour on the NYC Ferry with a paperback beats three hours of brake lights on the Long Island Expressway, am I right?

Price: $$$

At 60 feet, the William Vale's pool is the longest outdoor hotel pool in Brooklyn, and it comes with the full Manhattan skyline as a backdrop. Day passes start at $85, with family passes and cabanas if you're bringing a crew. The pool runs warm-weather only, but in the colder months the deck turns into a winter spa with saunas and wooden hot tubs.

Price: $$$$

High above SoHo's cobblestones, ModernHaus has a sleek rooftop pool next to Jimmy, its rooftop bar, with views that stretch toward the Hudson. Non-guest access has typically come through day rooms with pool access on sites like Dayuse, so check what's available before you go. Heads up, a drink at Jimmy doesn't automatically get you in the water. The pool is seasonal.

Price: $$

Shiny, red-accented, and parked right in NoMad, Virgin's rooftop pool comes with the Empire State Building looming over your lounger (a Sleepless in Seattle moment, minus the observation deck line). Passes start at $50, and the vibe leans party, especially on weekends. It closes for the colder months and has typically reopened in May.

Price: $$$

CODA bills itself as NYC's largest adults-only outdoor heated pool, and a fresh renovation leaned into the Bali-inspired look with natural wood, woven lounge pods, and lots of green. Passes start at $85 for a sunset swim with a spritz included, and daybeds and cabanas scale up from there.

Price: $$$$

Hotel Indigo's heated rooftop pool sits 15 floors up at Mr. Purple, the bar that made LES rooftop drinking feel like a personality trait. Pool access is weekends only, by reservation through Mr. Purple, with a $200 per person minimum (a $50 pool fee plus $150 in food and drinks, before tax and tip). That's a splurge, not a day pass, so save it for a birthday or a group that was going to order three rounds anyway. The pool closes for the colder months and typically reopens after Memorial Day.

For the best value, the TWA Hotel wins at $25, and it's one of two pools here that stays open all year (The Rockaway is the other, starting at $50). For skyline views and a scene, go with Arlo, the William Vale, or Virgin. For a calmer afternoon, CODA's adults-only deck is the pick, and families will feel most at home at Margaritaville.

Pricing and availability vary by date, weekend passes usually cost more, and premium seating can add hundreds to the bill. Book midweek, check back if your first pick is gone, and confirm the pool's season before you trek out. One more thing. A rooftop bar that's open to the public doesn't mean the pool is.

Heading west? Our LA hotel pools guide has you covered ☀️