Inside NYC's Ultra-Luxury Condo Bathrooms
Short answer: Stone is nearly a given at the top, but it isn't what sets an ultra-luxury bathroom apart. 58% of the plans for NYC condos priced at $2,500 a square foot or more name natural stone, against 18% of plans at $1,000 to $1,300. The wider gap is in the shower: a curbless shower or linear drain is in 26% of top-tier plans and 1% of mid-market ones, and a thermostatic valve in 29% against 3%. Those go into the rough plumbing before the walls close, so unlike a vanity top they can't be swapped later.
The Top of the Market vs. the Middle
The differences that matter most are the ones built into the walls. A wall-hung toilet, for example, is in 25% of top-tier plans against 3% of mid-market ones.
| In the bathroom spec | $2,500 a sq ft or more | $1,000 to $1,299 a sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| Marble or other natural stone | 58% | 18% |
| Stone slab walls or tub surround | 6% | 0% |
| Heated floor | 23% | 4% |
| Freestanding tub | 26% | 3% |
| Wall-hung toilet | 25% | 3% |
| Linear drain or curbless shower | 26% | 1% |
| Thermostatic shower valve | 29% | 3% |
| Smart toilet | 10% | 1% |
Share of the plans in each group with a bathroom specification page (84 and 342 plans).
We read the bathroom specifications in the offering plans of every NYC condo priced at $2,500 a square foot or more (86 buildings with searchable plans, 84 of which describe the bathrooms) and 342 mid-market plans with a bathroom spec. Mid-market plans tend to describe less, so some of the gap is in the writing, not the bathroom. (For the faucet and fixture makers, see bathroom brands in NYC luxury condos.)
Marble, Mostly
58% of the bathroom specifications we read name marble or another natural stone for the floors, walls or vanity top, against 31% that name porcelain or ceramic tile. Some use both: stone in the primary bath, tile elsewhere. When a stone is named, it's most often a white marble like Calacatta, Statuario, Carrara or Thassos. A few buildings go warmer or moodier, with limestone, travertine or onyx.
The plans are vaguer about the stone than the marketing. Full stone slabs on the walls or tub surround, the look in most listing photos, are written into only 5 plans; the rest say stone tile or just "marble." Only 6 specify a honed (matte) finish, which is less slippery underfoot than polished. Stone mosaics show up in 10% of plans.
A crack in the marble may not count as a defect. Plans at this price commonly say that natural variations in a stone's veining and tone, and cracks in it, aren't defects. Marble is also porous: ask whether the stone has been sealed and what the building recommends for upkeep.
Showers and Tubs
A hand shower is the most common shower feature at the top, in 52% of the plans (against 8% in the middle of the market), then thermostatic valves (29%) and curbless showers or linear drains (26%). Most showers get a cheaper pressure-balancing valve, which guards against a sudden scald when someone flushes but doesn't let you set an exact temperature.
| Hand shower | 52% |
|---|---|
| Thermostatic shower valve | 29% |
| Freestanding tub | 26% |
| Linear drain or curbless shower | 26% |
| Wall-hung toilet | 25% |
| Heated floor | 23% |
| Rain shower head | 20% |
| Steam shower | 18% |
| Smart toilet | 10% |
Share of the 84 plans in that group with a bathroom specification page.
A steam shower is a true splurge: only 15 plans (18%) put one in an apartment, often in just one bathroom.
Freestanding tubs appear in 26% of plans. Many buildings still use a built-in tub with a stone surround, especially in secondary baths. When the plan names the tub maker, it's most often Kohler (24%), Duravit (14%) or Cantrio Koncepts (8%).
Toilets
The toilet is most often a Toto (40% of plans that name one), Duravit (22%) or Kohler (20%). 25% of plans call for a wall-hung toilet with the tank hidden in the wall, usually behind a Geberit carrier, which makes the floor easier to clean and the room look bigger. Smart toilets with a built-in bidet are rarer than you might expect, in 10% of plans.
Heated Floors, Powder Rooms and Finishes
Heated floors are in 23% of plans, typically an electric radiant mat under the stone of the primary bath only. Powder rooms are standard: 75% of plans describe one, and they're where designers take the most risks, with onyx slabs, dramatic marble or a carved stone sink.
For fixture finishes, polished or satin nickel (14% of plans) and chrome (14%) are the most common, while brass, bronze and gold (13%) are the warmer choice. A medicine cabinet, sometimes by Robern, appears in 17% of plans.
What Some Buildings Specify
- 78 Irving Place in Gramercy: honed Calacatta Michelangelo marble floors and walls, a soaking tub with a stone front, Mr. Steam controls, a wall-hung Toto toilet and a radiant floor mat in each primary bath.
- 34 Prince Street in Nolita: travertine, limestone mosaic or marble floors, wood shower mats in primary showers and a steam shower in one bathroom of every home.
- 160 Leroy Street in the West Village: wall-mounted Vola faucets, a freestanding Kaldewei tub with a floor-mounted filler and a wall-hung Duravit toilet.
- 32 Walker in Tribeca: honed travertine slab walls in secondary baths and vein-cut onyx slabs in the powder rooms.
- ABI Chelsea: a custom Statuario marble basin, Vipp bath modules and a Boffi shower mixer.
- One Vandam in SoHo: electric radiant floor heat in every primary bath and custom-length linear shower drains.
How to Check What's in Your Bathroom
- 99% of these plans let the developer swap in items of "equal or better" quality. Get anything you care about written into your contract.
- The stone, tub and heated floor are often only in the primary bath; secondary baths may get porcelain and a built-in tub.
- The finish schedule is in the "Description of Property" section of the offering plan, usually a table by room.
- Amendments can change the finishes. See how to find them.
You can read any building's plan on The Condo Book Project, or try searching "condos with steam showers."
FAQ
What makes a NYC condo bathroom luxury?
The shower and the plumbing more than the stone. Natural stone is in 58% of ultra-luxury plans against 18% at $1,000 to $1,300 a square foot, but curbless showers (26% against 1%), thermostatic valves (29% against 3%) and wall-hung toilets (25% against 3%) are close to absent below the top.
Do NYC luxury condos have heated bathroom floors?
Some do: 23% of the ultra-luxury plans we read, usually in the primary bath only.
Do NYC luxury condos have steam showers?
Rarely. Only 15 of the 84 plans with a bathroom specification put a steam shower in the apartment.
Do luxury NYC condos have freestanding tubs?
About 26% of the plans call for one. Many use a built-in tub with a stone surround instead.
Which plans did you read?
Every NYC condo priced at $2,500 a square foot or more whose plan text is searchable: 86 buildings, 84 of them with a bathroom specification. Updated October 2026.
How is this counted?
A feature counts when it appears in a plan's bathroom specification pages (heated floors and steam showers also where the plan describes heating or plumbing), as a share of the plans with a bathroom specification. Toilet and tub makers are a share of the plans that name one. Price per square foot is the recorded closing price where at least three homes have closed, otherwise the developer's offering price.
Related: Inside NYC's Ultra-Luxury Condo Kitchens in 2026 · Bathroom Brands in NYC Luxury Condos