Dinner and a movie has a new rival in Manhattan: the couples massage. Spas report side-by-side treatment rooms booking out on weekends, as New Yorkers reframe relaxation as something to share on date night.

The fictional spa Twofold near Bryant Park designed its rooms specifically for pairs, adding private lounges for before and after. Its managers say the format took off with couples looking for a phone-free hour together that isn't built around a meal.

The trend has spread to friends and family, too, turning the treatment room into social space. For spas, it's a lucrative shift: two clients per room, and a booking that fills the calendar's most competitive slots.