Baltimore Mikvah more than doubled in price

amother

Olive

Tue, Aug 15 2017, 12:31 am

amother wrote:

EXACTLY. These were my thoughts and feelings when I went and found out about the jump in price. I didn't even have enough cash with me. Personally I would have rather waited longer then to pay so much more (they added 2 dipping rooms and more prep rooms I believe). I don't care about marble and chandeliers. I noticed there was some rust in the shower and maybe a few other things like that. fixing up that would have been sufficient for me.
I really hope the majority of the influx in cost is going towards just maintenance and not the extravagant update.
I really wish there were a cheaper no-frills option here.

Maintaining an additional two dipping rooms and the accompanying prep rooms is a LOT.

seeker

Tue, Aug 15 2017, 12:59 am

amother wrote:

I'm going to optimistically assume that the chandeliers et al were donated by someone who is in the business and can donate a lot more in stock than in cash.

With regard to the need for more dipping and prep rooms, I remember amother posts from all over about the tremendous stress involved when there is not enough space available in the mikvah. The difficulty when you need to change an appointment or didn't make one far enough in advance. The hardship of having to wait a long time for your turn while kids/husband/babysitter/whatever are waiting for you and/or you're tired after a long day. The utter depression of those amothers who described having to go to the mikvah after midnight and everyone is too wiped out by then to do anything that night. Maybe you'd rather wait longer but I think having more mikvah to accommodate a growing community is a legitimate need. And if there is a predicted trajectory of growth, it's surely more economical to do as much as you can at once rather than need another update down the line.

But I definitely understand your aggravation and would feel the same way especially when it was sprung on you suddenly, and with no alternatives. Where I live there is a cheap community-supported mikvah that is old and not very attractive, and you can easily drive or use public transportation for about a half hour if you want an expensive spa experience.

Here's an idea that my cheap mikvah has that I think would be easy to implement - there is a posted fee for the mikvah, but instead of a cashier or the like which I've seen at larger mikvahs, there's a locked box with a slot for you to personally drop your cash or check into. Anyone with the ability and just a smidgen of basic decency is going to insert the requested amount, but if someone really has an issue then no one needs to know. Maybe they square it up with the rabbi or director or whatever, but whichever lady from the neighborhood is attending to the mikvah that night doesn't need to be part of the discussion. I confess there were a couple of times when for whatever reason I wasn't able to make the correct deposit at the time, and then I paid it back with an added donation the next time when I was able to, and it was very relieving to know that nobody needed to know whether it was fives, tens, or twenties that I was slipping into the box.

amother

White

Tue, Aug 15 2017, 6:49 am

I live in a small town and when I didn't have enough for the fee and couldn't pay, they let me in but I was so embarrassed as everyone knows everyone that I have not gone sometimes as I didn't have the $25.
When money was less of an issue, I'd usually leave more than the fee, was a different Mikvah though.
When $$ is very tight, bare minimum food being bought, $25 can be just too much, it's such a horrible feeling and a real downer.
On that note, being frum can really put a burden on struggling families.
Sad

Just for the record, I don't have cleaning help despite working very long hours, no frozen yogurts or manis etc.
I personally would pay for Mikvah before small luxuries as I was brought up as this is priority, maybe that's why it kills me more that right now, there are months I just don't have the $ Sad

amother

Pink

Tue, Aug 15 2017, 7:42 am

DrMom wrote:

Is the Jewish area of Baltimore being gentrified? I am wondering if long-time residents are being priced out of other aspects of living in Baltimore, not just mikvaot.

Also, who runs the mikvah? Who made this decision? Is there any record of their discussions and considerations? Was nobody from the surrounding community asked for input as to whether they wanted a fancy-&-expensive vs down-to-earth-&-inexpensive facility?

Unfortunately yes. We got a lot of New Yorkers who moved in and the typical 3 bedroom 1.5 baths is now not enough. We have mini mansions cropping up and a whole new development of huge mcmansions. They opened a fancy restaurant which is making it for the first time and there are plans for another one.

I'm happy the community is growing and I really love Baltimore but I do wish that we can keep the community simple without the New York standards creeping in. I moved out of New York for that very reason....

abound

Tue, Aug 15 2017, 7:52 am

Rachel Shira wrote:

Mikvah is expensive. And monthly. And sometimes an unwanted or painful activity. That's the nature of the beast, and we swallow whatever negative feelings we have about it and do it anyway because it's a mitzvah. But they should have given a heads up about the price increase with a clear option for paying less if you can't afford it.
My small town mikvah is tiny and no frills and costs $25.

Mikva is a beauiful mitzva that is uplifting and special. Many women wait for mikva day even when they are tahor, it is a special mitzva. It can also be relaxing and rejuvenating. As with anything special, it has its challenges, sometimes it can come in the form of babysitting, finances or even body image issues.
I embrace the mitzva with all that it comes with. I am happy and proud to be a part of this chain of woman in order to keep am yisroel holy, I am also happy to get this chance to be tahor and full of kedusha.

amother

Plum

Tue, Aug 15 2017, 7:57 am

I emailed a complaint and here was the response:

Thank you for the feedback on the Mikvah addition, and we appreciate your input on the fee as well. You have a point that some notification ahead of time would have prepared users to the coming fee increase. Although the time has passed for a notification, we are going to make sure that there are copies of a letter in the Mikvah reception area explaining the necessity of the fee increase, much of which I am going to relate to you in this email.

I want to let you know that the fee increase was deliberated for an long time, and was approached with the utmost seriousness. The Mikvah is a necessity for the community, and it is hard on people when the cost of necessities go up, regardless of the reason. Its impact differs for different families, and I am sorry that the impact is so pronounced on your family.

Please allow me to provide some background to give some context. The $12 fee had not been raised in 25 years and does not cover the Mikvah’s current operating expenses. The Mikvah had been running at a deficit for a number of years and this deficit has increased significantly due to the additional operational expenses of the larger facility. The $25 fee is just to bring the Mikvah back to operating at a breakeven basis. As the community has grown over the last quarter of a century, the expenses of the Mikvah have grown as well. These expenses include salaries, energy, water, janitorial, insurance, supplies, and maintenance, among other general expenses. There is significant focus on cost containment within the Mikvah’s operations. Products are purchased in bulk and from cost competitive sources. Many Mikvah positions are volunteer positions, and we thank those who give generously of their time and effort to benefit the community at large and help reduce overall costs. Cost containment will continue to be a priority for the organization.

The people involved were very unhappy about having to implement it, but the fee increase is necessary to ensure that the Mikvah can pay for its operations and continue to service the community.

Thank you for taking the time and effort to contact us, your feedback is important and is noted.

amother

Tangerine

Tue, Aug 15 2017, 8:11 am

amother wrote:

I hope this isn't what has driven the cost up.

I would start an intiative, perhaps you can do it:

Put a sign in the mikva that says, ''If you want to sponsor a dip for someone who is unable to afford the raise in cost, please donate here''.

Then, the woman for whom 25 is a stretch, can tell the front desk that she needs to dip into the donation box to help her pay the difference.

Nobody wants to tell the front desk thay they can't afford the extra $13. It's at the very least a little embarssing.
My feeling is that while $12 was a very cheap price, the mikvah is there to serve the community and if it was sustainable at $12 then it was unfair to do renovations and bump the price to $25. I'm sure many woman would have preferred the $12 fee and forget the renovations. At the end of the day there was a group of individuals who decided that it was fair and reasonable to buy fancy chandeliers and have everyone pay for it. Not fair. What if many of the woman don't want the chandeliers and would prefer to keep the price at $12?

amother

Scarlet

Tue, Aug 15 2017, 8:16 am

amother wrote:

In my NY mikvah there are no chandeliers and cost is $25. They run at a loss and rely on donations even at that high price. It's hard.

Rachel Shira

Tue, Aug 15 2017, 9:03 am

abound wrote:

Of course. I happen to fully agree with you and enjoy going to the mikvah. But I know a lot of women don't, and I can imagine that paying even more money for something already logistically tricky/expensive/emotionally painful brings up those feelings and challenges all over again.

boysrus

Tue, Aug 15 2017, 9:10 am

abound wrote:

It's great that you feel that way about mikva. BH I also only have positive feelings about it. But please know that not everybody does feel like that.
The woman suffering in her marriage may be dreading mikva
The woman suffering from infertility may be dreading mikva because each time she goes its a sign of last months failure, adn she may be meeting other women there who have big families.
For some women, mikva is a struggle.

imasinger

Tue, Aug 15 2017, 9:15 am

amother wrote:

The chandeliers were probably not what drove up the price. I bet it was a small extra added because it was a nice touch and the real work had to be done.

If you have any idea of the cost involved in maintaining an aged car, you can get some idea. The minute you get one thing fixed, the next thing breaks. A mikvah has a lot of aspects that have to be in good shape.

The average woman might not need chandeliers, but she is going to want working bathtubs/showers, mikvah and baths/showers heated to a comfortable temperature, safe stairs and tiling going down into the mikvah, etc.

amother

Tangerine

Tue, Aug 15 2017, 9:24 am

tichellady wrote:

I don't live in Baltimore and I don't want to invalidate the op's feelings.

I do notice that amongst my friends and myself there is a trend to be resentful to pay for shul/mikvah type things as well as medical expenses but less of a resentment to pay for manicures/pedicures, nice food, makeup, shaitels etc. it's something I'm exploring with myself right now- why do I get annoyed about spending $25 on the mikvah or a $15 copay for a routine visit but I don't get upset about spending $5 on frozen yogurt multiple times this summer or the summer pedicure I got?

I have the answer! Because you, me and almost everyone else enjoy gashmius on some (usually high) level. That's the reason that at this moment I'm relaxing and enjoying this site instead of taking the opportunity to say some tehilim. This applies on varying levels to all of us. Almost all of us would rather spend money on ourselves than to donate the same amount to a religious cause.

amother

Denim

Tue, Aug 15 2017, 9:37 am

amother wrote:

OP here.

Thanks for all the responses. Especially from those who are in Baltimore.

I really do think it was the sudden hike with no warning. Combine that with the generous donation we give the mikvah every year and I couldn't believe they wanted more.

I always appreciated that Baltimore kept mikvah prices low and therefore the mikvah was always one of my first tzedakah priorities. I felt that as a community it was our responsibility to help fund the mikvah because they were keeping the price low for those who needed it.

It just got bumped to the very end of my list. I doubt I will ever be writing them another check other than the monthly charge for using it. I feel that the huge hike it price will more than cover costs associated with running it and I think there was no need to upgrade in such a fashion. The original mikvah was more than fine. I feel it was almost a misuse of the donation money (although it was really my responsibility to research how they would spend it before donating).

Wow. You seem very critical.

Do you even know anything about the cost of a mikvah before you make assumptions? My guess would be that they were running on a huge deficit before (as verified by the response email I see someone posted) and needed to raise the cost just to cover their expenses. Maybe the fancy chandeliers were donated by someone. Maybe one of their big monetary supporters stopped giving them money and they can't cover their costs anymore.. gosh. Why don't you find out more information before you just make judgement calls and publicly state your disgust for them.

The one thing I do agree on is that they should have given more notice.