Category: Health and Wellness

Have you ever thought about taking cooking classes? How about going to a clubhouse or a movie theater?

These are all pretty normal things, but you normally can’t find them as a part of your apartment contract.

That’s right. Some luxury apartments across the country offer these kinds of amenities. And, investing in them may give you a better deal in the long run.

To learn more about these luxury apartment amenities, keep reading. Get ready to be surprised!

1. Cooking Classes

Some luxury apartments offer cooking classes. Whether online or in-person, this amenity can pay off quickly.

Many luxury apartments offer cooking classes as a part of the standard rent. Usually, they just place a limit on the number or frequency of these classes. So, you should definitely get your money’s worth.

Many apartment communities offer cooking classes as a way to promote healthy living and overall wellness.

Online cooking classes became a great addition for luxury apartment residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with other online classes, online cooking classes served as a way for residents to connect. And, some apartments are keeping these online classes well past the pandemic.

These classes offer a place for residents to cook a meal together. It brings the community together and gives residents some skills along the way.

This kind of luxury amenity is great for attracting new residents. And, it’s a perfect activity for any night of the week.

This may be one of the more unique luxury apartment amenities, but it is a great one for everyone. Everyone needs to know how to cook, right?

2. Clubhouses and Restaurants

Clubhouses may seem like they’re only a thing for fancy neighborhoods. But, some luxury apartment complexes offer clubhouses and/or restaurants for their residents. In fact, it’s one of the latest trends in luxury apartment living.

Don’t worry about the noise, though. These apartment complexes position both clubhouses and restaurants out of the way of your personal apartment. Thus, you’ll have a nice, peaceful experience while having access to these eating establishments.

These clubhouses and restaurants are a great replacement for delivery. Often, apartment residents may not feel like going out for dinner somewhere else. So, they’ll opt to order in.

But, delivery fees can rack up prices greatly.

So, having these restaurant options nearby may reduce the number of times that you’re ordering in. So, you’ll be saving money.

Plus, since these restaurants are usually exclusive to residents, you may find that the prices are cheaper than other options in the area. There may also be specials or deals on occasion.

And, these eating establishments are great places for residents to meet and hang out. So, it’s easy to bring in residents with this kind of incentive.

3. Cinemas and Theaters

Some luxury apartments have cinemas. Whether you have a movie theater near your apartment complex or not, having one a few feet away will completely change your life.

Often, these movie theaters offer free movies for residents. And, some cinemas run movies every night for residents.

Some of these cinemas require payment for new movies. But, you may find that older movies come free as a part of your rent.

Everyone could use a movie night, and it’s even better when it’s free!

Plus, movie theaters are another great place to meet other residents. You can bond over funny movies and spend quality time together.

Along with movies, some cinemas have live performances, poets, comedians, and other entertainers. You may even be able to recruit some performers for the apartment yourself if you have favorites.

You may be able to attend professional functions, question and answer forums, and more.

With these kinds of facilities, the possibilities are endless. And, it’s likely that you can further your professional career and have some fun in the process.

4. Communal Work Spaces

Whether you work from home or work as a student, communal working spaces may save your sanity. Luxury apartments are adding communal working spaces more and more these days. This is especially because more workers are working from home.

Communal working spaces are usually located within the common room of your apartment complex. Some larger complexes may have more than one communal working space that you can use.

Ideally, these areas are relatively quiet spaces so that you can get work done. There are couches, desks, printers, outlets, and maybe even computers in these spaces. Plus, you should get access to free Wi-Fi that you can use to get all of your work done.

Some of these working spaces also have meeting rooms, conference rooms, and silent areas. So, you can conduct business without having to leave the apartment complex.

You can also use these spaces for online meetings. It’s can be awkward having these interactions in front of others in the workspace. So, hiding in these private rooms can make having meetings easier, especially if there are others living in your apartment with you.

5. Recording Studios

And, lastly, we have the most surprising amenity: recording studios. Some apartments offer recording studios for aspiring music producers and other projects.

Whether you’re recording a podcast or writing an album, the recording studio is exactly what you need. And, apartments that offer recording studios lend them to residents for free. You may have limited time in the studio or have to sign up for slots, but you can get a lot done in there.

This kind of professional equipment could cost hundreds of dollars per hour someplace else.

Luxury Apartment Living

Luxury apartments are amazing, and there are a lot more amenities where those came from. If you’re interested in renting an apartment and investing in luxury apartment living, you should consider living in upscale areas such as Preston Hollow in Dallas, Texas.   Most metropolitan areas have similar communities with luxury apartments featuring a plethora of unique amenities to help you live a luxury lifestyle.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people all across the United States need to be prepared in case their community experiences an outbreak of COVID-19.

“Be prepared” is sound, but vague, advice. What steps should you take? Don’t worry — we’ll break it down for you.

Rebecca Katz, the director of Georgetown University’s Center for Global Health Science and Security, helped us put together the most useful recommendations. Katz said that preparing for a potential virus outbreak is not that different from other forms of contingency planning. If you’ve ever prepared your family for a hurricane, for example, you have a good idea of what to expect.

Here’s our coronavirus advice, presented in “Frequently Asked Questions” format:

Q: Does my family need to stock up on medicine and food?

A: Yes, increasing your stockpiles is a good idea. In this case, stocking up isn’t about riding out shortages in the future, but to enable your family to avoid excessive human contact in the event of an outbreak. (Experts call this “social distancing.”) The more you can avoid crowds, the lower your chances of catching the virus. If your community suffers an outbreak, you don’t want to spend any more time than you have to rubbing elbows with the crowd at your local drugstore.

For all medications that you take daily (e.g. blood pressure pills), Katz suggests laying in at least a two-week supply. Remember to check with your healthcare provider about extending prescriptions if necessary.

Medications that will be particularly useful to have on hand include fever reducers, such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen.

When it comes to your pantry, a two-week supply is also a good target for stockpiling food. You may also want to stock up on your family’s favorite sickbed foods, suggests Edith Bracho-Sanchez, a Columbia University pediatrician. Chicken soup, crackers, and hydrating drinks (e.g. Gatorade and Pedialyte) will be much appreciated if anyone in your home gets sick. If that does happen, you want to have everything you need to ride it out at home.

Bracho-Sanchez has some good news about COVID-19: Children seem to be less susceptible to infection than adults. Also, 80 percent of COVID-19 cases involve relatively mild symptoms, not unlike the common cold or flu.

Q: Do I need special cleaning supplies?

A: One of the many uncertainties surrounding the coronavirus is that researchers are not sure how long the virus can live on surfaces. Stephen Morse, a Columbia epidemiology professor, suggests that like other coronaviruses, COVID-19 should be vulnerable to ordinary household cleaners, particularly those with bleach or alcohol.

It’s important to frequently clean high touch areas around your home (and not surprisingly, these tend to also be the dirtiest places in your home).

Morse notes that even basic soap-and-water scrubbing is likely to kill the coronavirus. This is because the COVID-19 organism is protected by an outer layer of lipids. Household soaps are capable of breaking down lipids, including those surrounding the viral particles. Many of the common household messes we use soap to get rid of, like oil and grease on dishes, are lipids.

If your community does experience a COVID-19 outbreak and you believe one of your family members is sick, you should make time to clean heavily-trafficked surfaces several times a day. Kitchen and bathroom counters and faucets are particularly important. Dr. Trish Perl, head of UT Southwestern Medical Center’s infectious disease unit, notes that extensive research on other viral diseases has shown that cleaning hard surfaces in the home can significantly decrease the amount of virus in the environment.

Q: Do I need face masks?

A: The value of wearing a face mask in public during a viral outbreak is extremely questionable. We’ve already reported on the topic in depth; a few of the key points to consider are whether or not you have an effective mask and whether or not you are using it properly.

Many epidemiologists and other experts on infectious diseases hesitate to recommend wearing face masks preventatively because it may provide a false sense of security.

The place where the experts all come into agreement is that it’s a good idea to wear a mask if you are sick. This reduces your odds of infecting other people, both within your home and out in your community. Dr. Perl notes that a mask will be especially helpful if you are living with elderly people (age 60 or older) or individuals with compromised immune systems. These populations seem to be the most vulnerable to the current strain of the coronavirus.

According to medical research, you may be able to protect yourself while caring for a sick relative by wearing a mask. You do need to wear it at all times when you are around the sick individual. Additionally, you need to remember that the front of the mask may become contaminated — you should not touch it.

Q: What about work? Is it time to telecommute?

A: Now is the time to start the conversation with your boss about how to adjust your workflow if your community experiences a COVID-19 outbreak. You should confine yourself to your home if you get sick. But telecommuting may be a good idea while you’re still healthy, as it reduces your risk of infection.

Telecommuting should be strongly considered if you live in a large city and normally get to work via public transit. The large crowds using public transportation become risky during a virus outbreak.

Q: What should I do if I do get sick?

A: If you start experiencing flu-like symptoms, particularly a dry cough or a fever, start by calling your doctor’s office on the phone. Pediatrician Bracho-Sanchez advises against racing to an emergency room or urgent care clinic. If you do have the virus, that might just spread it to other people.

Bracho-Sanchez recommends working with your doctor’s office to try and keep contact to a minimum.

Note that if you have more serious symptoms, like persistent dehydration or difficulty breathing, you should go ahead and seek medical attention.

Q: Are there any habits I can take up to reduce the risk of infection?

A: This is an excellent time to get everyone in your family into the habit of washing your hands as soon as you come home.

Hand hygiene is important for defending yourself against all sorts of infectious diseases, from the common cold to COVID-19. Your risk for any sort of respiratory infection will go down if you wash your hands frequently. It’s also important to avoid touching your face, nose, and eyes unless absolutely necessary.

Dr. Perl says that frequent and thorough hand-washing can reduce viral transmission risk by as much as 50 percent. She recommends ordinary soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Antibacterial soap is not required. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. (As a handy self-timer, singing “Happy Birthday” twice takes about 20 seconds.)

This is also the time to make sure you’re practicing good respiratory etiquette. Whenever you feel the need to cough, cough into your elbow rather than into the open air. Wash your hands immediately after coughing. Dispose of tissues carefully after use, as they may collect virus particles.

According to Perl, these simple steps can go a long way toward protecting you and the people around you.