Please take a quick look at these frequently asked questions. If you don’t see your question answered, please drop us a line using the feedback form. Last updated June 18, 2012.
- Where is the entrance?During the week, the entrance is through Albany Ave door (red awning with 1506 on it) and on Friday night, it’s through the Union St entrance.
- Why is there a reservation system?B”H our community has outgrown its Mikvah. On an average night, there are 4 times as many women as there are preparation rooms. The reservation system enables you to get a room at an allotted time and avoid waiting in the waiting room. However, you can still walk in and get a room on a first come first served basis if you didn’t make an appointment in advance.
- How does the reservation system work?
Patrons can call as early as 3pm 5 days before until 3pm on the day of their immersion. Dial (718)412-2012, where an automated service walks you through the date and time and type of preparation room you would like. You can also make an appointment online at www.chmikvah.org, “Reservations” tab and follow the directions. The estimated times for using the room is only to help us allocate rooms, please do not feel rushed to leave your room before you are ready to immerse. Currently we offer menus in both English, French and Hebrew. - I tried to make a reservation a few days before, so why are only late appointments available?
The reservation system is setup on a first come first served basis. We have a limited number of rooms per hour and they get allocated on a first come first served basis. One suggestion is to take an appointment and check back a little later to see if an earlier appointment becomes available (in the event that there was a cancellation). If you do take another appointment, please call back to cancel the first one you made (#1 for English, #2 to cancel an appointment). - Will I be getting a newly renovated room when I use the reservation system ?
A reservation is for the first available room at that time. We don’t guarantee a specific room for either walk-ins or reservation users. - What should I do if I have to cancel an existing reservation?
Call the reservation number (718) 412-2012 from the phnoe number you used to make the appointment to cancel an existing reservation. If you made an online appointment, please cancel it online as well. You will be asked to enter your reservation code to cancel. If its after 3pm of the day of the appointment, please call the Mikvah directly and leave a message. - I forgot the time of my reservation or my confirmation (made by phone or online), what can I do ?
You can use the online look up tool here to try to locate your information. - What if I want to arrive much earlier than my appointment time?
If you choose to come early, you will be treated as any other walk-in patron, until your appointment time. Please let the receptionist know about your early arrival. We still encourage you to call ahead if you want to arrive earlier than your appointment. - I arrived for my appointment but I was told I am not on the list, why ?
Please listen carefully to the menu options and confirmation prompt to ensure your appointment is on the correct night. In addition if you make 2 appointments and forgot to cancel one of them within a few hours, the system will automatically cancel the one made first. If for whatever reason you do need to make two appointments, please text the system in advance. We have limited rooms available and we can only offer one reservation slot per appointment. - When you say closing time, what is indicated ?
Closing time is when we expect users to be finished by. The mikvah stays open as long as necessary and no one should be rushed at any time. During the week, if you arrive past closing time you are expected to pay a late fee, unless you were given an appointment for that time. Although we encourage you to use the reservation system for any night of the week, walk ins are always welcome. If you choose to walk in, please try to arrive at least an hour before closing time to allow the staff to leave on time. - What if I need to arrive very late, after the Mikvah officially closes?
If there is no appointment available for the time that you need to use the
mikvah (after hours), please call the Mikvah directly to schedule an after-hours
appointment with an attendant. - I got a text message asking to confirm my appointment, what is that about ?
Occasionally the system needs to verify an appointment. A text message from (347) 927-1836 might arrive. Simply reply to it to confirm your appointment. This might happen if you have multiple appointments for one night and forgot to cancel one of them. - How does privacy work with the appointment system ?
Your phone number is kept as a salted scrambled one way hash so that all records are kept anonymous. During the reservation process, you are given a confirmation code to identify your appointment slot. The computer system can tell if the same phone number makes multiple appointments or behaves in any unusual way. The system might text you, but it doesn’t reveal your phone number to anyone during any process. - How does a kallah appointment work?
The only way to make any kind of reservation including kallah appointments is to use the automated reservation system.Please call the reservation system and choose option #3 to book a kallah appointment. This is for first time use only. This will reserve the special kallah room which is available at preset slots. Or, you can choose to come at any time and get a regular room using the kallah reservation system if all kallah room slots are already booked, to ensure the kallah receives special attention. B”H occasionally we have 4 or more kallahs a night. To make a daytime Kallah appointment, please call Leah directly at (917)754-3700 for more information. - I made an appointment and had to wait anyway. Why ?
No system is perfect. We have many more patrons than available rooms and sometimes many women arrive at the same time. We will try to accommodate your appointment as soon as physically possible. Please use the feedback form on this website, or option #0 on the reservation line to leave a voice message, so someone can follow up and make sure whatever problem happened, is resolved. Thank you in advance for your patience. - I have a question about my current reservation, what is the quickest way to get information ?
You can use the online look up tool here to try to locate your information. In addition, please text to (347) 927-1836 and someone will follow up. Please include a reservation code and any information/questions you might have. Someone will try to get back to you asap. For emergencies please call the Mikvah directly. Alternatively, you can leave a message on the reservation system (option #0), or go to the feedback tab on this website and type your question into the form. - If you have any specific preferences or questions while at the Mikvah, please speak up and voice your question/concern with the receptionist and/or Mikvah Attendant. Same thing if you can’t find something that you need to prepare.