Location: This is prime Manhattan real estate, opposite Bergdorf Goodman department store on Fifth Avenue. Aman New York also rubs shoulders with historic hotels such as the St Regis and The Plaza, and is only two blocks from Central Park.

First impressions: Guests are whisked up to a calm check-in on the 14th floor – the low-lit, minimal space seems a world away from Midtown’s busy streets, and I quickly relax.

That’s exactly the point: this Aman property is intended to be an ‘urban sanctuary’. Its East-meets-West design includes organic materials – oak, walnut and cinnamon woods mixed with bronze, brass and blackened steel that give a dark, cocooning effect, and more than 200 fireplaces provide added cosiness.

The facts: This is Aman’s first urban hotel in the US, sitting across floors seven to 14 of the Crown Building – one of many 1920s skyscrapers built by Warren & Wetmore. It’s had many lives, and the new design is sensitive to the building’s past.

Discreet gold detailing nods to the 30 gallons of liquid gold used to make the ornamental spire – or ‘crown’ – in the 1980s, while the sheer grandeur is remembered in double-height ceilings in the public areas.

It’s still unmistakably Aman in design. Each of the 83 suites features a rice-paper mural inspired by Hasegawa Tōhaku’s Pine Trees, a 15th-century artwork. The five suite options range from a 5th Avenue Junior Suite to a Corner Suite.

Aman has two signature restaurants: Nama, serving Japanese cuisine that fits with the seasonally minded washoku dining tradition, and Arva, serving uncomplicated Italian food.

Light bites are served in the lounge and the relaxed garden terrace, while the basement Jazz Club, inspired by Prohibition-era speakeasies, is the most New York-inspired part of the hotel.

Ideal for: The hotel chain is known for its loyal customer base, but Aman New York will appeal to a slightly different type of client looking for an urban hideaway – to escape the pace of Manhattan – with a strong set of wellness options.

Explore: It may be hard to leave the Zen clutches of Aman New York, but recommend that guests visit New York’s newest cultural addition: Summit One Vanderbilt. This observation deck with a difference blends wow-factor Manhattan views with immersive art – featuring mirrored floors, ceilings and walls, a room of silver orbs and night-time light installations.

Wow: Aman’s spa stretches across three floors, and includes a swimming pool where the vibe is whiling away an afternoon on the loungers, as if at a beach retreat.

Clients can expect saunas and steam rooms, and a full fitness suite with yoga and Pilates classes. Wellbeing extends to medical treatment rooms, including cryotherapy, acupuncture, IV drips, as well as nutrition and fitness programmes and plenty of bio-hacking tech.

The spa’s more ‘traditional’ aspect includes a banya room and hammam, connected to private suites with plunge pools. And my Signature Journey, which involved singing bowls, a full body scrub and a massage using fluorite crystals, was two hours of pure bliss.

Aman’s service also deserves a special shoutout: from being offered complimentary pressing at check-in and personalised recommendations in the restaurants to having late check-out processed with ease, I felt looked after from the moment I walked in to the second I left.

Book it: Rooms from $3,200 per night, excluding taxes. Aman.com