"Just kind of soothes the body" - Amar'e Stoudemire on using wine baths for recovery

Almost every NBA player has their own unique recovery routines. For one, LeBron James is known for his "optimal REM sleep" habit. Amar’e Stoudemire, meanwhile, used to bathe in red wine.

That’s right. At one point in his twilight years in the league, the six-time All-Star power forward frequented a spa in New York where he immersed his entire body in wine as a recovery method.

"The red wine bath is very important to me because it allows me to create more circulation in my red blood cells," Stoudemire told ESPN in 2014 after completing a three-hour practice with the New York Knicks ahead of the 2014-15 season. "Plus, it's very hot, so it's like a hot tub. But it's also the red wine ... just kind of soothes the body."

Stoudemire added that he bathed in different temperatures and regularly capped off his wine bath sessions with a 90-minute body massage.

"Also, you have the ancient tub, so you have like a salt tub and a hot tub and a cold plunge and a pool," Stat said. "And you just kind of mix it all up."

There was such a thing as red wine baths

According to Stoudemire, the results of his red wine baths were promising. He could personally tell that it was working, and his performance in three preseason games that year also implied the same thing.

As it turns out, there is a scientific explanation to back it up, which is called “vinotherapy or vinotherapie.” The Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa, located in the Plaza Hotel in New York City, was among the establishments that offered this service.

They revealed that "Grape polyphenols fight against free radicals, which cause 80 percent of skin aging. ... In addition to their exceptional antioxidant power, polyphenols reinforce microcirculation, protect elastin and collagen fibers and prevent the destruction of the fundamental elements of the skin's support tissues."

However, Regine Berthelot, the North America treatment manager for Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa, noted that people couldn’t just purchase boxes of red wine available in stores and soak their bodies in it in the bath. She explained that “the alcohol content will dehydrate the skin.”

Instead, they use “tracts of red vine leaf to soak in the bath to improve blood circulation and strengthen the blood capillaries.”

"Drinking red wine is known to have antioxidant properties, and the resveratrol is helping to boost the cellular renewal," Berthelot said. "Soaking in red vine leaf will help to strengthen the blood capillaries and improve the blood circulation."

Convinced that his recovery routine had been working for him, Stoudemire divulged that he would probably be doing it for as long as he wanted to.

"Well, yesterday I felt great," Amar’e said of how he felt during the team's day off. "And after doing that recovery day, my legs felt rejuvenated. I felt great, so I'm going to continue to do that for sure."

Related: "Nurse Shoes" & No Sales: Insider reveals truth about Under Armour DUMPING Stephen Curry

Wine baths could only do so much

Only Amar’e knew whether the red wine baths truly worked or not. However, what would always remain a fact is that it did not prolong his NBA career.

Stoudemire didn’t manage to return to his prime form and was bought out by the Knicks when the team decided to rebuild that same season. Stat was signed by the Dallas Mavericks, where he averaged 10.8 points and 3.7 rebounds in 23 games.

The Miami Heat then acquired Stoudemire in 2015. It turned out to be the final NBA season of his career. After the Heat’s 2015-16 season concluded, Amar’e received no offers from any NBA team and decided to take his talents overseas.

Related: "I would say they are simply ret—ed" - Amar'e Stoudemire shut down critics about saying that he only cared about the money

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Nov 24, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.