Heat's Stoudemire struggling to find wine bath spot in Miami
By all accounts, Amar'e Stoudemire found himself an ideal situation when he signed on as a free agent in South Beach this summer.
The Miami Heat are stocked with talent and have positioned themselves as a dark-horse contender in the Eastern Conference. That's a significant step up from last season, when Stoudemire played 36 injury-plagued games for the 17-win New York Knicks.
However, signing in Miami comes with a drawback: there's no place to take wine baths.
"I was looking for an ancient spa place and I cannot find one, nowhere around," Stoudemire told Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. "So I'll wait until we play against the Knicks and I'll indulge in a red-wine bath."
Stoudemire found himself in a similar predicament when he landed with the Dallas Mavericks last season.
In New York, Stoudemire had the option of visiting Aire Ancient Baths, which offers a "red wine ritual" for approximately $500 per visit. The 30-minute treatment, apparently, makes use of the antioxidant properties of wine.
Stoudemire will travel with the Heat to New York twice in the upcoming regular 2015-16 season. Stoudemire can treat himself to some antioxidants on Nov. 23 and Jan. 6.
Still, even without regular access to wine baths, Stoudemire remains confident in his abilities. The 32-year-old claimed earlier this week he can still return to his "All-Star level of play" he flashed as recently as 2011.
Across 59 games spent in Dallas and New York last season, Stoudemire averaged 11.5 points and 5.6 rebounds on 55.7 percent shooting.