[0]: I live in NYC fwiw.
This.
I'm in the same boat, my company has some space in one in London. It's exactly as you describe plus noisy. I really can't figure out what the people around us do all day as they always seem to chatting. Fortunately we're able to work from home, which I've taken to doing more recently, especially as the beer tends to almost always be out by the time I finish work.
For 9x5+, I recommend leasing/renting a desk or office privately because Regus wants an arm/leg at their rates.
That stuff is there if you want it and barely noticeable if you don't.
Spacious also comes out cheaper per month than other co-working services because by design you are only restricted to certain hours of working (i.e. no 24x7 access).
Heck, a relatively wealthy family in my neighborhood simply purchased a vacant warehouse in a distressed part of town to build out a woodworking shop, painting studio, darkroom, etc. as their interests could no longer fit in their residential garage/basement.
Of course, that just gets you the raw square feet. Outfitting the space for the work you want to do is half the fun. Otherwise, you're paying WeWork or similar to take it off your plate.
Look for a “hacker space” in your area.
There’s one in Sacramento, CA, and it’s awesome in addition to being way less expensive than a strictly “cow-orking” space.
Plus... lasers and shit.