This heat wave makes it nearly impossible to do anything else but want to lounge next to a pool, ice cream cone in hand, and take a lazy nap. Sadly, it's only Thursday, and I'm betting most of us are still sweating it out at work. To alleviate the sweltering temps, we want to offer our preferred guilt-free cold treat spots around town. And as it happens, I have a penchant for seeking out fruit-filled, healthier desserts with a lot of ice-cold goodness and not a lot of sinful side effects. Try out any of these nine (un)guilty pleasures, and consider your heat wave dehydration quenched.

  1. People's Pops (Chelsea Market, 425 W. 15th St., 347-850-2388, pictured above) It's quite a simple operation: gather locally sourced fruit, create handmade ice pops and shaved ice, serve to happy customers. Fresh flavors like strawberry with a hint of rhubarb or peach with honey make these ice pops melt in your mouth.

  2. Popbar (5 Carmine St., 212-255-4874) This West Village spot lets you handcraft the gelato pop of your dreams or you can choose from 26 rotating flavors, always fresh and seasonal. Popbar's pops are preservative and gluten free, kosher certified, contain no artificial coloring or sweeteners, and are made with 70 percent real fruit. You can customize your pop bar with toppings like fruit, nuts, dark chocolate, and more!

  3. Love Gelato (167 Seventh Ave. South, 212-929-2870) You know we've loved this place since the very beginning. Just ask for the pesca melba sans whipped cream, and you have yourself something delicious, ice cold, and kind of healthy.

  4. Spot Dessert Bar (13 St. Mark's Pl., 212-677-5670) The refreshing sorbets come in flavors like blood orange, ginger lime, and raspberry tea — it's like drinking an exotic iced tea but slightly better.

  5. Organic Avenue (various locations) You may not like the sound of this, but the chia-seed tapioca is amazing. Made with Brazil nuts, chia seeds, agave nectar, Himalayan salt, and purified alkaline water, it's pudding at its purest but surprisingly tasty.

  6. Stogo (159 Second Ave., 212-677-2301) Located in the East Village, Stogo offers vegan, organic ice cream that is either soy, hemp, or coconut based. You wouldn't know the dairy-free difference, though, so in this case, ignorance is bliss. I'd go for the coconut-toasted almond joy if I were you.

  7. Ciao Bella (285 Mott St., 212-431-3591; 225 Liberty St., 212-786-4707; 27 E. 92nd St., 212-831-5555; 54 Grand Central Terminal, 212-867-5311) The well-known and beloved Italian sorbet and gelato brand has set up four of its six standalone shops in NYC, and we're all the luckier for it. You know the drill here: Ciao Bella has a solid selection of fruity sorbets and gelatos; my favorite is passion fruit, what's yours?

  8. Emack & Bolio's (73 W. Houston St., 212-533-5610; 389 Amsterdam Ave., 212-362-2747; 1562 First Ave., 212-734-0105) Though it's typically recognized for creamier-than-thou ice creams, opt for one of Emack & Bolio's under-the-radar fruit smoothies. Each concoction is made with fresh fruit, live cultured yogurt, and supplemented with more than 20 vitamins. Yum.

  9. Il Laboratorio del Gelato (95 Orchard St., 212-343-9922) Welcome to this Lower East Side "lab" where insanely good sorbet is made in crazy, cool flavors. Think fuji apple, grapefruit hibiscus, pear, concord grape, lychee, dinosaur plum, and watermelon. Whatever fresh fruit you have in mind, chances are the lab staff is hard at work creating the perfect batch.