Banya 5

This is a perfect place for me for relaxation after a tough day! The spa is amazing, and on the top floor you can enjoy drinking tea or lemonade and read your favorite magazine. On the next room they have a resting area with reclining chairs which allows you to take a quick nap after spa! more

Staff usually friendly and knowledgable. Pretty clean. Lots of regulars. Overpriced entry and services. more

This place is really elitist and snotty. It is a bad place to go for new people. It is full of regulars who have an extreme heightened sense of superiority and entitlement and go out of their way to make you feel like an outsider. My wife and I went there for our anniversary and were having a good time. It was getting crowded which it often is and so we had to wait a while to use some tubs. We were also waiting for the sauna to get hot enough to use the oak branches to beat each other with (a Russian tradition that feels pretty good). After 45 minutes they finally brought out the branches and so we asked how to use them. A staff told us to ask a regular who looked at us and said his friend was waiting and she would go first so we should wait. I said we were waiting too and went into the sauna. This guy actually followed me into the sauna and started lecturing us on how I shouldn't talk back to him because he was a regular and we didn't know the "culture" here. My wife went out to smooth things over but he left. When we told the staff at checkout she told us he was a VIP which apparently meant something there. I'll never go back to a place that allows it's VIP to treat other customers so rudely. more

Banya 5 is an interesting experience. We used to go all the time but then when it went up to $30, we slowed down a bit. $60 for a couple of hours seemed a bit much. What I do like is that the banya can get to around 210-220 degrees. What I don't like is that sometimes it's more of a bathhouse and less of a spa. And the hot tub holds about 4 people. The place is going to be outgrown soon so I hope they have plans for another one. If you don't like crowds and noise, go right when they open or just before closing. They also have a nice tea station and chill out/stretching areas as well as massage and scrub services. more

This place is great - hot spa, cold pools, even the little wet stick that you're supposed to smack yourself with to get the blood flowing. My wife went last weekend and there were big eastern europeans chattering away and sweating it out right next to the north seattle ladies. Love that fact that we have this place in a city with similar winter light as vladivostock... more

I just took my mother to Banya 5 on their "family" day. We had a great time, it was relaxing and not too loud. I got a scrub which was amazing, and my mom got a massage. She said the massage was the best she's ever had! I had a really great experience there, worth every penny. more

I prefer my spas to be serene, so Banya 5 is less than perfect. You have your Russian families, but you also get what I call the Abercrombie set. They're young and their chattiness makes it hard to get fully immersed in what should be a peaceful experience. However, Banya 5 is conveniently located and its parilka (dry sauna) is scorchingly hot (200 degrees F), so it gets plus points for that. The facility is smaller than I thought it would be, but the hot tub is smaller still. So much so that it seems like an afterthought. Maybe the hot tub is not a key feature in traditional Russian baths? With four people in the hot tub, you are practically sitting shoulder-to-shoulder. I do like the local touches. The tepid salt pool is kept at the same degree of salinity as Puget Sound. It accommodates many more people and is an interesting feature. The cold plunge (55 degrees F) is kept at the same temperature as Puget Sound and is deep enough that you can submerge most of your body quite easily just by slipping in. It's also small, but no one spends too much time in there. The steam room is really nice. It uses just enough eucalyptus to get your nasal passages clear. It also gets steamier than any other steam room I've ever been in, which is a pretty cool effect. However, my favorite is the dry sauna. It's like an oven, from the heavy Brothers-Grimm-style wood door to the stone fireplace that occupies a quarter of the room. The sauna is huge, though only one side has a bench wide enough to allow you to lay down comfortably. It gets hotter than any other dry sauna I've been in and really lets you feel like you're getting cooked. The free teas and the nap room upstairs are nice touches. I also really enjoy the twenty minute, thirty dollar honey/oil/salt scrub. more

Russian for "bath," the banya is an old-world tradition. Banya 5 gives it a hip setting and a new-age twist. For $25 you can spend as long as you like in the whirlpools, steam room, sauna, cold plunge pool or tepid saltwater pool, not to mention a snooze in the somewhat spartan "nap room" upstairs. Finish it off with complimentary black tea sweetened in the Russian way, with a dollop of jam. The locker room and facilities are pristine, hip, and modern. You'll find many Russians come here, and often use the traditional bundles of leaves to create more heat in the sauna by smacking themselves and each other with the branches. Don't be alarmed-- it's not mandatory! Spa scrubs and massage are also available for an additional charge. There are co-ed days where everyone wears swim wear, and single-sex days where patrons wear nothing. Suit yourself! It's a great place to relax and worth the price. more

Whenyou go to Banya 5 you will spend your hard earned money, but on the plus side, it is totally worth it! The staff is friendly and welcoming. The facilities are modern, clean, and comfortable. The body scrub was an enjoyable experience. Unlike Olympus Health Spa in Federal Way, the Scrubber didn't scrub my leg until all of my skin fell off. She wanted me to be comfortable and not in pain. The scrub is mainly a honey and sugar combination that leaves your skin wonderfully soft. The only negative is that there is no delicious Russian food. I would recommend this is the future for Banya 5. It's a great atmosphere and great service. more

Then go to Banya5! I admit I was hesitant at first, but we just purchased a punch card there (5 visits for $100) so I plan on going back again and again! The facilities are very clean and safety is emphasized. The different temperature pools are a must to try and the steam room with ecalyptus is my favorite. The free tea and nap rooms are great too! Plan on spending a whole evening there....you wont want to leave! more

I first heard of this place in Lucky Magazine about a year ago. Touted for how reasonably priced the services are, Banya 5 offers healing and relaxation in an urban atmosphere. Going from Banya (steam heat room) to cold pool to salt pool, guests are restored to some previous state of well-being. Open every day except Monday, Banya 5 has men-only, women-only, co-ed and family days. Single entry is $25.00 and you can stay as long as you like. Go here (www.banya5.com/index.html) for more information: more

Check out Banya5.com. This is a great place to relax on the weekends. There's a steam bath, sauna, and three soaking pools (cold, warm and hot). The people who work there are very friendly, and try to keep the ambience quiet and relaxing. Try the body scrub - it's awesome. more