Banya 5

The place was ok. I was a bit turned off by strong bleach odor. I guess they are really big on keeping the facility clean, but I have been to many other fancy spas, and most of them were CLEAN and smelled nice — like spa-​like.
I got a body scrub. I get massage for free through work insurance. When I booked a massage appt for my bf, I decided to book something for myself, so we could spend time together. When I booked the appt and when they called me to confirm my appt, I repeatedly asked if my hair would get washed and conditioned. I was repeatedly told they would not. They recommended me coconut wrap if I wanted to get my hair washed. I declined the offer and decided to go with the scrub option since I was always curious about turkish exfoliation.
I have pink dye in my hair and try to avoid having to wash my hair too often. Well, the person who scrubbed me WASHED my hair. It was really clear that the front desk people had no clue as to what each service entailed. I asked them several questions as to what each option entailed, but all I got was very abstract answers basically copycatted from the website description. I washed my hair at home before my appt, so basically, my pink hair got washed twice that day. It was frustrating.
And, the room was cold. I was very uncomfortable and finally had to ask the person if we could warm up the room. It turned out they had a heat warmer right above my naked body. The scrub person apologized and turned it on immediately. I got finally warmed up, but it was 30 min later. Basically, too late.
When I was done, my bf was still in the massage room. I wanted to pay for both of our appts before he came out. The SAME person who greeted us and explained the facility just 60 min earlier decided to charge us additional $ 50 for using the spa — $ 25 for each person. I explained we did not use the spa facility and we showed up five min before our appt. She was not old. She was in early 20s and should not have a short term memory loss problem.
I would highly recommend Korean spas if you are looking for exfoliation. Much better. Massage wise, there are tons of options in Seattle. This place is just ok. I would not recommend it.

For Seattle, there’s not many options for spas like this in the first place. So, having Banya is better than nothing.
Like other reviewers have noted though, this place is small and gets easily crowded. At $ 40 an entry, you get a few pools (cold and couple lukewarm), steam room and dry sauna. «Services» are extra– a 50 min basic massage is $ 95.
Having been to Korean spas aka jimjilbangs, maybe I’ve been a bit spoiled. Banya pales in comparison to the various hot rooms (eg. Room with hot balls), comfy recliners, wifi, flat screens, and yummy food that Korean spas offer– all at the fraction of the price.
I would’ve given this place 3 stars but for them placing me on the wait list to enter the spa, even when I came with my girlfriend and paid for her «service».

Hot sauna, nice steam room, had a great time. Don’t go when it’s busy it’s a small place.

Very disappointed, went with a bunch of girls to relax! The place is really small, the locker room is super tiny as well as the hot tube. Only one shower. It is ridiculous! The salt water pool is small and always crowed, and DIRTY! The place is really overpriced! $ 40+tax for facility use?! For $ 40 they at least could give you a robe. There is no place to sit when you get out from sauna or parilka, just only two chairs available. It is really frustrating when you want to rest after sauna and cool down a little especially when all pools are occupied, and to go upstairs is not an option. I would never go there again. There are a couple better options for day spa around Seattle Metro Area.

I got offered a package last Summer including entrance to the spa, a massage and a facial and this was my first visit to Banya 5.
It was a weekday in August so the place was rather quiet, which made the experience even more enjoyable.
Anyway, the main reason for my review is the facial I received from Jonie Broecker. Absolutely amazing! Very sweet lady with a ton of experience, who gave me plenty of easy and useful tips to help with my various skin issues — and all with natural products. Loved it!
Also during the facial, she massaged my neck and shoulders and this was just the best.
Can’t wait to be back in Seattle to see her again.

Average massage
Very surprising $ 40/​pp up charge for use of sauna etc
We were not informed about this until we were checking out, total BS

I admit that $ 40 is a bit steep for soaking in some pools. I highly suggest getting a massage from one of the great therapists here (Michelle and Jacquie are very good), then the hydrotherapy is only $ 25. There is nothing better than stepping out of the hot sauna and getting a massage! After the massage you can go through a few more rounds through the hydrotherapy pools or stay all day if you want. I would like to see to hot tub and steam room a little hotter and it would be nice to limit the crowd a bit. Small issues aside, it is still one of my favorite urban retreats. I would love to see another one on the Eastside.

Just a quick note. The record for staying in the cold plunge pool is 32 minutes (held by a man named Sage). Setting a new record is NOT encouraged.

Day spa and bath house centrally located in South Lake Union. The $ 25 entry fee gets you access to the sauna, jacuzzi and polar plunge. The facility is a little small, so the place can get packed very fast. The 50 minute massage was $ 90, the massage was fairly standard. 3 stars.

The staff was very friendly and helpful. I wasn’t a big fan of the baths and locker room. But I was only there to get a massage and it was the best massage I’ve had in years! Ask for Johnny and you won’t be disappointed.

I went in for a massage last Father’s Day. Not only was it a horrible massage, but at the end the masseuse started yanking at my toes. One year later, and hundreds of dollars of podiatrist fees down the drain, I continue to have a subluxed cuboid in my foot. There are better, and cheaper massages elsewhere that don’t give you long term injuries.

Banya 5 is a great place to wind down and relax, or just let sore muscles rest and recover. Although my visit here was a while ago, I would still return to Banya5.
+ 4 stars for Banya pool/​sauna experience
+ clean
+ not too busy
+ you can lounge around as long as you’d like
Noteworthy:
+ nice staff
— There were issues with the bookings I had. I had 2 spa services booked via phone however only 1 showed up the day I went
+ The staff ‘made it right’ by not charging me for the 1 service that was provided
+ My husband like the spa service (salt scrub) and would do it again
— Street parking may be difficult during busy hours

I had a great experience this Sunday when my boyfriend got me a 50 minute body scrub. For the life of me I can’t remember the lady’s name, but she did a great job. I was soft and relaxed after. The add on of a head massage shampoo and condition was soothing. The facility was nice. If you’re looking for quiet this is not the place, but it was worth it for my boyfriend and I to relax and get out the kinks. Also, you have to try tea with jam.

Like the other reviewers has said, this place is pricey for what it’s worth. Just a month ago, I went to a Scandinavian bath house in Whistler, BC (Canada) and I blame that place for giving me such high expectations for spas with hydrotherapy method.
For $ 40/​person (which is an all-​day fee, on the bright side), the spacing is very small. Each of the pools (salt water tepid, cold plunge, and hot tub) could probably fit 6 people max before it gets uncomfortably squishy. And there’s only one of each pool, so it can get crowded fast.
The «parilka» (sauna) and Turkish steam room have a higher capacity. People aren’t very mindful of signs that tell you to be quiet to maintain the serene environment. Can’t tell you how many personal conversations I overheard while trying to relax. There’s a tea lounge and nap room upstairs. For the admission price, you’d think there would be snacks. The changing rooms also aren’t very big and the lockers can be hard to open. I noticed other people struggling to get their key to turn too. Cheap locks, I guess.
Luckily for me, I brought all of the necessities I needed to get ready with after leaving their spa. They only provide soaps for you to shower with, blow dryers, napkins, q-​tips, and bags to toss your wet suit in.
Overall, it’s a neat compacted version of what I experienced in Whistler, BC. But I didn’t feel like I got enough bang for my buck. If you have a membership at a gym that already has saunas and jacuzzis, might as well just stick to that.

Ugh. This place is terrible! We went there in November 2014 during the Thanksgiving weekend to treat ourselves after cooking a meal for 10 people. Worst decision. The pools are TINY and were packed with people on that day. Really, I’m not into skin to skin contact with strangers. The day we went the water was cold in ALL the pools (they told us later that it was some issue with the heating system). And because there were so many people, there were a ton of people in the saunas too, chatting loudly (we had to hear a lot of intimate details about someone’s sex life) so it was not a quiet and relaxing experience.
The massage was mediocre and the massage therapist was more focused on giving me 15% off my next massage because he left I needed more work than trying to do a good job with the massage. I’m definitely not going back.

My girl friend and I went here for a relaxing spa experience. The women at the front were not at all friendly and seemed almost bothered to help us. We walked into the changing room and it definitely looked like a converted gym locker room. It is outdated and there are very few amenities. For the price you pay, I would expect there to be more amenities like eye make-​up remover, vanities, private changing rooms, cucumber slices, and perhaps something fragrant to make it smell like an actual spa. This was a big disappointment.
The sauna and steam room were both very nice, no complaints. The cold water pool is COLD, but worth the experience after you get really hot and jump in. Do not ease in or you won’t do it. The other two pools were really small, especially the hot tub. Only about 4 people can fit in at once, which is not sufficient for this size spa, nor for the price you’re paying.
Upon leaving the spa, the ladies again were not very pleasant. We had our towels and flips flops in our hands and they instructed us to go back and put them in the locker room. A customer oriented spa would just take them for us and ask how our experience was. Also, my friend asked for water and the woman sent my friend to the water fountain. Really? Part of the spa experience includes hydrating, so a spa should make it readily available. Next time I would rather pay a little more someplace else to get a nicer spa experience overall.

First of all, this isn’t like a normal day spa where everything is heavily scented and there’s ambient tonal music playing.
Not to say that Banya isn’t wonderful!
When you enter, you’ll get a key and go straight into the locker room. It’s pretty much like a gym locker room — no frills. You change into your swimsuit and sandals, rinse off in the shower, and enter the main room. They have multiple pools in the spa area, and it can be a little intimidating at first. I just immediately walked into the steam room (they have hooks to hang your towel) and tried to relax. The steam room has live eucalyptus plants they change out frequently, so it smells wonderful.
From there, you can go into the SUPER HOT sauna. I stayed in here as long as I could (I probably lasted only 10 minutes) and immediately after leaving, you plunge into the small cold pool (DON’T TEST IT OUT — JUST JUMP). The idea is that you stay in the cold pool as long as you can to maximize health benefits.
Then, as you scramble out, head to the saltwater warm pool. After that, they have a hot tub which is always very popular. And then you just do the entire cycle again!
After doing the rounds a few times, I got a massage from Michelle. She was professional, friendly, and gave an excellent deep tissue massage!
Tips:
–DO NOT test the cold water pool. It’s cold. Just jump in and make sure your head goes under, and you’ll feel hardcore.
–Banya is co-​ed. They have rules about skimpiness of swimsuits (I wore a normal bikini and it was fine. But thong bikini bottoms wouldn’t fly here). No PDA is allowed (thankfully).
–HYDRATE BEFOREHAND! I hadn’t done it adequately in the morning, and I regretted it as soon as I went into the sauna.
–Don’t forget to grab some tea in the tea room upstairs — it’s delicious.
–They have limited parking in the back, but I wasn’t able to find any openings there. There’s 2-​hour parking (that’s cutting it really close, in my opinion) but a few blocks away there’s 10-​hour parking. I’d go for that.
ENJOY!

Great spa but when I informed the front desk of a guy spending way too long hanging out in the change room fiddling with his smart phone they blew it off. He never showed his face in the spa area. Creepy and not great customer service.

Had the best time at Banya 5 today! It was the ending of a great weekend with a group of girls and we had plans to enjoy the spa and get a service. After walking into the spa room a helpful spa-​goer suggested we take the counter clockwise tour through the different pools and saunas. It was an awesome suggestion!
The first pool is a traditional hot tub and then you head to the ‘wet’ sauna. Breathing is a little difficult in the intense steam, but if you enjoy the heat you’ll love it. The next room is a dry sauna, be sure to bring a towel to sit on! Once you leave here, jump straight into the ice cold pool (don’t test it out first, just jump!). From there you get into the bath water warm pool and delight in surviving the experience. :)
I was also lucky enough to get an unbelievable massage from Jeff who did wonders on my aching and sore back. He is fabulous, and I highly recommend asking for him if you schedule a massage! Don’t miss out, ensure you book the 80 min one! Thank you Banya for making today a fabulous experience.
*Don’t forget your bathing suit — the spa area is co-​ed.

This is one of those places that as a local, you think, geez why didn’t I get in here sooner?! One can spend an entire day in here. Bathing, steaming, soaking, sweating, and even napping! Yeah, they have a napping area!
My friend and I came in on a Wednesday before 2pm for the happy hour special (you pay when you leave) and it was a powerful experience that left us soft and in some sort of euphoric space. The Eucalyptus steam room was my favorite! Can’t wait to return!