Banya 5 — Attraction in Seattle

I travel to Seattle every year for a doctors appt with a specialist, so I always try and book some "mommy alone time" since its usually a quick trip without my kiddos. This was my second time coming to Banya 5, one year apart. Last year I would have given it 4 stars because one of the other spa goers took the time to teach me about thermal cycling and I had a great scrub and massage, and I didn't interact with staff at all except for checking in/out. The facility itself is a bit small for the amount of people and you will be bumping arms in the locker room. This year was a little different. I checked in, changed/showered and headed in. The time in the spa was ok but not as refreshing as I remember it last year. Maybe because I cold plunge on a regular basis now? or the fact that there were different people this time, not sure. I booked a package with a scrub and massage that came with 2 hours of facility time. I had a good scrub and then this is where it all went down hill. For some reason they didn't book my services back to back so after the scrub I just sat upstairs for 30 minutes with nothing to do but drink tea, no snacks (they don't allow any phones, no one else was upstairs to talk with, and after you start having services you can't go back into the pools/saunas). Finally, the masseuse came and called my name. She was wearing a mask, which is totally fine and her choice. We went into the room and I stated to sit my stuff down and she said "actually could you sit down for a second so we can talk" and proceeded to hand me a mask. I put it on thinking ok maybe she want me to wear it while we are talking?? I was pretty confused why since I wasn't sick and she was already wearing a mask. She then goes on saying that either party can choose to end the massage at any time if we feel uncomfortable (which was making me uncomfortable) and that I need to wear my mask the ENTIRE time during the massage. I said there is no way I"m going to be able to comfortably breath with my face down in the head holder with a mask on. She offered to massage me only face up but since I hold most of my stress in my shoulders and upper back this seemed pointless. The entire reason I wanted a massage was to relax and wearing a mask is uncomfortable and NOT RELAXing! She said "well I require a mask". So I declined the massage. I go down stairs, change back into my clothes and go to the desk to check out. The guy checking me out informs me that since I booked a package and opted out of the massage I would get NO refund. I felt like they should have told me that they booked me when a masseuse that requires me to wear a mask during the massage (because I could have declined the services then) and he was very condescending and kept saying it's in our policy, and its to keep everyone safe. Safe from what??? I wasn't sick and honestly when they send me the forms talking about COVID I thought they just never updated it from like 2021 and never would have thought mask requirements for a healthy person is still a thing. So I want everyone to be aware that you might actually be required to wear a mask DURING YOUR ENTIRE MASSAGE (or other service) or ANY OTHER TIME THEY FEEL LIKE MAKING YOU per their policy. Anyway, because of their outdated masking policy and rude staff I will...

Banya 5 is very much a Russian style Banya where the environment is upbeat and social. I love the concept of it and think it’s wonderful that Seattle has a place for folks to go unwind and socialize that’s not centered around alcohol.

That said, I came here on a day I was particularly depleted, and unaware of the more upbeat nature and all the accompanying sound, I had a mini meltdown. I broke into tears as I so desperately needed a quiet place to chill and found myself committed to services worth a fair amount fearing I’d just have to bail. I got some earplugs from the front desk, but sadly, they didn’t do much to drown out all the noise.

However, when I opted to leave, the front desk staff was immensely professional. The manager refunded my spa entry, which I thought was quite generous since I still generated laundry to clean/flip flops to sanitize.

I opted to keep the 90-minute massage I’d booked, so I got dressed and went down to Denny Park for some relative quiet. (FWIW, children were playing, screaming, and laughing and it was quieter than it was inside Banya - I say this only to drive home that if you are sound-sensitive or looking for a quiet place to unwind, this may not be the place for you!) I returned for my massage and the manager was friendly and professional and stated she’d already checked me in so I could head on up.

Andi worked some serious magic and while there were some thuds and slams and the bass of voices carrying through walls, I still felt relaxed which is really nothing short of a miracle!

On the way out, the professionalism continued and I was immensely grateful that it was treated like no big deal.

This is a wonderful place to come if you are more extroverted or prefer more invigorating and/or social ways of unwinding. It’s clean, aesthetically pleasing and well set up for this. While it’s not the place for me, I can still honestly...

This place gave me the ick. You can smell the mustiness of the facility as soon as you walk in. I came here to relax but this place was absolutely gross. The locker room is tiny it felt too crowded even with just 3 people changing at once. With one bench and two showers in one small stall. The provided soap smells like glue. Literally the YMCA pool feels more “luxurious” and peaceful than this. The hot tub was not hot nor did the jets work. The bath area was 1 room with 3 small tubs that could probably fit max 3-4 people at a time. They also over book the place so be ready to not have space to enjoy yourself. The steam room had too much eucaplyptus oil to the point it burned our lungs and eyes to be there for more than a couple minutes. My partners asthma started to flare up here. There’s also hair and other gross things floating in the water. The guests there are loud and obnoxious, they scream and laugh like hyenas as if they are at a local pool on 4th of July. This is not good spa etiquette. I complained to the spa about the noise and was asked to wear earplugs. I have been to many spas and they enforce good spa etiquette just to be mindful of others experiences and talk in a low tone if needed. The staff was ridiculous and kept insisting that my partners email was not his email, this subject was not serious enough to make it an issue in my opinion. The massage was good the lady did not provide the deep news of the massage that was requested but it was good regardless. Will not be returning. We ended up spending most of our time in the tea room waiting for the massage because it was unbearable being in...