Voda Spa — Local services in West Hollywood

VODA SPA: AVOID THIS PLACE – IT’S NOT A TRUE RUSSIAN BATHHOUSE EXPERIENCE!

I wanted to enjoy a traditional Russian steam bath, but my visit to Voda Spa was a huge disappointment. There are only two steam rooms, and both are completely unsuitable for health and relaxation. • One steam room is so dry that it’s difficult to breathe. • The other is excessively humid, like Miami on a hot summer day!

Whoever designed these steam rooms, in my opinion, knows neither physics nor proper construction codes for public spas. The stove vents in both rooms are blocked by metal doors, meaning the wet steam that should circulate inside escapes through a pipe outside! In the second steam room, you can’t even open the steam control door to add water, so the air is unbearably dry—like being in the Sahara Desert! It feels like these steam rooms were designed to suffocate people rather than provide a comfortable experience.

Additional Issues: • Cold pool water is not actually cold—it’s at room temperature. • The hot jacuzzi is just lukewarm. • Dangerous pool handles: All handrails are smooth and slippery (normally, a hemp rope should be wrapped around them for grip). You can easily slip and fall! No wonder they make you sign so many waivers before entering—if you get injured, you won’t be able to prove anything. This place is NOT safe!

Poor Shower Facilities:

Since I couldn’t enjoy the steam bath, I decided to at least take a shower—but even that was a disaster! • Many shower stalls have broken water control handles. • The water pressure is unstable—when someone else turns on a shower, the temperature in yours suddenly changes. • For $100 per visit, you can’t even guarantee stable hot water?! What exactly am I paying for?

Unhealthy Air Quality:

This is a public bathhouse where people with different sensitivities wash. I have allergies, and there is no proper ventilation near the sinks. When people use deodorant, the entire locker room fills with fragrance. I nearly had anaphylactic shock from the overwhelming smell!

The Worst Offense – Kvass in the Steam Room?

They pour water mixed with kvass on the hot stones, filling the steam room with the smell of bread. As someone from Russia, I know this is sometimes done in private baths, but NEVER in public Russian bathhouses, because some people might be allergic to the smell.

Bottom line: Voda Spa is overpriced, unsafe, and poorly designed. If you’re looking for an authentic Russian bath experience—this is NOT the...

It seemed like one of the more decent traditional Russian banyas in LA. However, my last couple of visits were the worst, which is why I felt compelled to write this review.

First, the staff doesn’t seem to understand what a dry sauna is, so they shouldn’t be pouring water on the stones and walls, even if some customers request it. This led to a situation where the hottest dry sauna became completely wet, making it impossible to stay inside and even dangerous. Everyone left after a minute due to the extremely scalding steam with a burnt metal smell. I believe the staff should be knowledgeable enough to educate customers on proper sauna usage and prevent such issues. One of the customers had to open the door to help dry it out, while the staff didn’t seem to care at all. It felt like they had no idea what they were doing.

Second, the sauna becomes overcrowded in the middle of the day, and the staff doesn’t seem to manage it properly. With around 20 seating spots, the total number of guests should be monitored. People end up taking each other’s seats, and I don’t entirely blame them. A good rest in between sessions is one of the key aspects of a Russian banya.

Last but not least, be prepared for a lack of hot water in showers in locker rooms. This issue was mentioned at the reception, but the response was simply, “Sorry, it happens when we have a lot of people.” Well, I’m not sure what the point of a sauna is if you end up with a cold shower at the end.

The staff, in general, is very polite and responsive. One of the assistants, Milana, is especially...

This was part of a bachelorette outing day and it turned out to be pretty great. We got there at about 4:30pm on a Saturday afternoon and luckily it wasn't very crowded. They have a valet lot, behind the spa, btw. After we checked in we were shown to the locker rooms to get our robes and slippers. I like their combination lock system--no need to worry about losing keys and whatnot. This is a co-ed spa so bring your swimsuit!

There's basically the one main pool room on the first floor with a large pool, a jacuzzi, a small cold-dip pool and different sauna and steam rooms off to one side. There is also a bar and a lounge area with sofas, chairs and a TV (which happened to be tuned to a sports channel showing MMA that afternoon, maybe for the male contingent). Two girls in our group had massage appointments but the rest of us just decided to hang out in the pools, etc. We ended trying just about every area except the small patio on the 2nd floor--looked like it was really just a place for smokers to hang out, anyway. We liked the amenities and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Baking in the saunas/steamrooms and taking a dip in the cold pool was very bracing! We had a fun time just swimming/soaking/lounging around. After we had our fill and were wrinkled as prunes it was time to get cleaned up. I was really impressed with their wwimsuit dryer, which is basically a machine that spins your suit at a high speed to get the water out--neato! All in all a fun, relaxing...