buddyroopdx / TripAdvisor

We (my male friend and I – both first timers) went to the Banya in the early afternoon on a Wednesday. When we arrived, we were the only two there so we got special attention and the staff were so gracious to walk us through the experience step by step. I booked a Gold package which included a pot of tea, parenie treatment, massage, face mask, and body scrub. The schedule is very flexible and the therapists took me through each part when they were ready.
A few things that are worth noting for those who have never experienced a banya before: – The spa is small (dry sauna, four showers and a cold plunge) and we spent most of our time outside of treatments in the booths drinking tea. – My parenie and body scrub were performed by male therapists, but my massage was performed by a female therapist. They were all fantastic, but having different gender therapists may be odd to some people. – The days are split into Men’s, Women’s and Mixed days, so make sure to check the website before making your plans to make sure you are allowed on the day you want to go. – Swimwear is required during mixed times, but not during gender-specific times.