King Spa & Sauna | Russian Banya Family Spa & Cafe |
|---|---|
| The Korean-inspired bathhouse is not for the faint of heart. Split into wet (unclothed, single sex) and dry (clothed, unisex) areas, the 33,000-square-foot facility offers purifying jasmine-scented whirlpools and nine sauna rooms, ranging from the Fire Sudatorium, which lives up to its name with temperatures reaching 180 degrees, to a polar-vortex-worthy Ice Room. | The European bathhouse is a bit rough around the edges, but you don’t partake for its aesthetic pleasures. You go for the glow. A sweaty, detoxifying, pink-cheeked, shot-of-vodka-after-a-plate-of-potato-dumplings glow. Spend the afternoon sweating among three saunas, wrapped in a bathrobe, eating Russian food, and relaxing. BYOV—Bring Your Own Vodka. |
| ATTIRE | |
| Freshly laundered, scrubs-like uniform | Swimsuit, bathrobe, Turkish towels, and sandals (bring your own or rent the towels and slippers) |
| FACILITIES | |
| In addition to the wet and dry areas, the spa boasts a lounge with free wi-fi, a restaurant, and a movie theater. | Two saunas, one steam room, one plunge pool |
| COST | |
| $30 day pass | $25 day pass |
| MASSAGE | |
| Full menu of massages and body scrubs, including the 40-minute Vital Scrub for $70, the 90-minute Swedish massage for $125, and a 40-minute foot massage for $45 | One-hour full-body massage for $60 or 30-minute targeted-area massage for $35; by appointment only |
| WE RECOMMEND | |
| The 90-minute Aroma Ceremony Scrub ($120) is a life changer. After a (required) whirlpool soak and follow-up shower, a no-frills Korean woman clad in black bra and underwear will lead you to a massage table and proceed to rub so much dead skin off your body that you’ll swear you just emerged from the womb. | Claim a plastic picnic table and chairs for your group, make several visits to the Russian sauna, and follow it up with a cold plunge, a relaxing Russian meal, and a shot (or two). |
| THE QUIRKS | |
| Admission allows visitors to rejuvenate overnight, so you might spy an extremely relaxed guest (or two) snoozing in one of the oversized leather recliners in the common area. | If you really feel like getting authentic, order a platza treatment, during which you are slapped with venik, a bundle of birch, oak, or eucalyptus branches soaked in cold and then hot water. |
| EATS AND DRINKS | |
| A variety of Asian soups, noodles and rice dishes, bento boxes, fresh juice, yogurt, and fruit | It’s BYOB. We recommend bringing a bottle of vodka (it’s a Russian banya, after all) and ordering a platter of vareniki (Ukrainian potato-stuffed dumplings). |
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