The Banya

This was my second visit to The Banya, this time with a friend for a massage rather than just the bathhouse experience. The facilities and the massage itself were absolutely beautiful – truly faultless. We both left feeling completely refreshed, like new people, and the actual treatment was wonderful. However, unfortunately the customer service from some of the therapy staff fell short of the standard I would expect from such a premium space. The front desk staff and general attendants were lovely and welcoming, but the same can’t be said for our interaction with a couple of therapists. We had a long drive ahead and stopped in to relieve sore backs before travelling further. Due to exhaustion and heat, we accidentally sat in an area that had been relabelled as a staff-only zone (which had previously been accessible to guests). Before we realised, an older blonde therapist was giving us very unpleasant looks rather than politely advising us. When our masseuse came to collect us, there was confusion around our booking despite both of us having just paid $140 at reception. We felt as though we had to defend ourselves unnecessarily before being taken through. After the massage, which again was exceptional, there was little to no acknowledgment at the end of the service, and we were met with another scowl from the same therapist on exit. It left us feeling more like an inconvenience than valued guests. Overall, the treatments and space are stunning and I would return for the quality of the massage alone. I just hope that staff communication and guest approach can be improved to better match the incredible experience The Banya otherwise offers.

I had very high expectations for The Banya, especially because I had heard many positive things about this place, but unfortunately my experience was far below what I expected. From the very beginning, the welcome was disappointing. As soon as we arrived, the girl at the front desk was not welcoming at all—quite the opposite. She came across as rude and almost dismissive, with no introduction to the spa or explanation of the experience. Her attitude was cold and impolite, which immediately gave me a very bad first impression. The place itself is very aesthetic, and it’s clear that a lot of money has been invested to make it visually appealing. However, it is absolutely not an intimate or relaxing environment. It was extremely crowded—far more than it should be for a spa—so much so that it didn’t feel inviting to enter either the pools or the saunas. There are only a few pools and just two saunas, nothing more. Overall, the offering is very basic and limited. The changing rooms were very poorly maintained: the bathrooms and showers were dirty, the soap dispensers in the showers were empty and not refilled, and in general everything felt neglected. Even the pools themselves were not well maintained—the water appeared quite dirty and had an unpleasant smell. I’m really sorry to leave this kind of review, but working in the hospitality industry myself, it was impossible not to notice how much this experience fell short of expectation 🥲