Banya No.1 - Hoxton

Traditional Russian banya in Hoxton, London

Banya No.1 – Hoxton is a Russian banya establishment located in the London neighbourhood of Hoxton, operating since 2012. Its offering is built around thermal contrast, specialised rituals and rest, with two ways to use the venue: the Public Banya and the Private Banya Taiga.

Facilities and ways to use the venue

The centre offers two distinct settings. The Public Banya has a steam room with traditional humid heat, a cedar cold plunge pool, bucket showers, a dedicated room for individual and couples parenie treatments, a hot stone room for scrubs and masks, a massage room for honey detox treatments and deep tissue massages, and a public lounge to rest, drink tea, eat and talk between rounds. The separate public changing rooms have lockers, benches, mirrors, hairdryers and space to store clothes and belongings.

The Private Banya Taiga is a space reserved for groups of up to ten people, with a private Kelo wood steam room and its own traditional furnace, an exclusive cedar cold plunge pool, bucket showers, a hot stone room, a private treatment room for massages and treatments, including couples treatments, a private lounge and dining room, and two private changing rooms with benches, mirrors, hairdryers and individual lockers.

Treatments and rituals

Featured services include parenie, a traditional Russian ritual in which a practitioner waves and presses aromatic bundles of birch, oak and eucalyptus — known as venik — over the body inside the steam room. The offering also includes scrubs, masks, body treatments, honey detox massages and deep tissue massages. Eastern European cuisine is available at the venue.

Events, offers and programmes

The centre organises regular events, such as the Wednesday Club, a three-hour session that includes a sensory journey through elements such as forest and fire, with a twenty-minute experience for each guest. It also programmes breathwork, drumming and shamanic ritual ceremonies with parenie and sound bath. Among the offers available at the time of review are a £10 credit for every friend referred, with a complimentary banya hat for the guest, and a free parenie during the birthday month for newsletter subscribers.

Recognition and visitors

The venue has received recognition in international spa awards and client-voted accolades over more than a decade of activity in Hoxton. It has been reviewed by British and international publications, which highlight the combination of steam and parenie, the intensity of the thermal experience and its unique character in the United Kingdom. Among the well-known visitors who have recorded their visit are Justin Bieber, Kate Moss, Emilia Clarke, Laurence Fishburne, Liv Tyler, Renee Zellweger, Tracey Ullman and Melanie C.

Customer reviews

The Google and Tripadvisor reviews collected on the site show an average rating of 4.8 stars from more than 854 opinions. Comments mention the staff's attentiveness, the speed of service, the quality of the food and drink, and the possibility of choosing packages with treatments such as mud mask, parenie, massage and tea.

Location and contact

Phone: +44 207 253 6723 · Email: hoxton@gobanya.co.uk