Despite this weekend's basking in glorious sunshine, the mercury is once more set to plummet later this week. The best way to shake off the last of the winter blues? Head to Banya No.1, London's best kept secret when it comes to outstanding wellness experiences.
Opened in 2012, the Hoxton wellness spa was the first banya to reintroduce traditional steam baths in London since the closure of Jewish baths during World War II. Banya No.1 opened its second site in Chiswick in 2021, offering the same authentic banya experience with modern Scandi-inspired interiors and extensive Nordic food offerings.
A three hour booking will give you a booth in their lounge in which to enjoy a rich menu of Eastern European and Nordic food and drinks, along with access to the Banya steam room, the ice bucket showers and the plunge pool. Verious packages can be booked, but we'd highly recommend at least trying the signature Parenie treatment, an invigorating, traditional thermal treatment during which the therapist uses Venik - leafy branches of birch, oak and eucalyptus all bundled together - to waft hot steam down onto you before massaging. It sounds bizarre but it's fantastically relazing and reviving, plus as well as being an amazing treatment for the skinm it's also the perfect preparatory treatment for a body scrub or body mask.
Back in the lounge, enjoy a pot of hot tea or classics like borsch, pickled herring and all the trimmings, or steaming beef dumplings. The food is fantasticaly hearty; I defy you not to work your way through half the menu. Alternating a banya session with a relaxing spot in the lounge with a drink and a nibble is the perfect way to while away a chilly afternoon.
Packages from £90 for a three hour off peak session with a booth in the lounge and pot of tea.
www.gobanyachiswick.co.uk
