A Short History of Banya 5 — John M. Goodfellow

Every five years Seattle begins to feel like a different place.

It’s in a rush, but to where? More buildings? More cranes to make those buildings? More tech startups to fill those buildings?

What Seattle is moving toward may not be clear, but what it’s moving away from is. Its roots. And just when you throw up your arms and say, “That’s it! Seattle is gone.” You find a community and tradition that harkens to what makes Seattle, well, Seattle. And oddly, you find it in an area that perhaps has seen the most change. South Lake Union.

The place I’m talking about is Banya 5. An urban Russian bathhouse known to its patrons, including myself, for over 16 years. To us, it has become a therapeutic refuge, a place to rejuvenate the mind and body, and most importantly, a vibrant community unlike any other in the city. Banya 5 is a place that gives you hope that Seattle isn’t gone. That it is still here. You just have to rediscover it. Something easy enough to do once COVID-19 passes and Banya 5 can fully open back up.

For the uninitiated, banya is part of traditional Russian bath culture dating back centuries. The popularity of this culture in Seattle has been an awakening. As it has drawn many city dwellers into a therapeutic health regimen that has quickly become part of their lifestyle. This reimagined idea of an urban Russian bathhouse is one that Banya 5 can take a great deal of credit for. And should.

As a fan of Banya 5, I was fortunate to sit down with its founder, John Goodfellow, to talk about the emerging Seattle banya community the how Banya 5 came to be.

John, nice to talk to you. First off, why an urban Russian bath? And why here in Seattle?

To reestablish the traditions. I think that a lot of people are very fond of these traditions, and they miss them. I mean, there is a lot of Northern European people here. In fact, there is a The National Nordic Museum in Seattle, and there's a Finnish sauna on their premises – I think you can actually use it if you want. I mention this to illustrate how steeped in culture, history and tradition this all is.

So knowing that history, you were confident that a population in Seattle would want a banya experience.

You know, the Russians would come because they already understood it. The yoga people and natural health people would come because they know about hydrotherapy. Plus, a lot of these people also go to springs, like hot springs. I mean, I grew up going to hot springs and other people's houses that had saunas. So I knew what was already built-in here, but I wanted to do it in a more urban context.

So you created Banya 5. What inspired the name? Where does the five come from?

I think originally it was more of like a marketing thing. It just sounded cool at first, like Chanel #5 or something like that. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the Soviet Bath Ministry in Russia counted all their baths. So, you would have something like Public Bath #130 in district five of Moscow, or whatever town it was. I also recalled that I had created five baths in my life.

This obviously being the fifth. What were the others?

The first one was with my best friend. It was made out of tarps and cinder blocks in another friend's driveway. We lit a fire to heat up the rocks, it was great, but we made a hole in the asphalt. That was very embarrassing. I'll never do that again. I think we filled it in and covered it with a little dust or something to hide the patch. The parents never noticed it, and my friend never told them about it.

Banya #2 was on Vashon Island. I built one there with water coming off the roof into a big cold stock tank. And that was awesome. We used to have a kind of a standing Friday, where neighbors would come over and we'd have a banya and a big potluck afterward. It was a very wonderful thing to do, especially when you're out in someplace like Vashon in the middle of winter.

How about Banya three and four?

Banya #3 was in Pennsylvania, where I lived for five years. I put a wood stove into the potting shed, built a wall and a door in front of it – that's all you need, you know. And sometimes you can use water, but sometimes you don't need it when you're burning wood because it's pretty moist already. And Banya #4 is at Indianola, on the Kitsap Peninsula. It's reminiscent of a houseboat I made out of plywood and two by fours with my dad's help as a kid. And so Banya #4 is a homage to that.

Which brings us to Banya 5, which is clearly a more robust and bigger operation. How did it come to be in Southlake Union?

I inherited this building from my dad. You see, my father had Blueprint Paper Company down there. So, I've been going to that area since the late sixties. South Lake Union was light industrial then. It was a very funky neighborhood. Funky in a good sense.

Once I owned the building, I had the ultimate power to make it what I wanted. I was like, "Hey, it's a cement building," which is important for doing a banya. Plus, I wanted a banya that was more urban. I mean, when we started, spas were so foofy and luxury. You know, playing New Age music in the massage rooms. We are not about relaxing. We are about rejuvenation and healing. So, we're going to play Hip Hop. We are going to play Coco Rosie. We are going to do whatever we want to do. And while our services are more Western European, we really take a lot from what they had at the 10th street Russian & Turkish Baths in New York, which is the model of a banya for me.

And now you have this great banya, and it has blown up. Did you realize you would have this amazing community spring up around Banya 5?

I realized right away how important community was and for people to go through this kind of experience. I mean, suddenly, all these Amazon employees, chefs, and restaurant workers would come in early before their shift starts. You would see a really interesting slice of Seattle at any time of day. Also, the people that are VIP members, we give them some authority. If somebody is being rude or something, they are on it..

That sounds empowering. Tell me, what happens when someone goes to Banya 5 for the first time?

You walk in, you give up your valuables, you get a locker key, you go to your locker and then you move to the saunas, steam rooms, and hot and cold pools. It is coed, but everyone wears swimsuit attire. You then go hot to cold, hot to cold…Three Times Its Sacred! We also added a special saltwater tepid pool, which turned out very successful. People really like it a lot to unwind.

And because of your popularity, you have a great app that tells you how many people are in Banya 5. And sometimes you're looking at it, and you're like, I'm never going to get in there. That popularity does change the nature of the place. How do you manage that?

Having that app helps space people out when they come in. People build their own schedule around it. Also, if people get a massage service, they get in. If people are VIP members, they get in. However, if you are somebody who is just coming in off the street, you're probably going to have to wait on those cold and wet days.

Now, due to COVID-19, we are only open for services (massage). We will probably have to start opening with a smaller group of people. So, we are thinking about how to do reservations for groups and individuals. We are focusing on keeping the massage program going. Trying to keep some of that spirit alive. These people we have are top massage people. They are amazing. We are also following strict safety guidelines to keep our guests comfortable.

And Banya 5, as you said, it is about rejuvenation. So, these massage services are very much a part of that?

Absolutely. In fact, I remember when I went to the 10th street Russian & Turkish in New York, there was this one guy Leo who still blows my mind. One Saturday, he did my whole set of bones. All the way down my arms to each of the joints in my fingers. Blew me away. He was a champion wrestler, like the number two wrestler in Leningrad. He was so strong. He would just pick you up and shake you. But hey, the guy fixed a spot on my back no one else could.

I can't imagine a better note to end on than being shaken by a champion wrestler from Leningrad.

Agreed.