Banya vs. Korean Spa vs. Finnish Sauna: What's the Difference?
Last reviewed November 2026
Quick answer: A Finnish sauna is a hot wooden room (usually 170–195°F) where you pour water on the stones now and then for a burst of steam. A Russian banya is hotter and much wetter, with lots of steam and a leafy branch bundle called a venik. A Korean spa (jjimjilbang) is a whole bathhouse. It has gender-separated soaking pools where people bathe nude, plus a shared co-ed area with heated rooms where everyone wears a spa uniform. All three pair the heat with cold water. The difference is the ritual around it.
At a glance
| Finnish sauna | Russian banya | Korean spa (jjimjilbang) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | Dry-ish, 170–195°F typical | Very humid, heavy steam | Several rooms at different heat levels |
| Humidity | Low, with bursts of steam (löyly) | High | Varies by room |
| Signature ritual | Pour water on the stones, cool off, repeat | Venik (birch or oak branches) massage, platza | Soak, body scrub, rest in themed heated rooms |
| Cold | Cold plunge, lake, shower or snow | Cold pool or a bucket of cold water | Cold pool in the bathing area |
| Clothing | Varies: swimsuits in most US public saunas | Swimsuits or towels in most US banyas | Nude in gender-separated pools, uniforms in shared areas |
| How long people stay | 1–2 hours | 2–3 hours | Half a day, sometimes overnight |
Finnish sauna
The Finnish sauna is the template most people picture: wooden benches, a stove of hot stones, and a bucket and ladle. The ladle is the point. Water poured on the stones makes a wave of steam called löyly. It hits the upper bench first, so you choose how hot you want it by where you sit.
Across ThermAtlas listings, the median traditional sauna runs about 175°F. Rooms range from the 150s up past 200°F.
A typical visit is a few rounds: heat until you're ready, cool off, then rest. It's quiet and unhurried, and in Nordic tradition it's social in a low-key way. That's why a wave of community saunas has opened in the US. They're shared, often outdoor, with a plunge right outside the door.
Where to try it: Sauna Public and Löyly Nordic Spa in Salt Lake City, Oak St. Sauna on Chicago's lakefront, Forest Haven Sauna in Portland, and Moki Sauna in Boston.
Russian banya
A banya is about steam. The room may be a little cooler on the thermometer than a Finnish sauna, but the humidity makes it feel much hotter. A banya master (or a friend) may give you a platza: a rhythmic beating and fanning with a venik, a bundle of soaked birch, oak or eucalyptus branches. It drives heat into the skin and smells like a forest. Between rounds you go straight into a cold pool or get a bucket of cold water over your head. Then you sit down to tea, food, and plenty of conversation.
Banya culture in the US grew up in Russian and Eastern European neighborhoods. Some of the best rooms are decades old.
Where to try it: Archimedes Banya in San Francisco, Banya 5 in Seattle, Russian & Turkish Baths in Miami Beach, Voda Spa in West Hollywood, Fire and Ice Spa outside Boston, and Bathhouse Philadelphia.
Korean spa (jjimjilbang)
A jjimjilbang is less a room than a day out. A visit has two halves:
- The bathing area is gender-separated and nude by custom. It has hot, warm and cold pools, a dry sauna and a steam room. Here you can book a seshin: a vigorous full-body scrub with textured mitts that leaves your skin very smooth.
- The shared area is co-ed and you wear the spa's uniform. It has heated rooms, often lined with salt, jade, clay or charcoal, and usually an ice room. You'll find people napping on mats, a restaurant, and families spending the afternoon.
Many Korean spas stay open late or around the clock. They're also some of the best-value heat in the country, so they're a great first stop if you're new to bathhouses.
Where to try it: Los Angeles has the deepest scene in the US. Start with Wi Spa, Olympic Spa or Beverly Hot Springs, or browse every LA listing. Elsewhere, try King Spa & Sauna near Chicago, SoJo Spa Club and Spa Castle in the New York area, and Olympus Spa near Seattle.
Which one should I try first?
- Want something quiet and simple: a Finnish-style or community sauna.
- Love intense heat and steam: a banya. Book the platza.
- Have a whole afternoon, or want the best value: a Korean spa.
- Nervous about nudity: go to a Finnish-style sauna or a banya where swimsuits are the norm. ThermAtlas lists each facility's clothing and gender policy, so you can check before you go.
Common questions
Is a banya hotter than a sauna?
It usually *feels* hotter because of the humidity, even when the thermometer reads lower. Wet air carries heat into your skin faster than dry air.
Do I have to be naked at a Korean spa?
In the gender-separated bathing areas, yes. That's the custom, and staff will ask you to follow it. In the shared co-ed areas, everyone wears the spa's uniform.
What is a venik?
A bundle of leafy branches, usually birch or oak, soaked in hot water and used to fan and tap the body in a banya. It's sometimes called a sauna whisk.
Can I find all three in one city?
In some: Los Angeles, the New York area, Philadelphia and Seattle each have banyas, Korean spas and Finnish-style saunas. Each city page on ThermAtlas lists them side by side.