After catching the banya bug two years ago, if that's even a term, I made sure to hunt banyas whenever I could. Since I was in Almaty a few months ago, I made sure to visit the largest and famous Arasan Wellness & Spa Complex.
Arasan Wellness & Spa in Almaty
A stone's throw away from Ascension or Zenkov Cathedral, the spa complex can be found on the next block already. It's also a walking distance from the bustling Green Bazaar and to the nearest metro station (Zhibek Zholy).
Spanning over three floors and divided by gender, the bathhouse was enormous. While the building looks modest from the outside, the interior says differently. Inside is a well-lit and spacious lobby with marble finishes everywhere.
For further information, visit the bathhouse's website at Arasan Spa KZ.
Costs
From 7:00 AM to 4:30 PM, the cost to enter Arasan Wellness & Spa in Almaty is 2,500 KZT for one hour. The later part of the day is more expensive which is 3,200 KZT for one hour. Here's the price list (as of June 2024) written in English for your reference:
Regardless of the duration of your stay inside, you will be able to access the banyas (Russian steam rooms), Hammam, cold pool, and the rest of the common facilities.
However, by purchasing additional services, your stay inside the complex would become unlimited. In my case, I paid for an hour's stay for 2,500 KZT plus peeling (coffee with cream) for 9,000 KZT. I always received recommendations to do a peeling, hence I went with it. Not sure if my choice of peeling was correct, but it was amazing!
Inside the Bathhouse
In case you are traveling like me and couldn't pack your 'banya gears', fret not. There's a store at the entrance of the complex where you can buy your accessories. You can also rent towels, caps, and slippers from the bathhouse for an additional fee.
Endless rows of lockers welcomed me and before I even found my locker, a helpful lady helped the lost child (that's me) right away.
At the end of the hall was the entrance to the spa complex. Similar to the locker area, a huge hall was dedicated to the shower area. Beyond that point is where the first steam room (Russian banya) is. Then a couple of stairs up lead me to the cold pool.
Another couple of stairs up led me to the Turkish Hammams, more steam rooms (Russian banya), and the hall for the massage, scrubbing, and peeling. On the opposite side of the hall is yet another huge hall with a colossal and beautifully designed dome ceiling. There were showers lined up all around the hall and in between are Moroccan steam rooms.
During my second visit, I got the courage to visit and sit at the restaurant/bar on the second floor. At first, I felt awkward sitting there and browsing the menu with nothing but my towel. Until the other guests came and did the same thing. So I went back to normalcy once again.
Overall Experience in Arasan Wellness & Spa in Almaty:
Since I'm into slow travel lately, I took my sweet time exploring the bathhouse as well. I visited not only once, but twice, to make sure that I explored every corner of it. It's the first bathhouse I've been to with this size and I don't think I managed to see and try everything.
However, I'm pretty satisfied with my experience. Each visit to the bathhouse was a learning experience, culturally and physically. I learned the importance of the felt hats and how to use them and that it was a different experience when there was food and drinks in between.
When it comes to the pricing, I find the entry cost here more affordable compared to average costs in Kyrgyzstan (Zhirgal Banya for example). However, I find the other services much more expensive here (peeling, waxing, etc.). This is just a comparison of pricing between the two neighboring countries though.
But if I compare it to the costs here in Dubai, well, I'm all for the pricing here in Arasan Wellness & Spa. Without a doubt and in the blink of an eye, it's 80% cheaper in Arasan Wellness & Spa for sure!
Overall, my experience here was one of the best so far. Not that I have a lot to compare to, but what I'm saying is, I had an amazing full-package experience. From the steam rooms to a peeling session, a dip in the cold pool, use of accessories, and even a rest at the restaurant. What more could I ask for?
Oh well, I'm missing one thing though... a beating of the birch leaves. I guess I'll come back to Almaty for that! ๐
