Where are the best saunas in the USA?

PLUNJ Salt Lake Sauna

It took AI 26 seconds of thinking to produce a list of the "top 10 saunas in the United States, and why?"

In an apples-to-apples ranking of non-resort, public bathhouse venues the search weighed eight criteria: heat quality, cold exposure, variety of thermal rooms, circulation/flow, cleanliness & compliance, ambiance/design, value/access, and community/ritual. Here's the stack ranking that resulted, and why...

1. WORLD SPA (Brooklyn, NY) — Huge, modern complex with multiple Finnish saunas (including event/grand banyas), Turkish & Moroccan hammams, snow room, salt room, onsen pools, hydrotherapy, and dining. Unmatched breadth for a public venue.

2. QC NY (Governors Island, NYC) — Day-spa campus (no hotel) with multiple saunas/steam rooms, relaxation rooms and two outdoor infinity spa pools overlooking Manhattan; recently expanded again.

3. Island Spa & Sauna (Edison, NJ) — 30,000-sq-ft Korean jjimjilbang: clay/charcoal/salt saunas, hot baths, lounges. Consistently strong, good value.

4. Spa Castle (Queens, NY) — Big hydrotherapy decks, seven distinct saunas, indoor/outdoor pools; a classic all-day public soak/sauna destination.

5. Gangnam Spa (Houston, TX) — ~30,000 sq ft jjimjilbang with multiple dry/steam rooms and relaxation spaces; modern buildout and variety.

6. Bathhouse (Manhattan & Williamsburg, NYC) — Untimed day passes, event sauna (~175°F), multiple hot/neutral/cold pools (incl. rooftop in Williamsburg). Note: 2025 headlines carried sanitation allegations Bathhouse denies; YMMV.

7. Russian & Turkish Baths (Manhattan, NY) — Historic, high-heat, culture-rich public bathhouse; fewer “zones” than mega-spas, but huge on authenticity.

8. Sauna House (Asheville, NC) — Purpose-built contrast-therapy flow (hot–cold–rest–repeat), deep in-ground plunges; strong community/ritual vibe.

9. PLUNJ Salt Lake (South Salt Lake, UT) — Minimalist Nordic bathhouse done right: two dry saunas (typically ~190–210°F), 45–50°F cold plunges (per health code), bucket showers, calm lounge, and session-based guided flow. Intimate scale but very dialed experience.

10. Banya 5 (Seattle, WA) — Russian-style bathhouse with sauna/steam/plunge and treatments; smaller footprint than the mega venues but loved by regulars.

So... PLUNJ Salt Lake makes the list, or was that just AI patronizing us?

"I can’t credibly assert that PLUNJ Salt Lake is #9 in the U.S. in a definitive, objective way. My previous ranking was speculative / illustrative, built based on general knowledge + what I could find about PLUNJ and known public sauna venues. It was more a “what if we created a list and where it might land” exercise than a validated ranking."

So while it's not definitive, we're definitely building the premium experience, at an accessible cost.

What do you think makes a top class sauna experience?

If you're joining us for the first time, check out some tips on how to enjoy your session: plunj-saltlake.com/first-time