Bear and Birch

I love this place, I can’t wait to go back soon, very soon!

This place is a hidden gem in Marlboro, NJ. I’ve been to alot of spas and a few banyas so I was really excited to try this place out because it’s more local. When we pulled up we were definitely perplexed. It’s set in the center of a corporate complex and from the outside, it didn’t look promising BUT looks are deceiving. When you walk in, you are instantly transformed into a beautiful and cozy waiting room. The super friendly staff greets you with a smile and give you a bracelet with a key. Be careful to pay attention to the number on the key that corresponds to your locker (which I unfortunately failed to do but the owner so politely said was ok which was sweet of him)! The venue is incredibly clean which is so important to your overall comfort when your walking around and lounging in a bathing suit. They have a steam room and a few saunas that are beyond relaxing. A jacuzzi, a lounge area, a massage room, and an ice dipping pool are a few other amenities this place has to offer. Their food is delicious and after a few hours of rest and relaxation you will work up a sweat and an appetite! I highly recommend this place. Weekdays/​weeknights are less busy than the weekends which is always nice. You pay at the end of your visit as is the case with most spas. They also graciously accept Bitcoin!

Got a couples massage a few weeks ago. It was our first experience and Bear and Birch made it great! The girls were very nice and accommodating. Will certainly be returning to spend the day in the saunas.

This place is a jewel in an oddly location. I came upon this place randomly via an internet hunt a year or so ago and have not stopped going since. I actually put the money where the mouth is located and signed up for a monthly pass:
Great facilities and hyper clean
Great service-​I have seen people jogging to deliver food and beverages
Great steam, sauna, cold plunge, and hot tubs
Great beverage options
Plenty of free cold water
Plenty of great large tv’s
Plenty of seating-​perhaps a few more lounge chairs would be nice on the weekend
Bear and the Birch is an ideal place to spend an hour or a whole day as it is byob and feels like a vacation in your own backyard. Thankful it exists.

This place is a lot of fun. I really enjoy the sauna and the smell of the wood and birch. The last time i went, my sister and I went on a whim on a friday night. We arrived around 7 and stayed until 11. It’s fun — you sit back between sauna sessions and drink camomile tea and watch some tv. The food is delicious (also byob which is nice). It’s a unique place to bring your friends and hang out upstairs on the lounge chairs!

Very attentive staff. The slashlik (shish-​kabob) was delicious. The juice drinks are great. Very clean facilities. I would recommend it to anybody. Amazing place. So relaxing.

I went on a Sunday afternoon with three of my girlfriends and even though we read the reviews, we had no idea what to expect. First of all, I had no idea what to wear. A bathing suit and cover up was a perfect choice for me, but many people had no qualms about walking around in bathing suits.
However, I do feel it necessary to mention that there were a lot of men there — mostly men — which was surprising to me. It wasn’t a problem, but I imagine that might make some a little uncomfortable. As others mentioned, there are 2 saunas, 1 steam room, a cold plunge, a cold shower, and a jacuzzi. It seems small but we spent about 4 hours there. While I’m not big on saunas or steam rooms, I was content to sit, watch football, drink the wine we brought with us, and get into the jacuzzi a couple of times. It was relaxing and refreshing, and I imagine going in the winter would be amazing — you’d go in cold and come out toasty! The food was also delicious — they have little bites of all different kinds of foods — as well as full meals. If you’re looking for something new to do, give it a try!

Really nice and clean. Awesome open layout with TVs and good food. Tried a few dishes everything was delicious from baba ganoush to blintzes. Excited to return with friends and more beer shortly.

We had an awesome first timers experience at banya celebrating our wedding anniversary. Most people have already described their experience extensively and we agree with the other good/​excellent reviews of Bear and Birch: this place is very well organized, well thought out and has awesome staff.
Just a few improvements kept us from giving it a full 5 stars but we will be back on a trip down. The upstairs space is not so cozy as downstairs and could use some dividers and some extra lounge chairs vs tables with seating chairs. Having everyone in staff speaking English would help the entrance of newbies like us and when ordering food and explaining food allergies. Gladly the majority of staff is multi-​lingual. The men’s locker room could use a curtain or door — especially when female staff walks by and some of the shower walls could use a little wash. However everything else is clean and great!
Oh while some reviews mention to bring plenty of drinking water; there is a filter water cooler now to fill your water bottles and not have to waste plastic.

Totally love this place and keep coming back when weather gets colder. Place is not busy at all during weekdays, food arrives fast and portion sizes are pleasantly surprising. BYOB makes this even more enjoyable, and they even offer to keep your drinks chilled in their fridge. Jacuzzi runs great, totally love the russian steam room, and yes it can go really hot like some people like. I am not sure how to make this place even better. I stopped going to Brooklyn banyas after trying Bear&Birch last year.

Like a vacation! Will definitely be back. The tea and food is delicious. Would be really nice to go during the winter time

Omg best spa ever. Russian banya pay for an all day pass $ 35 on weekends and $ 25 on weekdays open till 12am. Amazing Russia, Turkish, and American steam rooms and a polar plunge. Byob and the food is amazing. I will be back every weekend. Cannot wait to go back it felt like we were on vacation.
Also:
–jacuzzi
–locker room with showers
— byob
— amazing food
–tvs and pool table
–juice bar
–Russian tea $ 6.99
–massages additional $ 70 for 60 min Swedish
–lounge chairs

I think it’s the least that a customer can do for a business or an experience that the absolutely enjoy is to write a well detailed review so anyone on social media or anyone browsing for A spa in the local area will know exactly where to go.
Bear and Birch was the best StumbleUpon spa that I’ve ever been in. On a day when my best friend and I needed to kill time we searched for a few spas in the area that not only had a good deal, but an awesome environment. We came across Bear and Birch. Called in to see if it was walk-​ins allowed in a very polite woman answered the phone and said yes she also explained that it was $ 25 for an all day access (massages are extra) Sold!
Driving into the complex I was a little thrown off because it is located in a corporate building like development but when I walked in I was completely shocked at how beautiful it Felt walking into the spa. Immediately at the door and greeted with Beautiful plants and beautiful tiling I couldn’t wait to get inside the locker room and look around. My best friend and I changed to our bathing suits and our towels and started to explore.
The entire facility is breathtaking a holistic feeling of relaxation. they have massage beds upstairs on a beautiful loft they have two saunas, a steam room and Jacuzzi. They have a full buffet, An area to lounge and a juice bar! They are also BYOB
They have a long tables so you can bring a party here they also have individual tables for dates! Ideal place for a bridal shower, girls day out, a date, or just general lounging. Plus they are open till 12a!
Staff is small but helpful attentive and caring
5 stars I will be returning!!!

Decided to come here for a girls day with my best pal and we were so glad we did. I was a little thrown off when I pulled into the lot because it looks like an office building from the outside, but I quickly forgot about that as soon as we walked in.
We started out with massages which we agreed were awesome! Not to mention, $ 70 for a full body 60 minute massage is a steal compared to most spas. After, we hit the steam rooms, first the American, then the Russian. I wasn’t too familiar with the Russian parnaya concept so you can imagine my surprise when people started beating themselves with branches. I didn’t go that far, but I did submerge in the cold plunge pool after to «rinse away the toxins» as my massage therapist suggested.
It was such a different thing to do and a really cool experience (and also a great way to drop a quick pound or two by sweating like a pig). They also have a classic sauna and jacuzzi, plus its BYOB and they serve some food. I had forgotten my flipflops when I left my house and was worried about walking around barefoot but every room seemed so clean and it turned out fine. If you don’t want to use any spa services, you can also go just for the steam rooms and jacuzzi, $ 25 during the week and $ 35 for the weekends, for unlimited time.
We both plan on coming back for a monthly girls day.

Visited the Bear and Birch Saturday, ¹⁄₁₇ with some expired Amazon-​Local certificates we had forgotten about. This is by far the cleanest banya I’ve ever visited. Rooms were hot and the staff is super friendly. Unfortunately, one of the 3 rooms was closed for repairs, but I’ll definitely be back to see it operational.
Of note, the steam room is excellent, but be careful in the back of the room. The steam jets are located in a place where if your legs are directly in front of the jets when they activate, you could get a mild burn.
The cold plunge is nice, but too small to be utilized effectively. For a real cold plunge, you need to go to NYC to visit the Russian and Turkish Bath House. The centrally located cold shower is also a great touch for those who aren’t comfortable with the cold plunge.
The BYOB policy is also a nice touch if you’re staying for a game or just spending the day chilling out.
The jacuzzi was NOT over-​chlorinated, which I personally appreciated as banyas frequently make the water so chlorinated, you’ll reek of it for days.
Bathrooms provided shampoo and conditioner and wonderful 4 position shower-​jets, plus a high-​pressure washing wand.
Kids are FREE. Yes, FREE! … and I was really appreciative of the fact that they honored the full value of the Amazon-​Local certificate despite the fact that I pointed out it had expired and was only worth ½ the value. These folks are professionals who really appreciate your business.

The facilities here look very nice; it’s easy to forget that you’re in an industrial park in the middle of New Jersey. The steam room is good, but the air circulation isn’t optimal; the back is very hot while the front near the entrance isn’t nearly as hot. Unfortunately, the russian parnaya was out of order; thus, everyone went to the classic sauna leading to be packed. Hopefully, the parnaya is back in operation soon! The jacuzzi is very pleasant and has excellent pressure.
The are other amenities such as a billiards table, a foosball table, and televisions. There are some long chair and sofa chairs to relax on.
The food is quite good as well. I tried the borscht and the pelmeni. I enjoyed both and would have returned just for the food if this location was closer to my residence.

Had an AMAZINGA TIME with my best at the banya. Discovered this place via groupon and it was just the perfect day. I was a bit skeptical because it is smaller compared to larger Korean spas, but somehow everything and everyone just worked. Went as soon as they opened on a Saturday morning and the only reason we left 5 hours later was because we had another engagement to attend. Let’s you know the quality of the venue.
Super clean, I felt comfortable to walk around with no shoes at times– that says a lot. Even in the locker room.
Had lunch there and it was great! Kudos to the chef. Great to see people in one place just unguarded and relaxing and enjoying themselves.
One of the highlights of this place is that it is BYOB, and also the pots of tea (delicious).
You can sit in an American steam room, a pranya, Russian steam room, take a super cold plunge, or relax in a jacuzzi type pool. Wifi available of you want to do work and plenty of upstairs room for larger parties.
Great great time. I will be back.

My first impression was that it was small, but I have since been here for four hours and really enjoying myself. :) I like the 210 degree sauna with verrick (?) — oak leaves and then jumping into an ice cold water plunge. Now I am listening to Steve Aoki, watching football, and having tea on a silver tray. I feel pampered. The food I had was very delicious.

An Amazon Local deal brought me to Bear and Birch. I paid $ 15 for an all day pass which normally costs $ 25 on a weekday. A day pass will give you access to a steam room, two dry saunas, a cold plunge and a medium sized jacuzzi. I have to admit, King Sauna Spa in Palisades Park stole my spa heart a while ago so Bear and Birch had a lot to live up to.
I finally came to redeem my Amazon deal and arrived on a Wednesday at noon, right when they opened. My friend and I stayed for a few hours and the whole time there were only 2 other people using the spa. It was good because I felt we really had the place to ourselves and we could freely move from room to jacuzzi. Because it was the middle of the day I am assuming that there are usually not a lot of people using the spa. There was only one worker in the entire spa. He was checking people in at the door, cleaning and working the cafeteria. He also did not speak much English so he was very difficult to understand (I speak a few languages so I have a sympathetic ear).
We could barely order any of the items on the menu because no one was working in the kitchen! I ended up ordering a green juice that was supposed to contain a variety of green vegetables but tasted mostly like celery. This was disappointing as other Unilocalers raved about the Russian food.
We explored the upstairs which has an area you can rent out for group events, other tables and chairs to eat and a massage room. There was no one inside the massage room so if I wanted a service it looks like I was out of luck. Maybe if you want a service you must call ahead?
Overall this spa was just okay. Again, I am a huge fan of King Sauna Spa and will head there if I am ever looking for a spa day.

I really liked this place. Staff was very friendly, the place is super clean, and I loved the fact we went on a day with no one there! I hate over crowded places so this was perfect! Love the saunas– must say they were super hot! The jacuzzi was very relaxing and extremely clean. No brown bubbles or rust around the rims if you know what I mean. I gave them 4 stars because this place was missing a pool. It would’ve been amazing if they had invested in a salt water pool. Overall, they have food and it’s BYOB– which they don’t charge you to bring in like most places.