Just had a truly life-changing experience at Bear and Birch Spa in Freehold, NJ--a Russian banya spa that redefines relaxation and rejuvenation! Between the sauna, steam room, and a refreshing (and challenging!) dip in the cold plunge, I felt my body reset and recharge with every breath. I was only able to handle the cold plunge for a bit, but it's exhilarating and surprisingly addictive! The benefits of alternating between hot and cold are incredible; you feel so much lighter and refreshed afterward. The spa offers it all: hot tea, a full restaurant (where else can you enjoy a cozy plate of pierogi between rounds?), BYOB, and even TVs to catch the game with friends. Time flies here, and I left feeling balanced, revived, and already looking forward to my next visit! Watch the full experience on my IG @foodaholicnj read more

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We went first thing on a Saturday morning. So clean. Great facility. Good AMAZING. All employees went out of their way to make sure we were okay. Get the platza with Val. An all around awesome time. read more

Lower your expectations before coming here. I certainly have had to. Been here for the first time 11 years ago when the place opened and frequented often. Used to be amazing. First time back since 2019... WHAT GOT WORSE: Entry is now $60. Highest between Marlboro Banya and BRC. You get 3 towels. Each additional is $5 There is no locker upfront to lock your valuables Place gets packed so good luck getting a table. No more complimentary water up front. Food prices went up. WHAT STAYED ABOUT THE SAME Service - WAY more people started coming here. So it's still slow, but they are just trying to keep up. FOOD - still bland. I think the chef gave up. You got a lot of people coming here that don't know the etiquette so there is water buckets in the steam room, barely any heat in the dry sauna and people coming and going from the wet sauna so the steam doesn't stay. Successful businesses know how to scale in this economy. Judging by my experience today, this one I'd say is barely hanging on read more

Went for a massage and dinner! Place is awesome! Great for groups and relaxing....,.,..,, read more

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I've been to several NJ spas and this was by far the dirtiest place ever. First, many of the women's lockers where broken, so there was no locking up your personal belongings, the hottub was lukewarm & had filthy foam floating on top, not a small amount from daily usage but huge clusters everywhere. I saw a man get out with black foam/filth clinging on his arm, the showers had wads of hair on the ground. It was an overall dirty environment. read more

Excellent place and great experience. Nice and clean and excellent service. They have Russian sauna, where you can get outstanding massage with aromatic brunches, Classic Sauna with cold pool, and Steam Room. Delicious menu with wide variety of foods and fresh squeezed juices. Great massage! Wonderful staff, Val, Abi and Anastasia made our experience above our expectation. Highly recommend this place! read more

The place is very cute but it gets crowded on the weekends. Only two saunas, one steam room, and one hot tub. Not too bad for $60 but it's not as big as sojo spa club. It's nice to spend a couple of hours here for a 44 minutes drive. Food was okay but the server seemed annoyed read more

Nice banya. Well maintained. Everyone works hard and is nice who works here. Haven't tried the food or juices but the food's looked good. And it's nice they serve freshly made juices. read more

Very nice banya with clean facilities. Here on a Friday and place is pretty busy. Certain saunas are full and you may have to wait for somewhere to sit. The Greek salad my wife and I got was very tasty and well seasoned. My only wish for this place is that there was maybe more room in saunas, otherwise it's very relaxing and enjoyable read more

What a local treasure ! I was impressed with the intensity of the heat and the steam room, Swedish sauna, and Russian room. The Jacuzzi was very nice. I liked the shower center floor with the big oversized shower head on it. A tremendous first impression! read more

Very nice spot in New Jersey. This place is BYOB. food was pretty delicious, but the service is slow. I also wish the Steam Room would be a bigger size read more

Comparing this to another spa near my home, i have to only give this place 2 stars. It was really small and there was not a lot of comfy seating available for relaxation. Loud music could be heard playing from other guests on the top floor. The facility only had one jacuzzi and mold on the walls. The complimentary towels were falling apart. They had 3 saunas - one classic, one russian banya and one steam. To end it all off one ice bath tub. I didnt seek any extra massages or taste any of the food but I have to say the one nice thing they had was byob food and drinks. I also liked that you can wear your bathing suit in the jacuzzi where other places require you to be naked. Staff was nice and the remainder areas were clean and well kept otherwise. read more

Bear and Birch - Lazy sundaze - Russian Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

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Great place,but there's always something wrong. it's the juice machine doesn't work or the cold plunge doesn't work or the sauna doesn't work properly or not enough towels. Always something. if you can get past that, it's a nice little spot to hang out. read more

This place is quite a gem. If you like Russian Sauna but have had it with the Brooklyn experience of going to Saunas with crappy service.... then this place is for you. Service is amazing here. Went here on a Saturday with my wife and my dad. Receptionist was polite and explained how everything worked. Place was super clean, like you can eat of the floor super clean. It was not crazy crowded like a few other places (ahem, Mermaid, cough cough) and food was great. Had the lamb shish, lox and a pickled platter for apps. They were cool with BYOB and no corkage charge. I had a lot of fun here. will be coming back. read more

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Very nice people great food the sauna is very nice cold shower and cold swimming pool nice to cool off over all great spot to relax hang out

Willing to change review upon acknowledgment. Other guests should be told how to behave, unfortunately, and it's been a pain since local gyms have been taking people here. They don't teach them any part of the culture or norms for the banya. I wish staff would say something. For example, Americans are just swimming in the ice plunge. A line is created and it ruins the point of the ice plunge. It's colder to step outside the building at that point. I rarely find many issues worth noting, but even hearing other Russians at the banya complaining, none of us are happy and we're going to be searching for other places just so we could actually enjoy the space and relax without a loud mouth person letting the air out of the sauna room and making faces over our food, or traditions like veynik. read more

Food prices are good. Food is mediocre. Two saunas 1 steam room, pledge pool very very cold and1 jacuzzi that kids often take over. I like this place better than Marlboro Banya because the food prices are better and there is a lot of natural light and feels like you are in a lodge cabin with very high ceilings. read more

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I love the upgrade they made to the place from the aromatherapy infused steam room to the hot with awesome purple neon lights. Also the cold plunge that has been completely reinvented and colder then ever with beautiful neon light. Also love the the fact they have a spa services performing a wide variety of massage therapy and treatments that's located on the second floor. Another great thing I notice during my visit they redid the floor in a beautiful clay color. Lastly I highly recommend the food there the menu is on a QR code that you would have to scan. Everybody was very friendly and I am definitely coming back real soon! read more

Best Russian Spa in TriState area. Super Hot furnace!!, ice cold plunge, sexy neon hot tub, powerful steamroom, freshest soups, salads and Kebabs on earth! Total zen. Great friendly crowd and family owned staff who really make sure your experience is amazing. I spend a few hours here, three times a week. Just bring a bathing suit and rubber sandals. Towels are included read more

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I've been going to bear and birch for years, for a small fee you get to relax all day, anyone with an achy body can go here to hit the reset button. The place is 12-12 where If you pay to get in you can stay all day, they have steam rooms hot tubs saunas abs maybe the best part a cold plunge which numbs your whole body also very affordable massages. The staff and owner, Peter are always so nice to everyone always cooking and cleaning. This place is byob too which a lot of people don't know about and they have a nice little menu If u get hungry. Just a relaxing clean place to get away for a couple of hours read more

Bear and Birch - Russian Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

To start off, if you've ever been to a zoo, this is worse. I warn you, do not go here on new years week. place was packed and locker rooms were impossible to navigate with all of the people. we paid $300 for three people plus food, which we didn't even get too much. we waited literally three hours for dumplings, all while they served food to the people around us quicker, even though they came here after us. there was one person working as a waitress, which did not suffice for the amount of people. they seemed money hungry and would rather pile the place up with people instead of accommodating with basic services to already paid customers. some of the food was very good, like the greek salad and the chicken wings. other food, like the calamari and dumplings tasted like they were from costco. place could probably be decent if they limited the number of people. read more

I used to love this place until today. When I came in they gave me 3 towels. After a few rounds I needed a few more towels but I was told I will be charged an extra $5. I really don't care that much about $5, but I find this way of treating customers irritating. I'll be going elsewhere from now on. read more

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!!!! read more

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Payed $50 for a day pass. I used the sauna, steam room, cold pool and jacuzzi. locker rooms were nice and clean, it's well taken care of. there's also a restaurant and bar area. it's definitely a relaxing place read more

I don't usually leave reviews. Especially, if the experience wasn't great. But in this case it was horrible! First, you get to the reception where guy almost throws towels to your face right out of the bucket and never answers questions like he doesn't hear you. Then cold and dirty changing rooms, 3 towels per person for entire time, no slippers to borrow or buy, two toilet cabins but only one has a door! We went there on Jan 3rd and kinda expected that it may be crowded (still remembering about COVID guidances). But it was overloaded! There was no space to sit in steaming rooms, only one(!) shower and tiny bath with kind of cold water. Jacuzzi had strange grey foam in it... Food wasn't great either. Soups were cold, almost no variety in menu because they had nothing left... Plus there are people walking around in there outdoor coats and boots everywhere: to the smoking area, from second floor downstairs.... Staff is not friendly. I would say opposite. They ignoring questions, spill soups and drinks on guests. The only light at the end of the tunnel was young lady at the reception who took our payment at the end. For the price they take it could be at least cleaner and warmer there. I don't think that we're going to come back but I hope that owners will change something to give their customers better experience. read more

Service is horrible, waited for a appetizers for an hour, food is very overpriced and not good at all. Overall very bad experience, would not recommend to anyone to go to that shitty please read more

So incredibly dirty. No other words to describe. The mold, the broken wood, the rusted nails, the broken lockers. Never again. Was good years ago. Went down the tubes. read more

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 read more

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Great place to Visit for entire family. Two Dry rooms one is hotter the the other one and great Steam room. read more

Bear and Birch - Great place to visit once you around that location two hot dry Saunas one Steam room. - Russian Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

I remember when membership was $75 a month with unlimited towels. Since then the food is mediocre at best, only 3 towels per person bc laundry was to difficult to complete, half the time one of the three rooms were inoperable due to repairs and membership has more than doubled. Pete is a good guy unfortunately my friends and I will not be returning. If you are looking for a pop up party similar to what occurred in Long Branch this is the place. read more

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. read more

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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. read more

Oh man, this place stole my heart and will never give it back. And I'm ok with that. Max's review is totally on, though they have some made some noteworthy modifications since his review in October, namely: - there is a flat charge now, a $40 entrance fee all day, everyday. - a frequent "bather" card, buy 10 and get the 11th free (don't quote me on the amount but it's near that). - improvements to the second floor: a refrigerator which can hold a keg for private parties, a pool/billiard table, TV's, couches. (some of this is not new) - a new massage room on the second floor, one with walls, to more comfortably accomodate those looking for seclusion from the bright openness of the banya (it was in construction phase when we visited in February) - improvements to the website We are totally hooked on going to this banya and intend on going with continued regularity. The food, ambience, cleanliness, modernity, and relaxation factor make this place a five star find indeed. read more

Bear and Birch - Russian Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

Awful service. Me and my friends really liked this place and been taking VIP room every single time for months. Today my friend invited all of us (14 people on total) to come there as a birthday party. My friend ordered Silver VIP Package for each of us ($45 package for each)and got food worth of maximum $300. Which came out to 2 salads, 2 chicken fingers, 1 chicken wings and 2 pelmeni. That is definitely not enough for 14 people and not worth the money at all. We told them that it's some scam with the package because they give food enough for 8-9 people max. When we left the place the manager (short, bald guy with a beard and a tattoo on the whole right hand) said that my friend has bad friends and should think about us being his friends and all of us heard it and disrespect all of us in front of him. The manager does not know that we have him gift in money and actual gifts. After all of that he said that they charge a 20% tip of the total bill which has never been disclosed. Super disrespectful from the manager and the whole food situation at the place. That place was our main spot to come to and we come every 3 weeks there so we will never come back anymore. I hope the guy gets some lesson learned and don't judge people by their look, he clearly doesn't know what's going on and say something stupid like that. Awful! read more

Fantastic spot- very well designed and laid out. Stopped over on my way from NYC to philly and had a very relaxing afternoon. The staff are professional and accommodating. Steam room is hot, sauna is spacious, locker rooms state of the art. Only three complaints- two of them actionable: - location is not ideal, not in a city for volume / convenience, not in the countryside for outdoor views. - got the pickled platter, which was all canned. Decent but not excellent. Could use more variety in beer. - Russian Banya was not working during my visit, but given the excellence of the other treatment rooms, I would guess it is excellent. read more

Bear and Birch - Russian Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

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I'm in love with this place! The staff is wonderful-so friendly and accommodating. It's relaxing and chill. The facilities are clean and appealing, and the entry fee is so reasonable. I enjoyed using both the Russian and American saunas, the eucalyptus infused steam room, and the hot tub. (And after that, a dip in the cold plunge pool!). It is BYO which makes everything so much more fun! The Russian food they offer is delicious, especially the dumplings and the pirogies. I see in past reviews that people said there werent enough towels..they definitely addressed that issue as there were plenty of towels. Such a great escape in the cold winter weather!!! This was my second visit and I'll definitely be back a lot. read more

Bear and Birch - Russian Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

Bear and Birch reopened after summer. Renovations are upscale. Awesome new decorations, Russian Sauna oven is huge(up to 210F), iced-cold plunge crystal clear(45F), jacuzzi is hot looking, delicious food, BYOB. You can reserve VIP room and bring your decorations. Check this place out to feel the atmosphere ;) read more

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Friendly crowd. Great steam room. Good Russian banya, furnace is powerful. Best banya in this area definitely. Amazing experience!

Went with my friends to celebrate my friends birthday not only did we get overcharged the staff was also being very disrespectful not knowing our situation saying wow "your friends are all shit" in front of us. Very disrespectful did not expect this. read more

This place is Awesome! The staff is friendly the food is great. Definitely get some tea, and don't forget to jump in the cold dipping pool. read more

Bear and Birch - Russian Near Me - Freehold, New Jersey

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