Bicycle Benefits Spotlight: Banya Sauna and Cold Plunge

Bicycle Benefits is a nationwide program that encourages daily bike riding throughout the year. Participating businesses and locations provide discounts or rewards to cyclists who display a program sticker on their bike helmet upon arrival. This initiative boosts ridership, raises awareness, and guides cyclists to local businesses.

---

BANYA SAUNA AND COLD PLUNGE offers $10 off a week day visit to anyone riding their bike to the Portsmouth location and presenting their bicycle benefits sticker on their helmet. There is a bike rack across the street in front of the convenient MD building. The address for Banya is on the bypass (350 Rte 1 Byp S), but from downtown Portsmouth, you can easily access the business by bike from Cate Street and Hodgdon Way. It's also conveniently located near the multi use path on Borthwick Avenue which connects you to the NH Seacoast Greenway rail trail!

Rachel Hopkins, one of our Bike benefits volunteer ambassadors met with Banya's Manager Tanya O'Connor a few weeks ago.

SABR: Tell us about your business!

Taylor: Banya is a social wellness thermal spa that brings people together

around the practice of contrast therapy. We combine hot saunas, cold

plunges, a cedar hot tub, mocktail bar, and relaxed gathering spaces

so guests can sweat, chill, and connect with themselves and others.

It’s all rooted in old-world traditions, but designed for modern life.

All thanks to the passion of our owner, Catherine Markovsky, a

wellness entrepreneur with over 25 years practicing Chinese medicine

and Acupuncture and is dedicated to helping people reconnect with

themselves through the benefits of hot and cold therapies, social

wellness, and many other restorative practices.

Banya has a bit of whimsy that sets us apart from other spas, it's an

invitation to be playful, hopping between steaming saunas and icy

plunges with friends, It’s an experience that wakes up your senses and

feels a little adventurous.

At the same time, it’s serious because it’s powerful work for your

body and mind. Contrast therapy strengthens your cardiovascular

system, builds resilience, and helps regulate stress. It can also be a

space to process, to heal, or simply to rest in a world that rarely

slows down.

So it holds both. It’s lighthearted and joyful, yet deeply rooted in

care. for your nervous system, your community, and yourself.

SABR: What inspired you to work for this business?

Taylor: I wanted to help build something that was meaningful. I go to bat for

Banya because social contrast therapy is naturally an incredibly

uplifting experience. No alcohol served on purpose, and the only

substances are steam, cold water, and good company.

The vision of BANYA is to offer a new kind of gathering place. A third

space, set apart from home and work, where presence matters more than

pretense. A communal environment where all are welcome: sober and

non-sober individuals, athletes, first-timers, and people of all ages

and abilities... to share in a ritual that leaves you more alive.

Whether you come to Banya before the bar or simply to be, this is a

space where natural highs are drawn from breath, heat, cold, and

community. A place to remember that aliveness, together, is reason

enough to gather.

SABR: Why did you decide to support Bike Benefits?

Taylor: It’s a great way to support a healthier, more connected community. We

are just on the outside of downtown along the greenway trail, so it's

an excellent bikeable option. Biking and Banya actually have a lot in

common: both get your blood moving, clear your head, and leave you

feeling refreshed.

SABR: What's your favorite bike ride on the Seacoast?

Taylor: Gravel bike packing with my husband on the Rockingham Rail Trail to Onway Lake!

Thank you Taylor and the Banya team!

---

Want to learn more about Bicycle Benefits? Would you like to buy a sticker for your helmet? Are you a local business who want to offer discounts to customers who ride their bikes to your location? Visit our Bicycle Benefits page or email us at info@seacoastbikes.org