Hothouse Spa & Sauna

Amazing. Perfect for a cold and rainy day. Great for relaxing. Was totally comfortable. Came out a new person.

I never write Unilocal reviews, but I wanted to give Chelsea a shout out for being an amazingly intuitive massage therapist. You have really helped heal my persistent upper back pain and it’s made a huge difference, thanks to your attention to detail!
I consider The Hot House a warm, inviting, sacred space to me now. You guys rock.

It’s very small but super lovely and chill inside. I would have preferred the tub one of two degrees warmer (it’s 104) but I know that’s standard for most spots. What’s really lovely is the quiet darkness of the whole space. You really can just relax and go inward, it’s almost like a meditation center with a hot tub and sauna thrown in. The woman who showed me around was incredibly kind and sweet. Definitely a fan!

I wish the space where you can relax (by the locker area) was bigger. Otherwise, Hothouse is wonderful.

My sister and I wanted an inexpensive pampering experience this last August and ended up deciding to give this place a try. We are so glad we did! Parking was a little difficult to figure out but otherwise it was easy to find. The lady at the desk was very nice about explaining everything and checking us in. I have to say, the photos do not do it justice. It has a much nicer feel to it when you’re there. The spaces were all clean and not crowded when we were there in late afternoon. It was a very pleasant experience, with the dry sauna and steam room, the cold bucket shower was fun, and the hot tub marvelous. I liked the soap options in the shower too. We weren’t sure about total nudity and wore swim bottoms and no one made us feel weird, though I think now I’d be fine without after being there. Overall a very good experience and I’d definitely go back!

After wandering up and down Pine street looking for this place on a rare, snow covered November afternoon, I called to ask for directions. The attendant who directed me around the corner to the back of the building and down the stairs to the basement was very helpful and friendly.
Upon entering, she gave us a quick run down of how the spa works: there is a hot tub, steam room, and sauna. There is no talking or alcohol. There is free water. Towels are $ 1 each to borrow (you will need at least 2– one for sitting on in the steam room that gets soaked and one to dry off at the end of your visit).
The place itself is *very* intimate (meaning small, not romantic). I found it relaxing and comfortable if you’re there alone or with friends but I can’t imagine sharing the place with more than 1 or 2 other patrons who I don’t know.
I did enjoy myself, but I would suggest including towel use in the price, playing audible music (it was so soft it was questionable whether it was on), and dropping the price a little– in my opinion it’s not worth $ 22 but I would definitely go frequently if it were 15 bucks.

I have been to very few spas, let alone bath house style ones, but it was really amazing how warm the receptionist was, giving me a tour, and going over the rules. There were 2 factors in my feeling like this place was worth all five stars:
1. There was no hemming and hawing over whether one ought to wear a bathing suit or not. The receptionist said either was fine, and with my shape, I was ready to dawn my one-​piece and skulk in corners, but during the tour, not only did I see multiple signs helping with guidelines, I was not overcome by feeling the only shapely woman in the room. The lights were low, and every shape of woman was there, it was completely comfortable.
2. I got an amazing massage by Nacala, who did a fantastic job making sure it was the massage I needed. The other part of this is that there was no up-​selling. The receptionist noted that a masseuse had time at 6, if I wanted to take an appointment, and didn’t push it. So I could have just gotten up and paid $ 18 for a really nice time in a small space, but was occupied by extremely polite women, but I went for the massage and have no regrets. It was a lovely experience.

Still love this place but have to add ladies it is whisper only, I get that, I respect that. When I am whispering though, you know following the rules, and that is too much for you? Then it’s time for you to go home to find zen. Rude woman thought she owned the place and dictated silence, and then put in ear plugs. We all come to relax and I have been there when ladies don’t keep their voices down, yes that is inconsiderate, but if I and my friend/​s are following the whisper rule, respect us by dealing or go home. Ug.

I love love love hot house! It’s just a great small environment that has everything I need. The patrons are respectful and quiet so I don’t get distracted by conversations and can focus on my relaxation. I normally avoid peak times when I hear it gets crowded but even when there are several women here everybody is mindful of one another and move slowly and quietly out of eachothers way. It’s almost entirely nude which can be a bit distracting. I choose to wear a swim suit which is allowed but sometimes I feel it draws more attention to me. Their punch card is a great way to save a little extra money.

I love Hot House. It’s one of the best-​kept secrets in Seattle. It’s not fancy, it’s not exotic but it is quiet, peaceful and, perhaps most importantly, it’s affordable.
I really appreciate having a place to relax and indulge without going broke.
AND I learned just last night that Hot House has entered the late 20^th century and now takes cards! Woo-​hoo!

I really didn’t like this place. It is too small and having 5 people seems crowded and defeats the purpose of having a relaxing day when you have to navigate where to go next and whether there is even room. I think staying 2 hours was my limit and I was bored out of my mind.
There is an area to lie down and read or whatever but it was carpeted and plastic mats with towels were there but were already cold, wet and slippery from the last person who used it.
You have 4 things to do, sit in the whirlpool, dry sauna, wet sauna and relaxation room. This is normally fine for me at Olypus but I did not like the size– it felt overcrowded. The lack of noise was nice though.

Ahhhhhhhhh. What a lovely, chill place. It’s easy to lose track of time in here, and it never seems to be too busy.
I also would like to note (as Tressa did) that their cold plunge is not a plunge, but a very aggressive shower, the likes of which you might recognize from chem lab in school.

This is the first spa I’ve been to so I don’t have much to compare to but it’s a great place to go and relax. I went with a friend and we alternated hanging in the spa and getting a massage, which I regret. It would have been nicer to relax with a friend around. We arrived when they opened on a weekday so we had the place more or less to ourselves for the first hour.
They are true to their word and everything is HOT. I barely made it 5 minutes in the sauna and less in the steam room. The hot tub was amazing and being able to cool off with the cold shower was surprisingly amazing.
We got a massage from Lorraine — who I recognize is a contractor and not «technically» a Hothouse employee. I have to say I did find the massage disappointing. She did a lot of energy work, which I don’t really jive with (my fault for not speaking up while I was there.) My biggest complaint was for 3 days afterwards my lower spine (not the paraspinal muscles) really HURT. I can’t say for certain it was the massage, but that was really the only deviation from my normal activity that I did.
I would come back to relax but next time I’d come with a friend and skip the massage.

I love love LOVE the Hot House. I would give it 10 stars if I could. It is so nice to have something so awesome as this walking distance frommy apartment. You can’t beat the price. I actually like it a LOT more then Olympus. Why? Cause Olympus is too bright and loud. I can’t relax in an atmosphere like that. The Hot House is like an oasis in the middle of the busy city. It’s a nice relaxing retreat after a hard day at work.

The handful of times I’ve visited Hothouse I’ve had an okay time. I love the dimmed lights and quiet atmosphere (when I’m alone). I can’t go with a friend b/​c I get hushed which is a bummer, but I suppose I understand. I also love that it’s women-​only and bathing suits are optional.
The reason I’m giving them only two stars is because THEY DO NOT HAVE A COLD PLUNGE. It really bothers me that they advertise having one on their website *and* on their sign outside when all they have is a cold, leaky shower. Shower does not equal plunge, ladies. You can’t really get the benefits of contrast hydrotherapy (one of the main reasons I go to spas) with just a cold shower unless you want to stand under the shower for several minutes and risk catching a chill. I’ll take a 30 second plunge over a 3 minute shower any day, and for this reason I tend to focus my spa choices elsewhere.
Obviously, cold plunging is really important to me. It happens when you’re in med school studying to become naturopathic doctor. False advertising also really gets to me, and I hope that HH can get it together and own up to what they (don’t) have.

I went to Hot House for the first time today after walking by for years. Holy s**t, why didnt I come here earlier? Hot House, like the well known Olympus Spa in Lynnwood and Olympia, is a female only, fully nudy spa that will have you feeling like a well relaxed and sweated limp noodle upon exiting. There is an entry fee of $ 15, with towels and a refundable lock deposit going for $ 1 each (the lock deposit is returned when you exit/​return your lock).
Pro’s: this place has a cedar dry sauna room, a wet steam sauna room (infused with eucalyptus oil), a nice hot tub, on site lockers, and a really cool cold water shower for cooling off. There are a couple of showers available for washing before and after your spa experience, and the soap they provide didn’t irritate my really sensitive skin. They also have a blow dryer on site, so you can leave and not have sopping wet hair on your way home. They also offer prepaid passes if you’re a frequent guest.
Con’s” this place does fill up quickly when it’s busy/​busier. It is a pretty tiny space. This didn’t really bother me though, as I came and spent a couple hours here just after they opened, so it didn’t get crowded while I was here. The towels they offer are on the small side– ladies, if you’re plus size like me, bring your own. What they offer is better suited for drying your hair than trying to dry/​cover up any part of your body.
I’ll be back. For $ 15 a visit and the amount of limp noodle feeling I still have four hours after leaving, that was money very well spent and relaxation very well achieved.

«Small groups welcome» says their site. Methinks not.
The rude staff made us feel unwelcome, as if we were intruders and seemed annoyed that there were 5 of us. We awkwardly shuffled around their small entrance to allow other guests to exit while filling out our forms. We were shortchanged after paying and while asking the front desk person for the correct change, we were shushed by another staff, though we kept our voices down. My girls and I came for a RELAXING spa day to pamper ourselves and felt this was the wrong business to come to. After spending 10 minutes there, we left feeling upset and flabbergasted.
We ended up driving the extra 10 miles north to Bella Luna in Lynnwood. We spent $ 20/​ea. and spent an amazing 4 hours there to enjoy their friendly & accommodating service and clean facility. Go to the Hothouse if you want solo time to meditate and cannot stand the sound of human voice.

I love the intimately small space of this women-​only spa. The cold plunge shower is a nice touch for when you’ve been sitting in the sauna or steam room too long, and the hot tub is nice and big, plenty of room for a dozen or so women to relax in without getting too friendly. The lavender-​and-​eucalyptus-​infused steam is by far my favorite part, and the fact that they provided lime slices for your drinking water.
And let’s not forget their late hours! Open ’til 12midnight? Yes, please! Just remember: the last entry is 11pm, to give their guests time to relax before they close for the night.
If you are nearby and able, you owe yourself a trip to this place. Nudity encouraged, but not required. I suggest bringing your own water bottle to fill up, and your own towels. If you forget one or both, they provide drinking glasses, and charge a very nominal fee for towels.

Ahh… I wasn’t feeling my best when I came here, and this was the perfect place to relax, clear my head, and detox.
I came around 10PM on a Sunday night, and there were only two other ladies in the spa relaxing. The attendant at the front desk was very nice and she seemed to be pretty meticulous about keeping the back in order.
I don’t have much to say about this place, because it is quietly the best place! There were only two other ladies when I went, and they didn’t talk much to me or each other, so I felt like I had the place to myself.
Is there something that makes you crave limes at a spa? Cos after I left the dry sauna, I couldn’t get enough lime. If this was earlier in the day, I wouldn’t have consumed so much of it. :) I love that they offered lime and water.
Minus one star for the bathroom situation. I’m comfortable with my nudity and the nudity of others. But I draw the line at having someone breeze in while I’m enthroned, okay. A lock on the door for the toilet is much needed. I can’t imagine how it would be during busy hours! Also, bring your own towel. Bring at least two. :]

I love that there’s a hot sauna place open until late at night that I can go and relax whenever I feel like. This place is really reasonably priced at about $ 12 a visit (sure it’s much smaller but it’s not as expensive the $ 38 that you have to splurge at the Olympus Spa) and is in the middle of Capitol Hill (read, convenient for a Seattle habitant like I am!). Although the place is a bit small, I like the fact that whenever I go there –mostly very late at night, say 10pm-​midnight, there won’t be too many people there. I always love the fact that this place is for females only, so it’s not awkward (sure some ladies probably check others out. but I’m comfortable with that and can be careless of them seeing me naked than I feel with some random guys!!). If you go at a certain time, though, I heard it can be quite crowded.
I also love to get a massage there. In Seattle (other than another Chinese foot massage place in the International District), it’s very difficult to find any legit massage place open for last minnute schedule or for appointments beyond 8pm. Not the case at all with Hot House. I can almost count on getting an appointment the same day (say if I call 4 – 6 hours ahead of time) and the massage therapist that I go see regularly there is really awesome with deep tissue (and by deep. i mean really, really deep by a honorarily-​certified spa junkie like I am :)).
Service is also great! The lady at the reception desk is always nice and respecful. The atmosphere is often nice, quiet and calm (minus a few unlucky days when you encounter some patrons who just can’t seem to keep their conversations/​voices to the minimum). The only other downside may be finding a good parking spot if you go there during the day time/​evening.