Abstract: A spiral groove face seal has a stationary sealing ring and a rotating sealing ring with opposed radially extending sealing surfaces for restricting fluid flow from a high pressure fluid side to a low pressure fluid side. The rotating sealing ring is in contact with the stationary sealing ring at at least a part of the sealing surfaces when the rotating ring is stopped, and the rotating ring is moved out of contact with the stationary sealing ring when the rotating sealing ring is rotated. The spiral groove face seal comprises spiral grooves formed on one of the sealing surfaces and extending from one circumference of the sealing surface in a radial direction and from the high pressure fluid side to the low pressure fluid side so as to pump fluid from the high pressure fluid side towards the low pressure fluid side. A recess is formed on one of the sealing surfaces coincident with or opposite to at least a portion of the area in which the spiral grooves are formed.