A Russian banya is similar to a sauna though considerably more humid. They come in all shapes and sizes from a simple shed in your garden to large public baths. I have been to 3 different banyas and the 3 things they all have in common is a steam room, an indoor ice plunge pool or, if space is at a premium, a plunge barrel(!), and somewhere to relax (often a bedroom) and eat.
The first banya I went to was in the winter with my husband at a resort complex on the Volga with a large mixed group of friends. It was situated on a river and, rather than using the indoor barrel of icy water, you could just jump into a hole in the frozen river. It also had, outside, a rather novel cauldron of hot water hanging over a fire with room for 2-3 people. Our group rented the banya complex for a couple of hours, we split into our single sex groups took in some drinks and snacks and proceeded to have lots of fun. We were able to meet outside on the communal deck.
The next time I went was with a small female group to the famous Sanduny baths in Moscow. Here you have both public single sex baths and private rooms for hire. The men’s public baths are, I am told, quite spectacular inside. The pool harks back to Greco/Roman days with its columns whilst the relaxing area would not look out of place in a London gentleman’s club with highly polished old wood, leather seats and coffee tables to rest the food and drink that you have just ordered from the menu. I hear that the female side is much plainer. However our group rented a private banya which was tiled in beautiful blues and golds. Again, we took drinks and snacks, (but could have ordered food there) and we alternated our eating and resting between the banya, the Turkish steam room and the cool, but not icy, small pool.
A small note about etiquette here. Clothes, at least in the public baths, are not normal. Whatever your size or shape or age – you go naked or wrapped in the towels that you rent. However in both the events described above we wore swim suits as we were quite an international crowd and several of the nationalities were decidedly not comfortable with being naked in company. You may also have noticed the felt hats that we are modelling. These are almost compulsory as, according to the Russians, they stop your head from over heating – and nobody wants that!
My third and final time was just my husband and I. We rented the banya at our hotel (as described in my previous post) for a couple of hours. The hotel’s banya complex consisted of two log houses containing a sauna, an indoor ice plunge pool, (or in this case a plunge barrel!) and outside pool (which looked distinctly like a garden pond to me!), a massage bed, a couple of bedrooms, small kitchen and dinning room.
There we were met by Zhenya who showed us around, explained how to get more steam and heat (you throw ladles of water into the hot brick oven), and how to beat each other with birch leaves! And so passed a couple of alternatingly hot and icy hours.
And now comes part two of the title and an integral part of the whole experience – The Beating!
An extremely important part of any banya is being beaten with a Venik. This is traditionally made from of birch or oak leaves which have been soaked in water. You lash the person on their back, arms and legs and feet then waft it in the air above the person to heat it up before pressing it down on the area you have just beaten. This helps to open the pours, and capillaries and improve blood circulation. You can pay for someone to beat you or you can just beat each other!!
Banyas can be visited on your own or with friends. Whether you go to the public baths or hire a private room it is generally regarded as a very social place. Passing between hot rooms, cold pools, beatings or body scrubs, it is important to rest between the cycles where you can chat with your neighbour or friends, have a drink or something to eat before beginning another round of heating and cooling. Much as I imagine the Romans did in their time.
Russian Reflections 