I've been wanting to go to a banya for awhile now. It's kind of a staple here in Russia. In fact, Hubs actually beat me to it because they have a banya at his rig site in the middle of nowhere. So imagine a forest, twenty miles away from the nearest town or person, a couple old, nasty trailers with bunk beds for sleeping and a complete banya. Something we would consider a luxury is a necessity, even to all the dirty oil men out there working. Fascinating.
So, my friend that I lunched with last week has been a few times, so she offered to take me and I quickly accepted. Hubs had given me a bit of an idea about how it works, but I went in with a pretty open mind and I was so excited to really get into the heart and soul of Russian culture.
The banya we went to is the oldest in Moscow and it is beautiful. 1100 ($33) Rubles will get you in for three hours and you add on other things that you may want. They have everything you can imagine as far as spa treatments go. Scrubs, wraps, massages, you name it. They also serve cafe style food, teas and, of course, booze. Your bill can really start to add up.
This particular banya has two levels, the upstairs is a little more expensive at 1700 Rubles ($55) and offers a little more privacy, but it was closed for renovations. Besides, I wanted to full Russian banya experience, like everyone else. Little did we know that Tuesdays are senior citizen discount day. Now, we haven't actually confirmed that, but its the only explanation for why we were the youngest people there by at least 50 years. No joke.
There's something you should all know about Russians. For the most part, modesty is not a priority to them. But before you judge them, think about this... Before the fall of Communism, there really wasn't such a thing as privacy. A friend of mine helped me understand this by telling me a story about her experience at a doctor's appointment. The doctor wanted her to strip down, even though she just needed a prescription for something like a cold. She, being from America, refused and demanded a new doctor that wasn't such a creeper. But they weren't being creepers, thats just the way they do things. Secondly, after the fall of Communism, Russians went from only receiving propaganda, to being able to get their hands on popular magazines. And these magazines were usually Playboys, and various fashion magazines. This all influenced norms in style and behavior.
So, now that we have some insight into the Russian brain, on to describing this banya experience.
Here's the breakdown. You walk in, rinse off and head to the steam room, a large room with wooden benches and a stove. Actually, from what I've read, it is two stoves. One with the fire that heats up the rocks in the other stove. These rocks heat up and once everyone is in the room, one of the staff throws water on the rocks to create the steam. And boy, does it get hot in there. You just start sweating like crazy, and you feel like you're breathing straight steam. You really can't stay in more than ten minutes or so, partly because it's uncomfortable, but I think it's also unhealthy.
You can buy these branches that are bundled together and you hit yourself with them. It's supposed to promote good circulation and let me tell you, it really does feel great. We didn't pay for a Babushka to hit us with the branches, so I'm not sure how great that would feel, but I'm sure I'll find out as I get bolder.
As soon as you get out, you stand under a bucket, placed high on the wall, pull a string and POW! The coldest water ever is poured on you. I knew it was coming and this was the part I told me friend that I probably wouldn't like. Surprisingly enough, it was awesome. Couldn't get enough. And it's good for you! The heat and sweating cleans out your blood vessels by expanding them and releasing toxins, and by immediately going cold again, those blood vessels retract, leaving the toxins out for disposal.
They also splash some type of oil on the walls. It smells like peppermint and even though my sinuses were fine to begin with, I felt like they were completely cleaned out. I'll definitely be going back at the first hint of a sinus infection. My lungs were squeeky clean afterwards! There really are tons of health benefits to this including circulation, kidney health, better immune system, heart health and it releases endorphins.
You take some breaks inbetween, sitting and having tea and snacks in a waiting room type area, and you are free to bring your own masks and scrubs instead of pay the spa prices. But you really don't need them. My skin felt so great after a few trips even without the aid of scrubs and such. Very, very refreshing. (once you got out of the heat...)
I'm sold and we've already planned to make it a weekly trip. And for those of you who will make fun of my new ritual, I can't wait till I look like I quit aging at 29. You'll be sorry. All of you.
Cheers to doing as the locals do. Only the Russians could find a way to be healthy without working out and eating healthy foods.
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