Banya

Today I went with six other volunteers to a Russian banya. The banya is a traditional Russian spa. There are lots of public banyas, and I think going there is a relatively popular activity. We had reserved for us a private banya, which was really nice. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

So basically going to the banya consists of going back and forth between a super hot sauna and a nice cool swimming pool. I'm not much of a sweater, so in the sauna I was the sweatiest I think I've ever been in my life. It felt really good actually, knowing that you had the release of the pool waiting for you. I don't know how hot it was, but the longest I could stay in the sauna was maybe 15 minutes.

While in the sauna, we spent a little time whacking each other with birch branches. This is also traditional, and not as painful as it sounds. The little branches still have leaves on them and are soaked in cold water, so it feels nice to have a cool bunch of leaves slapping at you. We also rubbed a mixture of salt and honey on our skin, which had a little of an exfoliating effect. There was also a sitting area in our private banya, with tables and chairs. We had tea and snacks. We spent three hours at the banya. It was a really great experience. Kind of funny and very relaxing.

Oh, I should probably mention also that Russians often go to the banya nude. Because we were a mixed-gender group, we wore suits. Thought I'd make that note in case anyone went googling and wondered.

So that was my afternoon. The Russian banya is excellent. I highly recommend you try it.