Some days are cold and some days are hot… but the best days, involve a banya stop! Recently we asked ourselves this very profound question: what shall we do today? It was a Wednesday that happened to have coincided with Christmas. Us being the non-Christmas observing type, we had to decide on what oh what
Expert: Ganadi, a chap with 16 years’ experience of parenie venik massage. Procedure: Russians refer to banya as their “first doctor” (vodka is the second, garlic the third). I am lying face down in birch leaves while a topless Russian man lashes my back with foliage that’s just come out of an oven. This is
The healthy effect of Russian banya has been enshrined in Russian sayings such as Banya parit, banya pravit (banya steam makes the body right), Zharky par lyuboy nedug istselit (hot steam cures any illness) etc. Since the time of Ancient Rome and Roman thermae, steam bathing, technically speaking, has involved high-temperature steam treatment that removes
RBTH correspondent Ilaria Parogni visits the first-ever Russian banya in London and shares her impressions and thoughts on one of Russia’s favourite activities. I have a confession to make. Despite having lived in Russia for a while in the past and writing about this country for a living, I had never been to a Russian
Americans repurify in a sweat lodge. The Turkish make it a social affair in the hammam, whereas Celts favour a vapour bath. But in Russia, one can find merry banter, nakedness and the ritualistic flicking of birch branches in the steamy environs of a banya. I’ve never tried the latter, but luckily for me, the first
If the idea of being thwacked by branches and leaves as part of your spa treatment doesn’t scare you, consider signing up for the latest spa trend inspired by a thousand-year-old tradition out of Russia. According to trendspotters at Condé Nast Traveller UK, after Ayurvedic and Turkish baths, Russian banyas are poised to be the next
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