What is Venik?
Here at Banya No.1 our signature treatment is Parenie – an invigorating thermal treatment using leafy and fragrant bundles of birch, oak and eucalyptus twigs performed in a steam room. In Russia, this bundle is simply called Venik.
The treatment we offer is quite intense. And, no, it’s not about the slashing you with Venik, it’s rather working the steam shifting it around you to warm you up so much, that you feel you need to plunge into chilled water afterwards. The contrast causes release of adrenalin and stress hormones and immense invigoration that follows. It boosts your blood circulation, relieves tension and stress and it’s a very good cardio-vascular exercise.
For the Parenie treatment we use Veniks that consist of various branches:
Birch The birch leaves in steam have great aromatherapy effect and are an exceptional remedy for those who suffer from bronchitis.
Oak Has skin firming and anti aging effect and are great to work with steam.
Eucalyptus Prised for its aromatherapy effect and a good treatment for those suffering from a runny nose and sore throat.
The best time to ‘harvest’ Veniks is after Summer Equinox and usually there is a narrow window of time for that so the leaves are young and firm. In order to prepare it, the branches are cut, leaves get flattened out a little while tying the branches together and hung to dry in very specific conditions. Good Venik should look more like a fan than a sweeping tool.
We properly prepare the Venik before your massage. We soak it in a warm water for a minimum of 30 minutes, bringing it back to life and the super hot steam of parnaya (Russian steam room) absorbs essential oils and phytoncides released by the leaves.
The Venik Massage improves blood flow and raises body core temperature which defeats pathogens and have a healing effect.
We can guarantee that this treatment will keep you rejuvenated and in high spirits for a long time afterwards.
