Tag Archives: History

The World History of Baths

The unique bathing tradition has been present within society since ancient times. Each nation had its own type of baths where people would go to freshen up, relax and recharge their batteries. However, the temperature of the water and air, the level of humidity and the bathing rituals varied from country to country. Ancient Egyptian […]

The Old New Year

Santa in banya

Did you know that Russians celebrate New Year twice? Although this may seem strange, the reason is that the Old New Year, which is an unofficial holiday in Russia, is still observed despite the fact that the Gregorian calendar (new style) replaced the Julian calendar (old style) in 1918. In ancient times, the life cycle […]

How did the Russian banya arrive in London?

Russian banya in London

While Banya No.1 opened as recently as 2012, the story of Russian bath houses in London goes back much further. It all began in Odessa in the 1820s during the Russian Empire. This is when the first anti-Jewish pogroms (targeted anti-Jewish riots) occurred. The reason for these violent attacks was that there had been rumours […]

The Historic “Russian Banya” at Banya No.1

The famous painting “Russian Banya” by Sima Vasilieva is now on display at our Banya

The original version of this artwork was first published in 1988 on the cover of the widely popular magazine Ogon’ok and it made the artist famous in the Soviet nation, but perhaps not in the best sense. Soviet readers were indignant and demanded punishment for the manifestation of pornography and the disrespect for the braces. […]

World Baths History. Ancient Egypt.

Banya history

Dating as far back as 2000 BC, ancient Egyptians were amongst the first to widely adopt the power of the hot tub for its therapeutic values. Egyptians and Cleanliness These hot tubs consisted of a water-filled caldera that was then heated by placing red-hot stones in the water. Due to the climate, (remember, we are […]