What do Justin Bieber, Kate Moss, Bridget Jones and Jamie Laing all have in common?They’ve all enjoyed getting hit with hot birch, oak and eucalyptus twigs by a lovely semi-naked Russian man at the Banya No.1 Russian Bath Club near Old Street.
We were greeted with towels and an extremely flattering felt hat and, once we’d…

‘A waiter served Russian dumplings, then a naked hairy giant said it was my turn for a flogging’
There is more to life than food and wine. There is also shmeissing. Put the three of these together and you have yourself a hell of an evening. One that in this country, as far as I know, can only be had at Banya No 1.
But, of course, yo…

We paid a visit to Banya No. 1 in London’s Hoxton to experience this traditional and much-loved Russian wellbeing therapy. Not for the faint-hearted, it takes a few moments to acclimatise both body and brain to the fiercely hot air and the slightly hysterical sight of a burly Russian chap, stripped to the waist save

The first thought that crossed my mind when I was planning for my week off in London (which I took last week) was the spa. The infrequent yoga session and hot pink salt baths are definitely wonderful mid-week stress-relievers, but I had been craving something more. You may know by now that I’m quite the

WHAT Parenie (£28) and Russian massage (£35 for 30 minutes) WHERE Banya No.1, London THE LOWNDOWN Russian Banya is a full experience, not an in-out treatment, so if you’re in a rush, save this for another dy. After a relaxing cup of tea, you’ll be laid down in a steam room where the therapist uses birch, oak and

Hanging out at a Rainbo event a few months ago my beautiful friend Alice told me she and her husband Pete were going on a hot date that evening to a Russian spa “where you wear and felt hat and they beat you with birch leaves”. Sign me up! I cried, and the next week