Russian bathhouses, affectionately referred to as banyas, have been used for centuries and is a key part of the culture. For those who aren’t accustomed to what banyas are, the bathhouse includes a steam room with wooden benches, leafy branches used in a massage, and typically buckets or pools of cold water. In a lot of these environments, a user gets a traditional steam bathing experience alongside occasional whacking with a branch and being given ice cold water therapy.
Banyas have been used to provide warmth, strong and healthy skin, and better overall health among Russian families for years. In certain parts of the country, a person will take a steam and then walk out to lie down in the snow bringing together the benefits of heat with cold. The oldest bathhouse in Russia is the Sanduny in Moscow which was first opened in 1808 believe it or not. Elegant and beautiful, this maintains traditional banya rules which means the men are with the men and the women are with the women.
In a way, a banya isn’t a type of steam room but is more similar to a spa. So in this way, all a banya’s is a Russian spa. Banyas can offer some customizations in the sense that different spa treatments are offered, such as body mud wrapping to the traditional branch massage. Before entering a banya, a person must disrobe and dress themselves in bath shoes, a hat, their sheet, and towel. In a Russian banya, you start with a short time a la 15 minutes in a steam room. No moisturizers or cosmetics should be used in the steam room.
The average steam room temperature in North America is 100 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Comparatively, Russian banyas are at least 170 degrees Fahrenheit. They’re much hotter! After time in a steam room, you step out and out into the cold water you go. The water doesn’t need to be very cold to feel very cold. Most people, even first-timers, find this process to be very refreshing and pleasant on the skin. After taking a few minutes in the cold water, one returns to the steam room banya setting.
In a banya, a venik massage is offered. A venik is a bundle of leafy branches a la from an oak tree. These leafy branches used to pat and whack the body up and down. A banya employee can give the massage or if preferred, a friend can. Although it can look like it hurts a lot, the process of whacking branches against the body is surprisingly peaceful. This type of massage is not as calming as one expects. It’s almost like the reinvigoration one feels when in the shower exfoliating. It’s this same sort of feeling. A venik massage usually lasts up to 15 minutes.
The alternation between the cold water and the steam room lies at the heart of a banya. Spas don’t necessarily focus on the health aspect that the banya does. Instead, spas will focus on relaxation and rightfully so. This is how we see steam rooms in North America. Needless to say, it’s very interesting to see where the banya and the steam room intersect. The Russian bathhouse banya’s a unique experience, one that is culturally important and that produces benefits for overall health which can’t be forgotten.