Banya-rific
I survived my first banya experience today. It was weird and scary and relaxing all at the same time. For those of you who don't know what a banya is, it's a Russian bath house. I went with my friend Jen who is a virtual banya expert. She gave me a great overview in advance, which helped me appease my fears about hanging out naked with unfamiliar Russian women.
So here's what happens: You arrive at the banya and pay for your visit (about $20 for 2 hours) plus whatever extras you want. You can get a beating with birch branches, a chocolate/coffee massage, or other similarly bizarre treatments. Then you strip down in a little changing room, wrap yourself in a sheet, slip on flip-flops and a strange felt hat and head outside. Yes, outside in Russia -- fortunately, it was nearly 40 degrees F today in St. Petersburg! There, you find a little wooden shack and 3 pools of water (icy cold, luke warm and hot). You enter the wooden shack and find the previously mentioned unfamiliar naked Russian women. The image that immediately came to mind: walruses. My friend Jen, who lived in San Francisco for 9 years, later joked that they remind her of sea lions laying out on Pier 39. You hang out there, in Jen's words, "for as long as you can stand it," which in my book is about 5 minutes. Then, when you think your skin is about to melt, you head outside and jump in the icy pool. After a loud shriek, you hop out, and jump into the luke warm pool, where your skin tingles as it acclimates back to its normal temperature. Then -- as crazy as this sounds -- you repeat the process, as we did 3 more times. Each successive time, I was able to last a little bit longer in the repressively hot banya.
On my last stint in the banya, I got the birch branch treatment. A cute young man (who probably has the best job in the world, hanging out with naked women all day, while he coincidentally gets to wear shorts) beats the sh*t out of you with a wet, hot birch branch contraption. It feels like he is just shy of trying to cause you bodily damage -- a mix of torture and massage. And it gets really, really HOT! When he finally says he's done, you run out as quick as you can -- covered in leaves -- and jump in the cold pool...AHHH!
By the end of our excursion, my limbs felt like jello and I felt totally mellow. In fact, after we showered and got dressed, we had to sit and have a cup of tea before Jen "sobered up" enough to drive home. Like I said, it's weird and scary and relaxing all at the same time. And oh-so-very Russian. Forgive me for not having photos -- I'll bring my camera next time to record the madness! Well, maybe just the part before we get totally naked.
So here's what happens: You arrive at the banya and pay for your visit (about $20 for 2 hours) plus whatever extras you want. You can get a beating with birch branches, a chocolate/coffee massage, or other similarly bizarre treatments. Then you strip down in a little changing room, wrap yourself in a sheet, slip on flip-flops and a strange felt hat and head outside. Yes, outside in Russia -- fortunately, it was nearly 40 degrees F today in St. Petersburg! There, you find a little wooden shack and 3 pools of water (icy cold, luke warm and hot). You enter the wooden shack and find the previously mentioned unfamiliar naked Russian women. The image that immediately came to mind: walruses. My friend Jen, who lived in San Francisco for 9 years, later joked that they remind her of sea lions laying out on Pier 39. You hang out there, in Jen's words, "for as long as you can stand it," which in my book is about 5 minutes. Then, when you think your skin is about to melt, you head outside and jump in the icy pool. After a loud shriek, you hop out, and jump into the luke warm pool, where your skin tingles as it acclimates back to its normal temperature. Then -- as crazy as this sounds -- you repeat the process, as we did 3 more times. Each successive time, I was able to last a little bit longer in the repressively hot banya.
On my last stint in the banya, I got the birch branch treatment. A cute young man (who probably has the best job in the world, hanging out with naked women all day, while he coincidentally gets to wear shorts) beats the sh*t out of you with a wet, hot birch branch contraption. It feels like he is just shy of trying to cause you bodily damage -- a mix of torture and massage. And it gets really, really HOT! When he finally says he's done, you run out as quick as you can -- covered in leaves -- and jump in the cold pool...AHHH!
By the end of our excursion, my limbs felt like jello and I felt totally mellow. In fact, after we showered and got dressed, we had to sit and have a cup of tea before Jen "sobered up" enough to drive home. Like I said, it's weird and scary and relaxing all at the same time. And oh-so-very Russian. Forgive me for not having photos -- I'll bring my camera next time to record the madness! Well, maybe just the part before we get totally naked.
posted by Alyson Fieldman at 7:20 PM
1 Comments:
Oh my goodness, Alyson. You are officially my hero! I have not yet mustered up the courage to do the strip-down banya thing. I am determined to experience it at least once this year, and your entry really helped me prepare my brain for complete craziness! Thanks, and again, well done!
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