The Banya

The banya is truly a unique, Russian experience. The people here love it, many people have a banya at their home. The banya typically consists of a steam room, a cold pool or shower, and a sitting room. There are three phases to the banya. Phase 1: you sit in the steam room, wrapped in a white sheet, for as long as you can stand it. 15 minutes, typically. The steam room is hot, usually around 110 degrees celcius. If oak or birch branches are available, you dip them in the bucket of water and flog each other until your skin turns a nice rosy pink. Sitting in a broiling hot room while getting switched with steaming hot tree branches feels like you've been set on fire. This is supposed to be healthy. Phase 2: when you can't take the steam room or flogging anymore, you run and jump into a pool of cold water. The sudden change in temperature and blood pressure hits you like a mule kick and leaves your head spinning. This is supposed to be healthy. Phase 3: you sit around a table drinking tea and talking until you cool down. You repeat this sequence another two times, the overall process takes about two hours. As I said, Russian people love the banya. It's almost a past time for them. If you give them a chance, they will explain at length the benefits to your health and how it will improve your life. I'm not sure why the Russian ladies love it so much. I can see why Russian men love it. The intense heat, the cold water, the tree branches... it all has the aspects of a hazing/bonding ritual. Guys like that kind of stuff. I don't see why this would appeal to the ladies, but they love it, too. The banya is strictly segregated by sex, though, so maybe the women have a different routine. Perhaps they flog each other delicately, I don't know. I should investigate.