The Steam Room
Dark. Dingy. A bit dirty, even. Steam rooms in rural banyas like this aren’t the well-lit, unblemished steam rooms of the saunas heated by electric stoves …
22 Jul
Between Steams
Between Steams
In my chosen bathhouse in Moscow we would rest between steams, our hair wet, our skin flushed, our backs slumped against benches, our chests rising …
03 Jul
The Banya
The Banya
When I first envision a banya, it looks something like this. Humble. Weathered. Even ramshackle. (see extensive photo gallery – and banya-related music!)
08 May
The Black Banya
The Black Banya
More Russians have seen the yeti than have steamed in a black banya. Black banyas are nearly extinct. They just barely exist. They are the …
19 Apr
The Field Banya
The Field Banya
A friend once recounted for me a rafting trip he took one summer, with friends, among the Ural Mountains. One day, after making camp on …
15 Apr
Gulag Banyas
Gulag Banyas
“The banya is a negative event, a burden in the convict’s life. The dream of getting clean in the banya is an impossible …
12 Apr
Banya Folklore
Banya Folklore
For centuries Russian folklore has spoken of the bathhouse possessing a spirit. More to the point, the bathhouse is possessed by a spirit. …
04 Nov
The Steam-maker
The Steam-maker
“In the banya all are equal.” “In the banya there are no generals.” “In the banya there are no epaulets.” These proverbs about the Russian steam bath – …
28 Oct
Veniki
Veniki
Venik is a word that doesn’t translate well into English. A venik (VYE-nik) is a broom, or whisk broom. It also is a bundle of …