Lex Libertas

LOTD: Banya (баня)

I finally had my first banya experience. Everybody's been trying to get me to go for some time now, apparently it's a staple of life for many over here. With stories like "You instantly go from 90 Celsius to 0C, and then they beat you with reeds," I was trying to put it off for as long as possible.

Essentially, a banya is like a sauna plus. Besides the dark, little wooden room, there are also other rooms. It's like renting a mini appartment for a couple of hours. You can either go to a public one, with radom people, or you can get a private one with friends. The banya I went to had a main room with a dining table, couches, and a television. There was also a bathroom with two showers, and a bedroom. Gee, I wonder what that's for?

I can't tell a difference, but apparently the banya's sweatroom differs from a sauna in that it's wetter. I don't know enough to really have an opinion, but they seem exactly the same to me. It's a tiny wooden room with two levels of bench, and a small thing with hot coals over which you pour water to get the room up to ridiculously hot temperatures. There was a thermometer in mine which read 82 Celsius. Admittedly, it was right over the steam generator, but I didn't think that the human body could operate in temperatures that high.

Depending on your group, you either go into the sauna naked or wearing a towel, I rented a sheet and did my best Caesar impression. Occasionally we would leave the sauna and some would douse themselves in freezing cold water from the shower. Then we'd take a break and relax in the tv room. The other banya in this place was larger, meant for 10 people, and it has a swimming pool and billiards table. Ours was meant for 4 - 5 people.

I didn't enjoy the experience. I don't particularly like the heat, and intentionally making myself sweat, unless through activity, is an incomprehensible concept for me. The supposed justifications are 1. it feels good, and 2. it's healthy. They think that we "sweat out our toxins." I'm not up on the science, but I don't buy that claim. We sweat out salt and water, two things that are actually pretty good for out body, and only kicked out when we need to cool down. Also, part of the banya ritual is being hit on the back with reeds. This "stimulates circulation." While that might be true, because blood would rush to the injured part of the body, I don't understand why inducing this response is a good thing.

In short, not my cup of tea.