Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
157
Banya Bliss
It's not on most tourist itineraries, but if you can squeeze it in, there's no better
way to shed city grime and immerse yourself in Russian culture than to visit a
banya. Something between a steam bath and a sauna, the banya has been an
important cleansing and resting ritual for centuries. Traditional banyas are huts
built alongside rural houses, where families take turns steaming themselves
clean, then plunge into a tub of cool water or a nearby stream, or roll in the
snow to cool off. In Moscow, banya culture ranges from elite spa-type facilities
with expensive body masks and luxurious pedicures (for both sexes) to more
proletarian facilities used by residents of communal apartments tired of wait-
ing in line for the shower at home. Thought to cure many ills, the banya is a
great rainy-day activity for tourists, too, if you pick one with a bit of history. In
the women's halls, bathers treat the steam water with eucalyptus oil and coat
their skin with honey, coffee grounds, or whatever other remedy they learned
from grandma. In the men's halls, business deals are often made over copious
beer and snacks. In both halls you're likely to see bathers beating each other
(gently) with birch branches; the practice is believed to accelerate and enhance
the cleansing process. The steam is great for warming up in winter; the icy
pools cool you off in summer.
Sandunovskiye Banyi,
an ornate and cheerful 19th-century bathhouse, is a
favorite with “new Russians” and Moscow-based expatriates. They have two
levels of service for each gender. A 2-hour deluxe-level session costs 1,600
rubles; a 2-hour standard-level session costs 1,000 rubles. The differences
between the deluxe and standard sessions are minimal; a “deluxe” session basi-
cally translates into more elegant furnishings and a larger steam room. Sheets,
towels, and slippers can be rented for 50 to 150 rubles, or you can bring your
own. The deluxe level is offered Tuesday through Sunday from 8am to 10pm;
the standard level is offered Wednesday through Monday from 8am to 10pm.
You'll find the baths at 14 Neglinnaya St., buildings 3 to 7; the entrance is on
Zvonarsky Pereulok (
&
495/625-4631;
www.sanduny.ru).
Seleznyovskiye Banyi
is a more modest and out-of-the-way option. This
bathhouse has been serving customers since 1854 and is the one Russian con-
noisseurs prefer, especially the men's hall with its “professional steamers” run-
ning the show. A standard 2-hour session costs 850 rubles for men and women;
entrance to the deluxe halls (men only) costs 1,100 rubles. The baths are open
Tuesday through Sunday from 8am to 10pm, and are located at 15 Seleznyovs-
kaya Ulitsa, building 2 (
&
499/978-8491;
metro: Novoslobodskaya).
7
S lyokhim parom,
as the Russians say, or “Good steam to you.”
by commuter train
(elektrichka)
from Belorussky Station. Patriarshy Dom tours (see list-
ing under “Organized Tours,” above) occasionally offers English-language weekend hikes
in the warmer months. The
Central Moscow Tourist Club
also arranges hikes, usually
in Russian, but the club will arrange English guides for a fee (4 Ulitsa Sadova-Kudrins-
kaya;
&
495/699-7502;
www.gctk.narod.ru/kontakt.html).
