Every Sunday I go to public bath-house (better known name sauna) “Sanduny” with my friend Elena (not yoga-teacher but another one). It is one of the national Russian entertainment, I saw a lot of foreigners there. On the wall I even saw wrapped up in sheets Silvester Stallone who visited Sanduny few years ago (not only him but lots of stars). I decided to describe how it looks like, maybe chaotic but from the heart.

Theresa, U welcome to prepare yourself for my country and its beauties!

First step when U come into lobby – U should bye A TICKET for 2 hours in 1^st or high-class. We  - Elena and I go to 1^st  class because there are 2 wooden vats with ice water. So… men and women take a bath separately. But it’s case only for the public bath-houses. In the countryside people always go to take bath altogether – men, women, the aged and children. I remember such things from my childhood. The last weekend in Aksakovo we went to sauna. Finnish sauna is not the same with Russian bath with steam, it's dry. 

So… in the big hall U search for free numbered place on the chesterfield there U take off your clothes and slip on some sheet or Turkish towel. Don’t be afraid if U forgot something at home – U can find everything there even slippers or Bath-caps.

Usually people drink some green or herbal-tea (or beer) before taking a bath. My friend Lena and I we brought 2 kinds of honey to taste.

Bath-house attendants came out the bath-room to the hall and call everybody “UNDER THE STEAM” and fun begins! It’s about +110C or more inside and each person is searching for place to seat on the wooden floor as fast as it is possible. Because when U step in, sometimes it’s too warm so U should cover your face with towel to protect the skin from burns...

When everybody sits, attendant increase the steam to the maximum splashing the water on heated bricks of the gas-furnace and after on the walls below us. I can’t spend more than 10 minutes there, briefing slowly without any movement and eyes closed. From inside it looks like if U are on another planet. Then U go out the bath-room and dive into ice water, usually 3 times in the name of the Holy Trinity.

One of the most important thing in a whole process is  “ THE GOOD BROOM”. Good Broom is a CONCEPT! Bath-broom could be oaken, birchen or made from eucalyptus fronds. Brooms are waiting for their time boiled in wash-tubes…

After few sittings under the steam attendants calls everybody “UNDER THE BROOMS”. Because steam for the broom could be “softer”. Elena immediately takes an oaken broom from hot-water and begin to lash my whole body while I lay down the bench screaming “hold on! Hold on!” The same repeats when I take broom in my hands. Broom plays the role of a natural scrab and it cleans and renew the skin perfectly.

In last 15 minutes U should find some time to scrape off the rest with some hand-made masks – for example: ground coffee & honey is trendy in Moscow now. We mostly use ground oat in cream. It smells so nice that I never resist the temptation of taste some “porridge”

2 hours are finished so U should leave your place on the chesterfield and join the people on the snow-covered streets…

www.sanduny.ru