4 March 2009

I just got home from my trip to the Баня (bathhouse) with Вова and Ваня…That was unbelievable. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so relaxed in my life, and I’m glad I didn’t try going alone because there’s no way I could have figured out everything on my own. It was definitely a bonding experience, a cultural experience, and a spiritual experience.
On the way in, we bought some beer and Квас (the kvas was for me, because they know I’m not a drinker) and then changed into our towels. I cant even begin to describe the rest of the things we did. Going from a scorching, dry sauna into an ice cold bath, then into a Turkish style steam room and then into a warm pool, then relaxing and drinking, then repeating. We went into the steam room three times, and the sauna five or six. The last three times we went in the sauna, they used these branches (I’m not sure what kind of tree they were from) and while one person laid down on a bench, the other would whip the person’s back, arms, legs, feet, and chest, as well as lean down and apply pressure and swirl them around to direct the heat at your body. It got all of the stress out of my body and felt incredible. Going from the intense heat into the intense cold was a little intense, but it felt very refreshing. We used two different methods- there was a big bath where we took turns jumping into and then climbing out, and there were also big buckets hanging from the wall about 10 feet off the ground, and when you pulled a rope they emptied down on you. In between each set, we stopped in the little compartment they gave us, sat, drank, and talked. At the end, we showered off, got dressed, finished off the kvas together and headed out. I cant remember the last time I felt this good.
I wish I could describe it more clearly, but it was just such an intense experience, and I feel so drained.
Afterwards we went out to get a bite to eat, but everywhere we stopped was closing, so they just dropped me off. I definitely have to go back there sometime.