Banya (sauna)
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Banya (Russian: баня) is a traditional Russian steam bath. It uses steam as a heat agent and thereby is fundamentaly different from Finnish sauna where dry heat process is used.
In the steam room (called parilka, парилка) there is a wood stove, where the heat comes from. Beside the stove stands a bucket of water that is poured over the heated stones of the stove. Usually across the stove are wooden benches. The banya is less hot than the Finnish sauna, but what it lacks in temperature is compensated by pouring more water over the stones of the stove, creating steam.
There are banyas that are heated "black" (по-чёрному) and banyas that are heated "white" (по-белому). In the first case, the smoke is led out through a hole in the ceiling. They are characterized by boulder stones and clay balls and cauldrons for the hot water. The firewood is usually birch. The smoke from the wood darkens the inside of the banya (therefore "black"). For white banyas there are different constructions, but all have stone stoves with a tank to heat the water. Therefore, white banyas need bigger branches as firewood. Some banyas are in the inside of big stone stoves.
Going into the steam room is alternated with showers of cold water and/or baths, as well as standing in the breeze to cool off outside. In the parilka people often hit themselves or others with bushes of dried branches and leaves from white birch or other suitable wood (called venik, веник) in order to improve the circulation. In summer usually fresh bushes, in winter bushes that have been dried and then moistened in hot water previous to using them are taken. It is important that the bushes have leaves so it doesn't hurt. In the winter when it gets dark early, people may roll in the snow with no clothes on, or may run into cold lakes through holes cut into the ice for this purpose.
The dressing room is called predbannik (предбанник).
Terminology
In Russian, banya (баня) can refer to any kind of steam bath, and usually refers to the Russian sauna. In Archangelsk and the Vologda Oblast it is pronounced "baina" (байна).See also
External links
- [Sokol tours]
- [Article in Russian about the advantages of the banya]
- [History of banya (Russian steam bath) and its relatives]
- [Banya 5], a banya in Seattle.
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