Pleasure seekers continue to enjoy the rituals of the Ukrainian banya
Hanging around in a stifling room with a bunch of naked, sweaty men is not exactly everyone’s idea of a good time.
It sounds vaguely like a bad prison documentary.
In Fyoder Dostoevsky’s “House of the Dead” – a good prison documentary – the author has these loving words for the fabled Russian banya:
“Imagine a room about 12 paces long and roughly the same in width, into which were packed as many as one hundred, or probably at the very least 80 men at once . . . steam swathed one’s eyes, soot, dirt, the place so crowded that there was nowhere to stand . . . a mass of humanity seethed. On the whole floor area there was not a space the size of a man’s palm on which the convicts were not sitting huddled splashing themselves from their tubs.”
Granted, Dostoevsky was describing a prison banya. But for the uninitiated, a visit even to the local public banya can be like stepping into the bowels of some terrible beast: the dark, dingy sauna with its infernal oven, the old tile and pipes spitting steam, the hunched participants limp from the heat and the labored flailing birch branches. At first glance, it all seems remarkably unpleasant.
But if you master the art, that which looks like a living hell can send you to a sensual heaven.
The banya harkens back to that golden age when bathing was a weekly affair, done with 10 to 20 of your countrymen. The occasional hot water shut-off aside, the banya has largely outlasted its hygiene necessity. However, there are still those that swear by its medicinal properties and it remains a source of relaxation, rejuvenation and communion.
In Kyiv, the banya tradition is largely lost on the young. It is viewed as an affectation of the old, a charming throwback. Rare is the twenty-something who repeatedly attends. The regulars tend mainly to be middle-aged or elderly.
In place of the old public facilities, luxury banyas are filling a new niche. These are smaller, private facilities that can be rented out for small parties or business meetings. Unlike the general-use banyas like Solomenka and Tsentralni, these luxury banyas are intended for rental in their entirety. They can feature beautifully appointed anterooms with televisions, VCRs, stereos and wood-paneled saunas in the Western mold. They are often attached to hotels, clubs or even restaurants. The cost reflects the level of luxury. Places like the Manhattan Sauna Complex rent for hundreds of hryvna per hour.
But the pleasure principle of the banya is based on the notion, “That which does not kill you makes you stronger.” Health and happiness is attained by exposing the body to various extremes; in pampered surroundings, the effect is somewhat muted. For the genuine banya experience, visit the larger public establishments like Tsentralni.
The Ukrainian banya is basically a sauna complex. However, unlike the Scandinavian style sauna, which is dry, the banya is a steam bath. The typical public banya will feature a room with lockers, a tiled washroom with showers, benches and a cold pool, and the banya itself. It may also house a separate dry sauna.
Most banyas will offer linens, drinks such as water, tea and beer, as well as snacks like salted nuts and fish. You are expected to bring your own sandals and toiletries such as soap and shampoo. Of foremost importance is the venik, a bundle of birch branches that are used to stimulate circulation. There is a small cottage industry that produces these implements and clusters of venik vendors hover around bathhouse entrances.
Banya practices are the subject of serious and lengthy debate. Aficionados have their own pattern of rinsing, steaming, flogging and dunking; each is certain that his or her method is the most beneficial.
Participation in some of these rituals is, of course, optional.
But there is a basic method that is universally accepted.
Upon arriving, you undress completely and stow your clothing and essentials in the anteroom. Banyas usually offer separate facilities for men and women, or gender specific days of operation.
You then proceed to the shower room where you obtain a metal basin. You fill the basin with hot water and immerse the venik to soften the branches. You then take a hot shower to both acclimate yourself to the coming temperatures and rinse off the grime of the city.
Then, you head to the banya itself. The heating mechanism in the traditional banya is no piddling box of rocks. True banya bliss can only be achieved with industrial power. The furnace covers the bulk of one wall and is covered with a large iron hatch.
The seating area is a series of terraced benches. The higher you go, the hotter it gets. A difference of several feet in altitude can mean massive differences in temperature. Occasionally, one of the regulars will canvass the group for an appraisal of temperature. If the heat or humidity is lacking, he or she will open the hatch and throw eucalyptus-tinctured water on the coals. When this is done, you move down to ground level or crouch, as the steam raises the temperature significantly.
While new initiates should be careful not to push themselves too hard, it is important to stay in the banya as long as possible. Some old timers wear woolen hats or periodically douse themselves with cold water to prolong their stay.
Once you’ve had a good sweat, it’s time to head to the cold pool. If you’ve spent an adequate amount of time in the banya, a dip in the pool engenders a floating, buoyant feeling.
You then return to the anteroom for some water, a little socializing, and perhaps a little beer. While within the banya confines there is serious work to be done, the anteroom is for kicking back and catching up.
You repeat the process five or six times in a visit. However, on the third round, it is time to start flogging. After re-acclimatizing to the banya, you take the now soft venik and begin to methodically slap your skin. This improves circulation and brings added heat to the body. There are as many flogging styles as there are banya attendees. Some prefer a soft, circular motion. Others lash at themselves with ferocity.
It is often helpful to work in pairs. While in most contexts, it would be inappropriate to request that someone beat you with a bunch of branches, in the banya it is all part of the fun. Reciprocity is part of the communal bathhouse spirit. Attendees help each other to and from the sauna, flail at each other in tag team fashion, and assume the tasks of cleaning and maintaining the banya. The old educate the young and the middle-aged shepherd the elderly through the experience.
After five or six rounds you emerge scrubbed, polished, purged, exceedingly relaxed and even a bit tipsy. But the banya buzz is not one of alcohol. It is the original natural high. Hangover not included.
Traditional Public Banyas
(call for gender specific days and hours of operation)
Tsentralni Banya and Sauna Complex
3 Mala Zhytomyrska.
Tel: 228-0102.
Hr 25 per person (2 hours).
Solomenka Banya and Sauna Complex
38 Urytskoho.
Tel: 244-0198.
Hr 23 per person (2 hours).
Sauna Rental: Six person sauna –
Hr 120 (2 hours), Four person sauna – Hr 135 (2 hours).
Banya Rental: Hr 200 (2 hours).
Selected “Luxury” Banyas/Saunas
Manhattan Sauna Complex.
12 Hospitalna.
Tel: 294-3058.
Hr 50 per person before 6 p.m., Hr 70 after 6 p.m. (2 hours).
Sauna Rental: Hr 250 basic sauna,
Hr 500 with cold pool, workout facilities.
Open 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Nadia Sauna
15 Reitarska.
Tel: 462-0788.
Sauna Rental: Hr 54 flat fee – max. 6 people (1 hour).
Open 24 hours.
Telbin
3 Shumskoho Yuriya.
Tel: 550-8155.
Sauna Rental: Hr 150 for up to 4 people (2 hours), Hr 400 up to 12 people,
Hr 500 for more than 12 people.
Open 24 hours.
Troitski Banyas
66 Velyka Vasylkivska.
Tel: 227-4068.
Banya Rental: Hr 150 flat fee – max. 6 people (2 hours).
Open 11 a.m. to midnight.
