A Russian beating.

There are some traditions and practices in various cultures, which are very difficult to explain to someone who hasn't had the experience themselves. A Russian banya is no different. "It's just a sauna" people might say... and while it might look similar on first glance, the similarities end there.

A Russian banya is much more humid and so tends to feel hotter. This high heat/high humidity combination is supposedly very good for your health, especially your heart and lungs as well as blood flow and clearing toxins from the body. This is due to the way the room is heated. Stones are heated in a enclosed space, as opposed to the open stones that you see in a Finnish sauna, which allows them to get 3/4 times hotter. Furthermore, water is dumped over the stones and as it evaporates, the пар ('par' - steam) is produced ensuring high humidity - the key element. Being naked is a given, although hats are worn to prevent you from overheating. While going to the sauna in Europe and elsewhere might be considered a luxury, going to a banya is seen as a necessity for health and cleanliness. The tradition of going to a banya dates back centuries - to a time where Russians were much cleaner than their European counterparts! And so going to a banya is essentially not for relaxation but for cleansing, cleaning, scrubbing, purging, purifying and restoring; and a key part of this process is beating yourself or one another with branches generally made from birch or oak. The branches play a vital part in circulating the hot air and as a massage to stimulate extracting toxins from your skin. So people are actually generally quite 'active' as they go between beating themselves, beating others, having tea breaks and scrubbing. Afterwards, people will wish you a "с легкоим паром" ("s loh-kim pa-rom") meaning they hope you had a nice banya experience.

A friend told me about a young couple I recently met planning to move to the dacha they rented full-time for the summer. Having been there myself, the lack of running water crossed my mind and I asked how they would wash during the time they were there. "They have a banya there," was the answer I got, accompanied with a quizzical look for asking such an obvious question. Cleanse in the heat, scrub and dump a fresh bucket of water from the well over your body afterwards and you are good to go. There is no doubt that this centuries-old tradition is just as current as it ever was and, having seen a mother with her very young toddler in the public banya I went to, it is clearly something that is introduced from a very young age. My friend also explained that there are many communal apartments that still don't have bathrooms - and many with bath tubs in the kitchen - and so going to a banya is really without question.


So, still feeling a bit groggy from the winter, my mum was kind enough to invite me to join her for a luxury banya experience for two that she had been given as a present. Having only had one banya experience before, almost a year ago (with a group of friends in a small hut on the side of a small lake), I didn't know what to expect going to a luxury spa in the centre of Moscow.

I certainly didn't expect a very young, handsome male wearing a small towel around his waist to open the door to our private banya complex, complete with a table full of fruits, nuts, nibbles, compot and herbal teas for our 2-hour session. I certainly didn't expect having to be stark naked in front of this young, handsome man - "of course you have to be naked, it's a banya" - as I lay on the sauna bench while he beat us with oak branches (front and back) and scrubbed our skin with a mixture of honey and salt. And I certainly didn't expect the 2-hour session to end with lying on a marble table (still naked) in another room, with unbelievably bright lighting, while he used a hemp-like material to scrub clean - just soap this time - every inch of my rejuvenated and newly-purified skin. So that's how the other half live...I have always wondered.

Although I worry that I lost some of the 'purity' waiting at the bus stop for half an hour as they decided to close off the road just as we got to the stop. Unfortunately a daily occurrence in Moscow, which only adds to the constant heavy traffic, for anyone deemed "important" enough to merit such treatment. All cars are completely stopped and blocked off from the main roads to allow for a swift journey for the brigade of security cars, police cars and the car containing the VIP. This time we waited for a full 20-minutes before we saw the dazzling lights of the vehicles coming towards us in the distance. It is a wonderful excuse for being late to lectures though...

A month later, with no Easter holidays scheduled into our university timetable and a only one day off for May-bank holiday, I decided that a self-assigned holiday wouldn't do anyone any harm and I didn't hesitate to book the first train I could back to St. Petersburg. Nearly six months apart and it felt wonderful to be back - as is often the case, you have more appreciation for a place when you are only there for a restricted amount of time.

A friend mentioned that there was a public banya very close to the flat and I was keen to give it another go. Emphasis here must be made on the word 'public' and on the fact that this place cost 1/26 of the price of the luxury spa...

Mentally preparing myself on the way, I felt excited yet slightly apprehensive as I approached the entrance. No handsome, young males to open the door for me this time and, without the added awkwardness, strolling around naked felt wonderfully liberating and very natural. Trying to act cool as I opened the door to the banya, I quickly scanned the room for the ideal spot. It's safe to say, there are not many places in the world where you open the door to a room full of naked babyshka's wearing hats while beating themselves ferociously with branches. It's a shame that you can't take photos...! First time on my own in a banya and not realising that you are supposed to soak the branch in water before using it in the sauna, I was immediately identified as the novice and my lack of hat and body scrubbing materials only highlighted this. However, I beat myself with my bundle of the brunches the best I could and managed the plunge into the ice-cold pool more than once. On leaving at closing time (11pm) I heard a fellow bather bid a "see you tomorrow" to the woman at the front desk - it seems that for those with the time it is a daily ritual. When it costs £3.99 (CAN$7.05) for a 2-hour session or £1.33 (CAN$2.35) if you come before 5pm, it's hard to find a reason not to. As I made the 5-minute walk home, I felt unbelievably fresh and rejuvenated and vowed to find a local place when I get back to Moscow.
I am pretty much an expert now after all.


Happy bank holidays,

A xx

Coming out of hibernation and taking an afternoon to explore

Stunning beach an hour train ride from St. P 

The extension on the left is where you will find the kitchen and the banya - what more do you need...?

Waking up to a burning sensation on my neck and face from the morning sun - priceless.

All the great Russian Soviet composers seriously vibing and sticking to the rules; no smiling in photographs

Stereotypes.

Through various observations and social interactions during my two months in St. Petersburg, I have started to notice certain characteristics of a typical Russian woman. I understand that a city with a population of at least 5 million, but arguably* closer to 7, it is a sweeping generalisation to say that I can describe the characteristics of of stereotypical 'Russian' woman (maybe it would be at least slightly more correct to say stereotypical 'St. Petersburgian' woman). I would also be prepared to admit that certain notions may have sparked from experiences I had with my own relatives from a young age. However, my past experience of living abroad has often confirmed general stereotypes I already had in mind. It must also be noted that the women to which I'm referring are those from the older generation who lived at least half of the lives in Soviet Russia, a time when people were all were living very similar, and who then went through similar experiences with the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 - strongly shaping a whole generation.

Russian woman just seem to fuss. A lot! It's quite a contrast with English people where silence is golden and the general rule is to keep opinions to yourself unless it is absolutely necessary to voice them and to generally not get involved in situations that don't directly involve you. Quietly asking the conductor on the bus (which is full of 90% women who, I might add, never seize to push and charge past with all their strength to be the first on board to get the best seat) the best place to get off for a certain location seems to be an open invitation for at least 5 or 6 other Russian women (all above the age of 60) sat in various parts of the bus to jump in with their opinion, which more often than not contradicts that of the conductor... These conversations then tend to last at least ten minutes - normally until the poor soul who asked manages to escape by getting off at the earliest place suggested. If you're lucky, the conversation even continues afterwards with various mutterings echoing around the bus. It does indeed provide some entertainment when stuck in rush hour traffic.
Overfeeding is also a common one. Visits to see my Godmother usually leave me full for at least three days and a quick stop for a cup of tea turns into a four-course meal, which, of course, just happened to be on standby in the fridge - even after persistently insisting that I had already eaten. I am then also met with a look of pity and concern, asking if I need to have a shower in her apartment seeing as I live in a 'communal' apartment. (I have 5 flatmates but the standard is much higher than the Soviet communal apartments she is imagining.)
A technological advancement that seems to have gone unnoticed by Russian women is that of the missed call function on a mobile phone. My understanding is based on the assumption that if you are not in a place where you can pick up your phone, you will have put your phone on silent and will call back later upon seeing that you have a missed call. I appear to be mistaken. One's mobile phone should be answered at ALL times. Concerts, cinemas - in the middle of films, church services, in the middle of a meal at a restaurant, during a piano lesson... you name it. All phone calls in such circumstances are met with the same reply: "I'm sorry I can't talk now, I'm in [insert location here], I will call you later." My question is: Why not make use of the missed-call function on the phone and simply call back when you can?!

In general, Russian society has a sense of still being a very traditional society in terms of having very strong gender roles and huge focus on the importance of marriage and having a family, before 'time runs out' as it were. Most of my flatmates are over the age of 25 (4/6) and, while they are all single, 90% of their friends whom I've met are married and quite a few have already started families. Using this logic, I would need to meet the man I'm going to marry this year in order to follow suite - a scary thought. When I meet family friends or extended members of the family and they tell me about other people my age they know, the first thing I'm told about them is that they are happily married and whether they have started a family or not. It seems that success for people in their twenties is reflected in having found a husband/wife and with a baby on the way. People seemed concerned if you aren't on your way to achieving that and questions are asked. I find this hard to comprehend coming from a society where people are more concerned if you marry too young, worried that you haven't done enough for yourself (e.g. travelling, studying, working) and have, by getting married so young, given up hope of doing so.

[An interesting linguistic side note: I was surprised and quite shocked to learn that the word 'мужество' (moo-zj-est-va) that means 'courage' contains the stem 'муж' (moozsh) meaning 'husband' and 'мужчина' (moo-zsh-ee-na) meaning 'man'!]

Weirdly, I do find myself in somewhat of a paradox. I also have met a circle of people in their mid-twenties who definitely don't follow this trend. Instead they follow the pattern of drastic and very fast change and development that has taken place and is still very much taking place in Russia. My friend tells me that ten years ago you couldn't even find a cash machine on the street in Russia, while a quick internet search tells me that the first cash machines appeared in the UK in the late sixties. To match the speed with which Russia (at least western Russia) is playing catch up with western society is a generation of energetic and very driven twenty-somethings who are creating their own very successful businesses and adding to a strong culture of enterprising and taking initiative, making for a very fast-paced way of life. While in England, specifically in Bristol, there was also undoubtedly an exciting cultural and artistic energy among young people, a lot of talk wouldn't always necessarily lead to a lot of action. Great ideas wouldn't always be seen through to the end or would take a long time to be carried out and not always to their full potential. I have found that talking about potential projects and ideas with people here will lead to an email the following morning saying that X has contacted Y about Z and can we meet to discuss the best way to get the ball rolling straight away. No hanging around. We had a great idea so let's do it. Now! I am told that in Moscow the pace of life is even faster. You can have ten meetings in a day in various parts of the city (which nearly doubles the area of London) and still have time for dinner and film in the evening!

In other news, dark mornings and grey days are very much upon us. I have finally figured out that it is impossible to get up at 9am when it is still pitch black outside and I understand why my flatmates stay up quite late but also get up late. My day now starts around 10:30am when 'the sun comes up' and my bedtime is usually now around 2:30/3am. This also helps explain why shops are open until 9/10pm pretty much every day and also don't open till 10/11am. I'm told it's the only way to make it through the winter here.

I only this week noticed that Christmas is just around the corner! Throughout the whole of November I was blissfully unaware of the holiday coming up and was lucky not to see a single Christmas decoration or be met by a barricade of trashy Christmas trinkets upon entering a shop. Not that I don't love feeling Christmassy. On the contrary, there's nothing better than hot cocoa, your favourite Christmas film and the fresh, ice cold air that comes with the season but the Christmas songs on replay from the beginning of November in every shop in England does tend to take away some of the magic... At least I've avoided the uproar about the Starbucks christmas cup this year which seemed to have been met with A LOT of disappointment and negativity - I read an article in which someone had twitted that the design was so bad it had 'ruined their Christmas'?! It's the little things that matter, isn't it?

A last note to thank all those who tried to answer my various questions in the previous blog post :-)

Lots of love,

A xxx


*The official figure is around 5.2 million and comes from data of everyone who is officially registered as living in St. Petersburg - all Russian citizens are registered to a certain address and all tourists need visas to the government technically knows exactly how many people are in the country at one time. However, a large number of people are registered in one city and live in another and many people from ex-Soviet republics such as Tajikistan and Uzbekistan etc. come as guest workers and aren't always registered, which makes the specific population in a city hard to quantify. I have asked various people and based on the fact that we collectively know about two people who are officially registered here, they are convinced the number is significantly higher.

Sneak peek of my favourite spot to write my blog

Restaurant day; pop-up restaurant in our flat (21/11)

Crossing the Neva

Communal apartment living - I hear being an electrician was good business back in the day

One of the first train stations in Russia (Pavlovsk)