Russian bathhouse are the words that sound when Russian traditions are mentioned.
There is a lot of talk about the bathhouse, its structure, functions and benefits in the media and the Internet, but no one has been able to formulate an exact definition of what it is and what it is for.
Our original bathhouse is a national phenomenon, since it is at the same time a building for performing hygienic procedures, a historical tradition, and a remedy for most diseases.
But the whole point is that you need to consider a Russian bathhouse from several points of view: what was it intended for? XVIII-XIX centuries and from the position modern man. We will talk about the purpose of the bathhouse, its structure, and much more in this publication.
A few words from the history of this phenomenon
In the life of a Russian person of that time, a bathhouse performed several functions at once: people washed and warmed up in it, and by taking bath procedures a person became healthier. In addition, the bathhouse also played a social role in human life. People communicated in it, visiting it with friends, it was like a ritual of joint cleansing not only of the body, but of the soul.
The bathhouses of that time, as well as houses, were heated using black heat, that is, they did not have a chimney.
The fire heated a red-hot domed hearth made of flat, smooth stones, and the smoke came out through a hole in the ceiling or wall. Hot stones warmed the room and were used to heat water. They simply threw him into a tub or barrel of water. Even Tsarina Catherine II the Great loved to warm her feet by dipping them in hot water and placing them on a heated stone.
Due to the fact that the baths were heated “black”, the smoke spreading throughout the room acted as a disinfectant, and this is what protected people from numerous epidemics. Despite this, a properly built Russian bathhouse was always clean, and even during heating it was possible to stay in it.
To maintain the temperature, the hot stones were poured with water and infusions of medicinal herbs, thanks to which the so-called “light steam” was created. Its benefit was that the person slowly warmed up, and then, following the steam rushing upward, climbed to the upper shelves.
Inhaling “light steam” with medicinal herbs created an inhalation effect, and massage with a broom, as V. Gilyarovsky said in his work “Moscow and Muscovites” ... accelerated the blood and removed illness.
Noble people also visited the bathhouse, only it was most often heated “in white.” The only difference was that the stove-heater in such baths, as a rule, was brick and had a chimney.
But experts say that neither brick nor any other material other than stone heated by fire is capable of creating the correct microclimate and that same “light steam” for which the Russian bathhouse is so famous.
Important!“Light steam” is considered to be an indoor air temperature within 55C°-70C° and a humidity of 40-60%. Everything that does not fit into the framework of such a microclimate is called “heavy steam.”
Construction of a classic steam room
A bathhouse two centuries ago and a modern steam room were made approximately the same. The only difference between them is the finishing materials and the presence of a chimney in a modern steam room, since now there are not many people who like to heat the bathhouse “black”.
The construction of a bathhouse begins with careful selection of the location. A classic Russian bathhouse is a small hut on the edge of a lake or river, built from coniferous logs. It consists of two rooms: a dressing room and the steam room itself, which also served as a steam room.
A bench and a clothes hanger are installed in the dressing room, since the dressing room plays the role of a locker room and rest room.
The dressing room is separated from the steam room by a wooden partition with a tightly fitted door. Near the stove, as a rule, there is a small window that serves not only as a light source, but also as a ventilation hole. The third part of the steam room of a classic Russian bath is occupied by a wood-burning stove, near which a tub with a supply of water is placed. The steam room must have shelves on which the actual process of taking bath procedures takes place.
A modern bathhouse is very different from its predecessors, but mainly by the presence of some “excesses”, such as:
- , which in a modern bath plays the role of a reservoir.
- A technical room, which is often created during construction to store a supply of firewood, equipment, brooms, etc.
- , shower rooms and other elements of “lordly life”.
Sauna – a modern version of the Russian steam room?
Unfortunately, in the second half of the 20th century, the words Russian bathhouse began to be perceived by many as synonymous words. The thing is that in the 60s of the last century, a commercial bathhouse project was created in Finland, which was compact and electric.
The ease of installation and small dimensions of the electric oven have made it mega-popular. By the way, such saunas could be installed not only in private homes, but also.
Such dry-air saunas began to be installed by hotel owners and... go for export! Although the Finns themselves consider electric saunas a product for poor people. And of course, they have nothing in common with the Russian bathhouse. And the whole point is this.
Initially, they did not yet know how to insulate electric heating elements, so pouring water on them could result in a fairly noticeable electric shock. But since manufacturers of electric sauna stoves had to look for new markets for their products, a legend was invented about the life-giving power of dry steam, which cannot even be called steam.
That is why pouring water on stones in newfangled saunas of the second half of the last century was strictly prohibited. And if there is no steam, then what kind of Russian bath is it?
A bathhouse in which the air temperature reaches 120C° and the humidity is no more than 10% is not associated with the “light steam” for which our native steam room is so famous. If you splash water on the stones in such heat, you get a burning thick fog that burns your hands, skin and lungs.
But before, Finnish and Russian steam rooms were twin sisters, who developed in parallel directions and were as similar to each other as two peas in a pod.
How to heat a classic Russian steam room
As we wrote earlier, there are two options for heating a steam room:
- In white. The wood-burning stove has a chimney, so soot and smoke do not enter the steam room. The stove heats the room and water for bathing.
- . A wood-burning stove is lit in the steam room. After the stove has flared up, the chimney is closed, and the doors to the steam room, on the contrary, are opened slightly. No one should be in the steam room during the heating process. After the stones turn red, wait until the fire burns out completely, remove the heat from the stove, and open the doors and windows for ventilation. At the same time, benches and shelves are washed to remove settled soot.
By pouring water over hot stones, you get that “light steam”. Being in a bathhouse in such a microclimate, the body slowly warms up, harmful substances are released with sweat, the skin begins to “breathe”, blood circulation increases and the body is enriched with oxygen. The process is long, at least 4-5 hours.
Today there are a lot of detergents, but previously, hair and body were washed with a lye solution, which was cooked from wood ash. Basts made from linden bark were used as washcloths.
All this created a healing effect and exactly that spirit of the Russian bath, which is so valued by amateurs and professionals of bath art around the world.
And if you want to feel this indescribable atmosphere, this amazing effect after taking bath procedures, then listen to the advice of the “experienced” and build a real Russian bathhouse at your dacha or country site. By the way, in Rus', especially in its northern part, the construction of a house always began with the construction of a bathhouse.
On this moment Russian baths in our country are almost the most popular. Still, they preserve old traditions; their healing steam has a beneficial effect on the entire human body. There are many in our city Siberian wood-fired baths with many types of wellness massage and interesting programs soaring. Steam rooms are made of natural wood - an environmentally friendly material, the aroma of which is pleasant to inhale. Regular visits to a Russian bathhouse have a positive effect on human immunity. The optimal combination of temperature and humidity in the room contributes to the high popularity of this steam room.
Russian baths in Moscow help cure many diseases, and this has been known since ancient times. Everyone knows its positive effect on the cardiovascular system, lungs, and blood circulation. Inhaling health-improving vapors brings great benefits. Sweating increases, metabolic processes intensify, waste and toxins leave the body.
In a steam room, the pulse almost doubles, and the body temperature reaches 38 degrees. Pouring cold water after the procedure and periodic wiping have a great effect on the body. This removes fatigue, gives a feeling of vigor, and lifts your spirits. The hardening effect of the Russian bath is noticeable due to the frequent changes in temperature. The tradition of making three trips to the steam room is still preserved.
After this, it’s best to go for a massage, where your body will feel a great warm-up and relaxation. Depending on which one you decide, you can go for different types of massage. If you come here for the first time, we recommend alternating short visits to the steam room with rest breaks in the living room or visitors’ hall.
It is recommended to use a broom in different ways, but it is most effective if it acts as a massager. Patting on the back is the most effective. If you love the aroma of healing oils, then try aromatherapy.
On this site you will find a variety of Russian baths, where you can perfectly relax and improve your health, have fun and have fun meeting with friends. This is done using a simple search engine, as well as a virtual map.
If you are looking health complex in Moscow, if you want to relax with a large group, use the Orgpage catalog. We have collected 34 options for Russian baths. In this list you can easily choose those that will help you have a pleasant time when visiting the steam room. Our catalog contains information:
- name of the establishment;
- Contact details;
- road map;
- working hours.
Our service has collected reviews about Russian baths, compiling ratings cozy places for your leisure time, quality of service. There are 2 ratings on the portal, the average ratings of establishments range from 5 to 5. Best quality services at “Sauna on Volgogradka”
Orgpage will help those who visit the steam room to improve their health and have a pleasant time make a choice. We will recommend a place to rest on Pevchesky Lane, st. Letnikovskaya, Bolshaya Akademicheskaya in Moscow, where you can have a good rest on your own or with a group, benefiting your body. Take advantage contact information on the website to find out the current cost and possible discounts.
On this page you will find wood-fired saunas in Moscow with fresh photos and current prices. Also in this section of ours you will find reviews about Russian baths in Moscow.
Real Russian bathhouse in Moscow
In Moscow, modern spa salons with Hamm, Japanese baths and Finnish saunas. But a real Russian bathhouse is almost a rarity. To be like this, as it should be, in a house with a log house, a stove and a samovar. Of course, there are such Russian baths, but for some reason there are not so many of them.
Previously, the Russian bathhouse had two varieties: “black bathhouse” and “white bathhouse”. Nowadays, black baths are no longer found, but white baths still exist. The black bathhouse got its name because there is no chimney in such a bathhouse; the smoke is vented out the window. When the bathhouse was heated, everything was in smoke, soot settled on the walls and benches of the steam room. Before steaming, the room was well ventilated, and then the bath procedures began. The white bathhouse had a chimney, so the room was not smoke-filled. The modern Russian bathhouse in Moscow is an analogue of the white bathhouse, simply improved.
Russian baths in Moscow
Steaming in a Russian bathhouse has a beneficial effect on the entire body and overall well-being. It's no secret that Russian baths have healing properties. With the help of steam and crown massage, you can get rid of some diseases of the joints and muscles, and steaming also has a good effect on the respiratory system.
Moscow has a considerable number of excellent baths, including Russian baths. Where you will have a pleasant time, enjoy the traditions of bath art, and be able to feel healing power pair. Russian baths in Moscow will give you an unforgettable vacation.
Russian bathhouse in Moscow prices for services
In Moscow, prices for renting a bathhouse are very varied, starting from 500 rubles per hour and ad infinitum. It all depends on where the Russian bathhouse is located, what range of services is provided, whether there are bathhouse attendants, massage therapists, a cafe or restaurant, and parking. And there are many more nuances on which the price depends. Even the interior plays a big role; the more luxurious the bathhouse is decorated, the higher the rental price will be.
It is not known for certain where the Russian bathhouse came from. Being a constant component of human life, the bathing procedure in many countries has been transformed into a kind of ritual. Gradually it acquired local traditional rituals and intertwined with religion.
We know about the baths of Ancient India and Ancient Egypt, heard about the legendary baths Ancient Rome. Nowadays, the leadership in bathhouses belongs to Finland. Finnish saunas are the most common in the world. As for the country of Suomi itself, the largest number of steam rooms per capita is concentrated there, namely 3 million for 5.5 million people. Due to the scale of the territory and the total number settlements In Russia, it is not possible to calculate how many bath establishments there are in our country. We can definitely say that in terms of their significance for the people themselves, we can be no less proud of Russian baths than the Finns are of saunas.
History of the term
In numerous disputes among historians and linguists, the opinion was born that the word “bathhouse” comes from the ancient Greek βαλανεῖον (ballinium), which translated into Russian means “let’s go to the bathhouse and wash ourselves.”
After the capture of Hellas by the Roman Empire, the Greek verb entered the Latin language, transformed into bagno na cano (banio in Kano) - “I’ll go and wash myself.” In the Middle Greek language spoken in the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, the phrase was shortened to the general term banyo, which referred to both the places for washing and the action itself - washing.
From Byzantium, through baptismal rituals associated with water, the word “banio” came to other countries, including Kievan Rus. There it gradually replaced the existing Russian words meaning bath huts - “soaphouses”, “movnitsy”, “movi”, “movni” and bathing - “tvoriti mov”.
Despite the fact that today we call a bathhouse a room with a steam room and brooms, the common European interpretation of this word (English - bath, German - bad, French - bain, Italian - bagno, Spanish - bano, Bulgarian - banya, Serbian - banja, Turkish - banyo and so on) from ancient times to this day means ablution in general, no matter in what way.
Ancient world
Our ancestors, ancient tribes that roamed the cold territories of North-Eastern Europe, always set up a kind of camp bathhouse at their temporary camp sites. According to Herodotus, among the Scythians it was a hygienic, therapeutic and cosmetic procedure, as well as simply a form of relaxation and rest. For this purpose, a special hut was built: several poles were fastened together and covered with felt. A metal vessel with hot stones was brought inside the hut. The Scythians threw hemp seeds onto the stones, from which fragrant steam immediately began to rise. While inside, the person not only sweated profusely, but also inhaled air saturated with healing fumes.
Herodotus notes: “Enjoying the soaring, the Scythians scream with pleasure.”
Before the procedures, Scythian women rubbed pieces of bark, cedar and cypress needles, as well as other aromatic plants. The dry mixture was diluted with water to form a thick paste with a very pleasant smell, which was rubbed over the entire body. When it was washed off, the body became clean and shiny.
Later, along the rivers, people began to form permanent settlements and build wooden houses with a fireplace in the middle, which was used for heating, cooking and bathing. Gradually, for the latter, they began to build separate rooms in the image and likeness of residential ones, but of a smaller size.
The ancient Finno-Ugric peoples used dugouts with stoves for washing, calling them sauna - from the word savunen, meaning “smoky” (before the invention of pipes for removing smoke from rooms, all combustion products remained inside the buildings and were expelled from them by ventilation).
The South-Eastern Slavs washed themselves in pits, holes, and dugouts dug on river cliffs and heated by fire, which were called “lazne” or “vlazni”. In ancient Kyiv, dugouts for bathing were called “iztopki”, “heaters”, “iztobki” (“iz” - around, “firebox” - place for fire, hearth).
The ancient Western Slavs washed themselves in specially built above-ground log houses, which were called “izba”, Polish. - izba, Czech. - jizba (“from” - around and “ba”, like the neighboring Germans, “fire” or “oven”). Later, these huts migrated to the Novgorod lands to the Finns, Slovenes and Krivichi, where in 800-900 they replaced their adobe stoves with heater stoves.
The first documentary mention of this is contained in the “Tale of Bygone Years” (945), compiled by the chronicler Nestor, a monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery. It describes the journey of the Apostle Andrew to the Russian land. According to legend, Saint Andrew preached the Word of God on a Kiev hill on the banks of the Dnieper, and then continued his journey upstream of the river. So he reached the northern Russian lands, where modern Novgorod is located. In those parts, Andrei witnessed a picture that amazed him: Russian people steamed in wooden huts, whipped themselves with brooms and ran out naked into the cold.
Andrei returned to Rome with a crowd of wanderers, where he spoke about the miracles he had seen: “I saw wooden huts. And when they are roasted rosy, they are freed from their clothes, and, taking a young twig, they so flog themselves that they come out almost lifeless, and cool their weary body with water. And they will come to life again. What the Russians are doing is a ritual for themselves, not torture.”
Modern history
After the Mongol invasion of 1240, Kyiv became part of Lithuania and then the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. By that time, Europeans had again begun to wash directly in the house, preferring troughs, vats and barrels to separate bathhouses, which is what they taught to the residents of the Russian southern regions.
From them, fashion spread throughout the Russian land, first to the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, and then to Moscow. The Vyatichi began to wash themselves in their kurny (smoky) huts in which they lived, right in the adobe vaulted ovens, enlarging their crucibles for bathing purposes.
The tradition of washing in a separate smoking steam hut, in other words, a black bath, has been preserved in the Russian north, especially in Siberia. From there, during the reign of the Romanovs, known for the large number of immigrants and the birth of the city trading bath, it spread throughout Russia, forever occupying a special place in the heart of the Russian people.
Peter I especially contributed to the spread of the bath business. During the construction of St. Petersburg, he allowed everyone to build bath establishments in the new Russian city without any restrictions, in particular, without duties, as in other places in Russia. Later, the emperor established a special bathhouse office, which was in charge of the bathhouse establishments of St. Petersburg. The entrance fee was low so that everyone, even the poorest, could go and take a steam bath without damaging their wallet.
An interesting record has been preserved in the state archives that on May 11, 1733, permission was received from the medical office to open a medical bathhouse in Moscow, the owner of which was strictly obliged “... to use only external diseases and difficult operations without the knowledge and advice of a doctor not to repair. And take a real price for your work and without frills, so that there are no complaints about it.”
Russian-Finnish relations
With the spread of Christianity and the rapid decline of morals in bathing establishments, which resulted in an epidemic of syphilis, in the Middle Ages in the West, the bathing culture and the very tradition of regular washing were almost completely destroyed. In contrast, our church ministers never touched the Russian bathhouse, considering it the most important assistant in preserving the physical and mental purity of believers.
It is thanks to the Russian steam bath, which was recently known throughout Europe, that the ancient tradition of steaming at high temperatures, so popular today, has been preserved.
Here the question about saunas naturally arises. How did it happen that they gave a head start to the art of the Russian bath? Until 1714, that is, before it first came under the influence of Russia, Finland was under the yoke of Sweden for 600 years. Having adopted Catholicism, the Finns, along with other Europeans, began to zealously struggle with caring for the mortal body of the human body, almost completely losing their bath traditions.
For centuries, diligently eradicating saunas from their lands, the Finns eventually preserved them only in the most dense rural settlements, where they served exclusively for drying or smoking fish and meat, as well as storing hemp, flax and vegetables.
In 1809, the country of Suomi, as an autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland, became part of the Russian Empire. During Russian rule, the proximity to St. Petersburg with its many bathing establishments, which were the centers of capital life - they opened libraries, discussed political issues, and invented literary and musical works - returned the Finns' interest in steaming. Gradually, new bathhouse establishments appeared in cities. In order not to conflict with religious norms, they decided to behave like in a church.
Since then, sauna etiquette involves floating in deathly silence, in contrast to Russian bathhouses, where loud conversations and cheerful laughter reign.After the restoration of Finnish independence in 1917, the Finns again began to disown their own bathhouse traditions, allegedly imposed by the “dense” Russia and the Russians.
The world first learned about the sauna during the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. The Finnish athletes' habitat in the Olympic village was equipped with a transportable wooden insulated cabin with a powerful electric oven, the miraculous influence of which explained the team's sporting achievements. Gradually, rumors about a Finnish remedy for warming up an athlete’s body in order to relieve muscle fatigue, combat pain and fatigue after competitions became overgrown with confirmed medical facts.
Saunas have gained even greater fame due to the Finns’ desire to keep up with the times. They replaced the bulky heater with an electric stove, which made it possible to create a steam room even in a small bathroom of an apartment building.
Russian people do not have to be ashamed of their history. We have carefully preserved traditional steam rooms to this day and, not shying away from modern world trends, we are opening Finnish saunas with Russian baths, so that everyone who wants to join the bath culture can find a suitable option for themselves.
