Russian tradition

                                         Banya - and that's it

                People have always enjoyed bathing, not only as a way to keep clean but also to relax. Russian people enjoy bathing and the banya, or steam bath, is a very old and popular tradition in Russian culture. Even today, almost every village and town in Russia has its own banya. The banya can be in a small cabin of large building with several bathing areas. They usually have at least three rooms; an entrance, a washing room, and a steam room. The steam room is called the parilka. It has rows of benches, a stove with very hot stones in it, and large buckets of water. Bather take a ladle of hot water and pour it on the stones, filling the room with hot, dry steam. Bather immediately begin to sweat and relax as the steam opens a pores in their skin. Russian people often hit themselves with bunches of dried branches and leaves from white birch to improve blood circulation, They also wear special hats to protect their head from intense heat. Russian people believe that the banya is very good for them, and most health experts seem to agree. The banya helps remove toxins from the body, relieves stress, and may even prevent and heal a number of illnesses. Not surprisingly, they are growing in popularity all over the world.