Why are public baths rapidly disappearing in Russia?

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Today in any metropolis you can find a huge number of steam rooms for every taste and budget. Depending on their own preferences, everyone can easily find a place for relaxation and communication, be it affordable city baths, where large groups of regular visitors gather, or elite VIP-class complexes, more like privileged clubs with a luxurious interior and well-trained staff. To ensure that your steam trip brings you and your friends only positive emotions, we have prepared a rating of the best public and private bath complexes in Moscow. When allocating seats, we took into account such factors as the type of organization, pricing policy, level of service, capacity and reviews from customers who managed to appreciate the comfort and pleasant atmosphere of a particular establishment. Prices and ratings from users are current as of December 2021.

The best public baths in Moscow

Public baths are establishments that help not only to cleanse yourself physically and improve your health, but also to communicate with friends and relatives. In the bath complexes of the capital you can take a steam bath, play billiards, and even have a delicious lunch/dinner and try signature drinks. Public establishments are distinguished by adequate prices, a wide selection of services (from steaming and washing to massage, spa and manicure) and the availability of unlimited services. You can stay in the steam rooms and washing rooms as long as the client wishes. And all this at no additional cost.

Sandunovskie baths

Sandunovskie baths. Built by architect V. Freidenberg in 1895 in the center of Moscow. 1990 Photo: Lori's photo bank

Main small hall. 1969 Photo: Victor Velikzhanin/TASS

Room "Merchant". Photo: sanduny.ru

Whatever you say, the Russian bathhouse is a brand. Its personification is the Sandunovskie baths. Firstly, because they have existed since 1808 and are considered the oldest public baths in Russia, and secondly, Sanduny is truly the most luxurious and most pretentious bathhouse complex in Moscow. It is officially recognized as a cultural and historical heritage site.

The Sandunovskie baths have 5 sections (3 men's and 2 women's) with huge relaxation rooms, swimming pools and Russian steam rooms. There are beauty salons, a spa center and a restaurant. The service, as well as the cost of visiting, is at a high level, but regulars of Moscow steam rooms have mixed opinions about the quality of Sandunov’s steam. By the way, if you don’t want to take a steam bath, but want to look at the luxurious palace interiors, you can visit Sanduny with a tour (on Tuesdays).

st. Neglinnaya, 14, building 3-7

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+7

msk.sanduny.ru

Reason one: the sauna relieves muscle tension

A sedentary lifestyle or, conversely, heavy physical labor, working 12 hours on your feet and even intense training in the gym - all these are loads that are not typical for the human body and negatively affect the functioning of the muscular corset. As a result, the neck, shoulders and back begin to, if not hurt, then remind themselves of themselves.

A bath will help you cope with unpleasant sensations. The muscles will warm up and the tone will decrease. Then, as it heats up, redox processes in muscle tissue will accelerate and blood circulation will improve. This, in turn, will lead to the restoration of muscle performance. At the same time, the pain syndrome will go away.

Traditionally, it is customary to steam with brooms made of oak, birch or eucalyptus branches - this is a kind of massage that makes visiting the bathhouse doubly useful.

Preparing scrubs

You can buy bath scrubs, or you can prepare them yourself. The second option is even better: traditionally, natural products are preferred in the bathhouse.

Salt with honey. After thoroughly mixing the heated mixture (to do this, keep it in the steam room on the shelf for several minutes), gently rub it into the skin. Unforgettable sensations are guaranteed. Salt mechanically cleanses the skin, increases sweating, and absorbs toxins that are released along with sweat. Honey softens the skin and neutralizes the irritating effects of salt. Among other things, it contains a huge amount of microelements that nourish the skin, making it healthy and velvety.

Oatmeal with honey and sour cream . Amazing body scrub-mask. Oats are poured with boiling water and mixed with honey and sour cream before applying to the body. After this scrub, the skin remains smooth and velvety for a whole week.

Ground coffee. Mix the remaining grounds from the brewed coffee with honey and treat your heels and elbows - they will become such that babies will be jealous.

Corn grits with egg. Brew the cereal with boiling water (you can use chamomile infusion), mix with the yolk and apply to the body.

Russian baths "Bannaya Zaimka"

Where is it: Krasnoyarsk, Bazayskaya street, house 321/29.

There are four baths in total at Bannaya Zaimka: “White”, “Mokhovaya”, “Seraya” and “Kedrovaya”, each with a capacity of four to 15 people.

In Siberia, they will do everything for you as traditionally as possible. The bathhouse is heated to a moderate temperature. Be sure to use birch firewood and brooms.

In each, in addition to the steam room, there is also a relaxation room, a wash room, a room and a font with cold water from the Bazaikhi River. The bath attendants from Bannaya Zaimka promise to make your health “truly Siberian.”

All visitors are offered a steaming menu. In it you will find classic soaring according to ancient traditions, circular soaring with simultaneous heating of the whole body, back and abdomen, emotionally bright contrasting soaring with “heating flame” and “cooling ice”. If you choose a royal steam bath, then you are guaranteed maximum warming of all parts of the body on a sauna shelf covered with hay.

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Would you like a massage and scrub? Order a soap and broom massage.

You can order a trial soaring for seven minutes.

Rublevskie baths

Complex "Hunting". Photo: rublevskie-bani.ru

You can wash away the burden of the past working week in New Riga ─ in the village of Rublevo. The local bathhouse dates back to 1928 and, like many old Moscow complexes, was completely reconstructed. Visitors to the Rublevskie Baths say that the audience here is decent and you can often meet famous media figures. But, as you know, everyone is equal in the bathhouse, and therefore, with each strike of the bell, lovers of the Russian tradition, in a friendly queue, go to the fresh steam, which is made with infusions of garlic, mint, pine needles and sweet clover.

It is better to come to Rublevo to take a steam bath by taxi - parking a personal car near the bathhouse complex is problematic. But the local cuisine, they say, is more than decent.

Rublevo village, st. Sovetskaya, 9

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+77

rublevskie-bani.ru

How does a bath affect older people?

The effect of a bath on the elderly does not differ significantly from the effect on people of other ages. However, given the high incidence of cardiovascular diseases in old age, bath procedures must be treated very carefully. Before going to the steam room, you need to consult a doctor.

The general recommendation is that older people (we are talking about people 65+) should not visit the bathhouse too often. “It is better to do this no more than 1-2 times a week, so as not to overload the heart and blood vessels. The optimal temperature in a steam room for an elderly person is 80 degrees. In the presence of chronic diseases - 70 degrees,” emphasizes Tatyana Chernushenko.

Absolute contraindications are hypertension, severe heart failure and coronary heart disease.

Bath complex "Black Stones"

Location: Karelia, Sortavala, Kirkkolahti village.

Kalevala, shungite and wicket: what to do in Karelia

The Black Stones holiday home has several log Russian bathhouses for groups of six to 25 people. The air in the steam rooms warms up to 110 degrees, the brooms are made of birch and oak, and a mandatory attribute is special bath caps. The staff will teach you how to properly prepare for steaming, tell you what not to do (for example, washing with soap, getting your hair wet, overeating and drinking alcohol), and how to alternate between hot and cold treatments. Food and drinks can be ordered from the restaurant, and there is also a grill next to the bathhouse.

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But the main thing is that all the baths are located right on the shore of the cleanest Karelian lake Yanisjärvi: in the summer you can dive straight into the cool water, and in the winter there is an ice-hole next to each steam room.

If you come with the whole family, in “Black Stones” children will be interested in visiting the zoo - the only one in Karelia. It is inhabited by deer, roe deer, guanacos, wild boars, llamas, alpacas, ponies, yaks, goats, sheep, as well as ostriches, courses, geese, ducks and guinea fowl. Some of the animals are listed in the Red Book.

Safety precautions

In order for a bath to benefit your health and appearance, you should follow a few simple rules.

Free up time. The sauna does not tolerate rushing, therefore, in order for the procedures to be effective and, more importantly, safe, plan a visit to the steam room on a free day. Otherwise, health procedures may result in health problems, such as burns, overheating or hypothermia.

Don't overeat or drink. Don’t go to the sauna immediately after eating, but you shouldn’t take a steam bath on an empty stomach either. There should be a gap of at least an hour between lunch and the bath. Alcohol is prohibited in the bathhouse - both alcohol and heat create increased stress on the heart, and this is of no use.

Don't forget your bath accessories. Take a cap or cap with you to put on your head - this will protect you from heat stroke. A rubber cap for a pool is not suitable - it heats up, squeezes the head and compresses the blood vessels, and this can lead to headaches and dizziness.

Take a shower. Just wash with water without using detergents. Also, there is no need to wet or even wash your hair. Remove all jewelry - earrings, watches, bracelets and rings.

Do not overuse cosmetics . Essential oils, which are often used in masks and creams, can cause burns.

Which broom to take with you to the bathhouse depends on the effect you want to achieve:

• A linden broom will help you sweat more.
• Coniferous brooms are used as a general tonic; they are good for radiculitis and osteochondrosis.
• Maple leaves cleanse the skin of toxins.
• A rowan broom has a tonic effect, helping to gain vigor.
• A eucalyptus broom is ideal for preventing colds.
• Oak perfectly copes with inflammation on the skin, eliminates pimples and excess sebum.
• Birch clears the bronchi and makes breathing easier.
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Krasnopresnensky baths

"Art Suite" room. Photo: baninapresne.ru

For Muscovites who value not the richness of interiors in a bathhouse, but above all good steam, this is “the” place. Maybe that's why it's always noisy and full of people here. However, this is unlikely to become a problem: the steam rooms are cooked every 40 minutes. Krasnopresnensky baths offer a range of services that is already familiar to a modern bath complex: Russian, Turkish and Finnish steam rooms, and in addition to public sections, cozy cabins for warm company, a variety of spa treatments, a restaurant menu and even karaoke with billiards.

lane Stolyarny, 7, building 1

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+7

baninapresne.ru

Baths at the country hotel Artiland

Location: Moscow region, Balashikha, Novskoe highway, building 10.

Artiland is the best country hotel according to the Russian Hospitality Award 2022. A spacious bath complex for small and large companies has been built here.

In the “Healer's Bath”, steaming is carried out using medicinal herbs and plants. In the courtyard there are cold-water plunge pools and cedar barrels for contrasting bathing. You can also relax in a vat of herbal infusion and drink aromatic herbal tea.

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In the “Karelian Bathhouse”, designed in the form of a Karelian hut, after a steam bath you can splash around in cedar barrels, but most importantly - lie in bed on the hay!

The “Family Bath” will appeal to both adults, who will appreciate the steam room, plunge pool and “Russian shower,” and children, for whom a steam room with a low temperature and a games room are open.

Before and after steaming, you can go fishing, cook a barbecue, play bowling, billiards and paintball, go horseback riding and spend time in a petting zoo on a farm or in a creative one.

Large companies are offered to rent separate sauna-cottages. In addition to several traditional steam rooms, Sibirskaya has a hammam and a relaxation room with a fireplace and an indoor swing. “Merchant” and “Boyarskaya” are ideal for bachelor and hen parties: the men’s area is decorated with cars, and the women’s area is decorated with mirrors in antique frames. In the cottage baths, guests will be offered a four-hand steam bath, honey rubbing, contrast dousing with homemade kvass and a variety of massages and wraps.

Koptevskie baths

Women's category. Photo: koptevskie-bani.ru

Male category. Photo: koptevskie-bani.ru

In the north of the capital, the Koptevskie baths are famous for their steam. Here everything is done on a Russian scale: for example, the men's category accommodates 110 people, and it comes with impressive steam rooms and washrooms with tubs of ice water. After the reconstruction, the baths were modernized and prettier: the traditional locker room was transformed into a modern relaxation area, and things are stored in lockers that are locked using wrist chip keys. For those who cannot tolerate high temperatures, the Koptevsky Baths have a ceramic steam room, as well as a hammam, salt rooms, a cedar barrel and other pleasant spa treatments.

st. Bolshaya Akademicheskaya, 13A

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+7

koptevskie-bani.ru

Deep cleaning

In addition to a broom, don’t forget to bring honey to the bathhouse. Thick and sticky, it penetrates deep into the open pores of the skin and cleanses the face and body. You can simply smear the skin with honey, or you can do a honey massage, either “gluing” your hand to the body or trying to peel it off. It's also a good idea to make a honey scrub.

Another effective way to draw out all the excess from the pores is to apply a mud mask. After the body is steamed, blue, green or black clay powder diluted in warm water is applied to it. Mud masks are especially good for combating cellulite. The microelements contained in clay - magnesium, calcium, manganese, zinc, copper, phosphorus - help improve metabolic processes in cells, smooth out problem areas and relieve swelling.

Only lying down and no alcohol. The best bath attendant in Russia about proper steaming Read more

Bath complex "Banya-Land"

Location: Krasnodar region, Krasnaya Polyana, Zapovednaya street, building 94.

The most interesting bath complex “Banya-Land” includes five spa complexes, each of which is decorated in different styles.

The Balthazar complex stands on stilts in the middle of a pond with colored carps. Its heart is a dry steam room, built of cherry and linden, and it is heated with wood from oak, alder and beech. Brooms are used from oak, birch and eucalyptus.

The Boyarskaya bathhouse looks like a fairytale house - and is made of clay with curious wooden details: a eucalyptus ceiling, a pear staircase, a cherry entrance door, and a huge wood-burning stove.

Here, after soaring, you can slide down the slide into the icy spring water.

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The Shamantabhadra bathhouse is named after the Tibetan goddess and is heated in black. Temperatures can reach 100 degrees and humidity can reach 40 percent; Bathhouse attendants liberally use essential resins and medicinal herbs, which literally cleanse not only the body, but also its aura.

Another black steam room using herbs such as wormwood, sweet clover, mint, chamomile and yarrow is the Hagakure bathhouse, made in the Japanese style.

Wraps are actively used here.

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And the basis is crystal therapy, which stimulates the vital forces of the body.

The spa complexes also have Roman baths and Turkish hammams, hot tubs on chains, Japanese o-furo barrels, spring water baths, relaxation areas and massage rooms.