Banya (баня) in Russian can refer to any kind of steam bath, but usually refers to the Russian type of sauna. In Bulgarian, banya (баня) usually refers to a bath and bathing. In Serbian, banja (бања) is used exclusively for a mineral water spa, as, for example, in spa resort names such as Vrnjačka Banja and Sokobanja.
History
The Tale of Bygone Years
The earliest description of the banya comes from the Russian Primary Chronicle of 1113. According to the Chronicle, or as it was called by its authors, The Tale of Bygone Years, the Apostle Andrew visited the territories that were later to become Russia during his visit to the Greek colonies on the Black Sea. The belief was held that Andrew crossed through Russia from the mouth of the Dnieper River, passed the hills on which Kiev would later be founded, and went as far north as the ancient city of Novgorod.
"Wondrous to relate," said he, "I saw the land of the Slavs, and while I was among them, I noticed their wooden bathhouses. They warm them to extreme heat, then undress, and after anointing themselves with tallow, they take young reeds and lash their bodies. They actually lash themselves so violently that they barely escape alive. Then they drench themselves with cold water, and thus are revived. They think nothing of doing this every day, and actually inflict such voluntary torture on themselves. They make of the act not a mere washing but a veritable torment."
Another mention of the banya is found in the same Chronicle in the story of Princess Olga's revenge for the murder of her husband, Prince Igor, by the Slavic tribe of Drevlians in 945 AD. The leader of the Drevlians had hopes of marrying the widow Olga and sent messengers to discuss the idea. "When the Drevlians arrived, Olga commanded that a bath should be made ready for them and said, 'Wash yourselves and come to me.' The bath-house was heated and the unsuspecting Drevlians entered and began to wash themselves. men closed the bath-house behind them and Olga gave orders to set it on fire from the doors, so that the Drevlians were all burned to death."
Relatives of the Russian banya
The Roman therma
Main article -Thermae Ancient Romans had a cult of bathhouse. Greeting each other they said: "How is your sweating?" In the bathhouse (sauna) they not only washed themselves, but socialized, painted, read poetry, sang, and feasted. Their bathhouses had special rooms for massage, gyms, and libraries. Wealthy citizens went to the bathhouse twice a day. Both private and public baths were distinguished by exceptional luxury - swimming pools were made of precious marble, silver and gold were used to decorate sinks. By the first century BC there were around 150 thermas in Rome. Steam rooms were heated in the same way as Russian Banyas and Finnish Saunas: oven was placed in the corner, stones were laid on the bronze frame over the red-hot charcoal. Rooms with wet and dry steam were also available. Hot air was coming through a pipe under the floor. The structure of Thermas was complex: there were 5 rooms: a room for undressing and resting after bathing, swimming pool for the first bathing, a room for washing with warm and hot water, and finally a room for dry steam and wet bath.
The Finnish sauna
Sauna is the closest relative of the Russian banya and because the ritual, folklore, and construction of the Russian banya and Finnish sauna are largely indistinguishable, it is safe to assume that they developed simultaneously. Sometimes, they are distinguished by saunas having dry steam and banyas wet steam. However, historically, both types used wet steam. Indeed, some researchers believe that the adoption of the word "sauna" rather than "banya" in post-war Europe came about primarily as a result of the Iron Curtain rather than as a term of any meaningful distinction. However, it is notable that, in modern Russian, a sauna is often called a "Finnish Banya", though possibly only to distinguish it from other ethnic high-temperature bathing facilities, such as Turkish baths referred to as "Turkish Banya." Sauna, with its ancient history among Nordic and Uralic peoples, is national pride of Finns.
The Turkish bath
Hammams (known as Turkish saunas) were not as luxurious as Roman baths. A visitor who enters the Bathhouse finds himself in a spacious hall, where he leaves his clothes and then proceeds down the stairs and through a long narrow coridor to the soap room. In this room he sees several niches for bathing and 3 narrow doors leading to steam bath, to a cooler room, and to the hall for resting. This is the order of the bathing procedure. Only after having completed it, one goes to give oneself to a masseur. The source of steam in Hammam (Turkish Sauna) is a gigantic tub of water inside the wall. The steam goes through the hole in the wall. Moreover, the entire bath is heated by the hot air, coming through a special pipe located under the marble floor. The bather lies on the hot stone and sweats. When sweating is plentiful, massage starts. Massage is one of the specialties of Turkish Bath. Sometimes it seems that the masseur beats his client; however the latter has an extremely pleasurable experience: his body is relaxing and his muscles become very flexible.
Thermal bathing in other cultures
In North America, the use of sweat lodges by American Indians is similar in concept to the smoke saunas of Finland or the black banya and was recorded as early as 1643. Former evidence of the use of sweat lodges in mesoamerican area before the european arrival was the temazcal wich is still used in some regions of Mexico and Central America.
Construction
Banya buildings can be quite large with a number of different bathing areas or simple wooden cabins like the traditional Finnish cottage saunas. Russian banyas usually have three rooms: a steam room, a washing room and an entrance room. The entrance room, called a predbannik (предбанник) or pre-bath, has pegs to hang clothing upon and benches to rest on. The washing room has a hot water tap, which uses water heated by the steam room stove and a vessel or tap for cold water to mix water of a comfortable temperature for washing. The heater has three compartments: a fire box that is fed from the entrance room, the rock chamber, which has a small hole to throw the water into and a water tank at the top. The top of the water tank is usually closed to prevent vapour from infiltrating the banya. Water to be thrown on the rocks should be taken from the tank as this will make better steam than if cold water were used. If an electric heater is used, the firebox is omitted. Most Russians believe the wood-burning stove is a better banya heater and studies have shown that negative ions are produced from wood-fired heaters, while electric heaters produce positive ions. Physiologically, the presence of negative ions in a sweat bath is as important as the heat. Water from a bucket by the stove is poured over the heated rocks in the stove. There are wooden benches across the room. People enter the steam room when the stove is hot, but before water is poured on the rocks. Getting a good sweat on before using water is preferred to using steam right away, as the sweat is thought to protect and condition the skin from the steam.
Black banyas and white banyas
In a "black banya" (по-чёрному), the smoke escapes through a hole in the ceiling, while in "white banyas" (по-белому) there are exhaust pipes to vent the smoke. In the former, the escaping smoke darkens the banya's interior wood, hence the name. Both styles are characterized by boulder stones, clay balls and large cauldrons for the hot water as well as stone stoves with a tank to heat the water. The firewood is usually birch. A black banya is much more rudimentary and is generally considered to be less desirable than the "white banya."
The bathing ritual
Banya temperatures often will exceed 200 degrees Fahrenheit (110 degrees Celsius) and shapka (special felt hats) are typically worn to protect the head from this intense heat. Similarly, a user may prefer to sit on a podjopnik, or small mat brought into the banya to protect his bare skin from the dry, hot wood of the banya's interior benches. In Russia, shapkas are commonly sold in sets with felt mitts, along with aromatherapy extracts for inclusion into the steam water. People often hit (massage) themselves or others with bunches of dried branches and leaves from white birch, oak or eucalyptus (called veniks, веник) in order to improve the circulation. In summer, fresh branches are used. They have a short useful life and smell of cut grass. In winter, branches that have been dried and then moistened in hot water are used. It is important that the bushes have leaves, so they don't hurt when used. After the first good sweat is induced, it is customary to cool off in the breeze outdoors or splash around i
Conair.com - Bath & Spa > Bath Mats & Spas > Model ...
Infrared remote control; Bubble control: high, medium, low, random and pulse options; Foot roller with air jets; Massaging neck; Adjustable neck rest
Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Conair MBTS9 Ultimate ...
Conair MBTS9 Ultimate Thermal Spa Bath Mat with Remote and Massage, Chrome ... the water in the tub seems to cool off faster than I expected with a "THERMAL" Bath Mat ...
Conair Ultimate Thermal Spa Bath Mat with Remote ...
Shop for Conair Ultimate Thermal Spa Bath Mat with Remote Control and Massage at Target. Find Home such as Bath Accessories, Conair Bath + Spa, Conair Foot Bath + Spa, Best Rated ...
Conair Online Store - Thermal Spa Bath Mat - MBTS15
Conair Online Store Thermal Spa Bath Mat, item number MBTS15.
Conair.com - Bath & Spa > Bath Mats & Spas
Ultimate Thermal Spa Bath Mat with Remote and Massage (MBTS15) () () () ()
THERMAL SPA BATH MAT : Marketplace Fine Living - Browse ...
Thermal Spa Bath Mat Seen on I Want That! Baths (HIWTB-112)
Conair MBTS15 Ultimate Thermal Spa Bath Mat with remote
Add a thermal power spa - - to your bathtub! No plumber required! Totally comfortable Remote controlled Massaging bath mat
THERMAL SPA BATH MAT : Marketplace HGTV - Browse ...
Thermal Spa Bath Mat These and other products and items are found on HGTV MarketPlace
Amazon.com: Conair Ultimate Thermal Spa Bath Mat with ...
Amazon.com: Conair Ultimate Thermal Spa Bath Mat with Remote Control and Massage: Kitchen & Dining
Walmart Conair Thermal Spa Full-Body Massaging Bath Mat ...
Walmart customers' reviews and ratings for Conair Thermal Spa Full-Body Massaging Bath Mat. Read and compare experiences real customers have had with the Conair Thermal Spa Full ...