Freezing cold water is a stark contrast to the 80˚C sauna (top left); Fox Lodge (top right); the annual Russian banya competition judges practitioners on client care and technique (below)


Fox Lodge Tel: + 7 495 995 13 83 Web: eng.foxlodge.ru


Thalion Tel: +7 495 792 58 95 Web: www.thalion.com


To find out more about other traditional spa experiences in Europe, see page 44


and other toxins coursing my veins. The branches do part of the work, but they’re ably assisted by the leaves, which fan the extreme heat of the sauna around my body, intensifying the effect.


EXPERT TRAINING To the casual outsider, it would look like one barely-clothed man is simply whack- ing another totally-unclothed man with a stick, but this is unfair to Aleksey. To become a banya specialist, which he


has been for eight years, one must attend a special banya steam school – ideally in Moscow or Siberia – for roughly six months. Prior to this, the apprentice must have undergone at least two to three years of medical training (to the level required to become a nurse). Aleksey tells me later that the thorough training is vital because in the intense heat of the sauna, it’s crucial to monitor the body’s responses, blood pressure and breathing patterns to ensure the conditions are safe. He hones his skills by regularly


competing against fellow banya specialists and recently came second at the annual


Spa Business 2 2014 ©Cybertrek 2014


Russian Banya Championships. The event, which is held each year in the small town of Sudzal, judges practitioners on client care, attentiveness and therapy technique – including how they use the branches on the body and to circulate the air.


FREEZING PLUNGE Back to the boiling banya, and as a small river of sweat makes its way from my body, Aleksey decides its time for a break. Given the intense heat, breaks are


essential and come in a variety of forms. Sometimes he’ll throw a bucket of chilled water over me and we’ll quite literally crack on, while for others I’m led to the sanctity of the relaxation lounge overlook- ing the gleaming frozen lake. On this occasion, my legs are coated in


a soothing Thalion vein-toning cream to off- set any adverse reactions to the heat. Other times, I’m treated to a vitamin cocktail or coated in a honey and sand body scrub. In Russia, honey is used as a healing agent and also serves as a natural moisturiser, while its antibacterial qualities help protect my skin from the toxins in my sweat.


Finally, when I can take no more of the


banya and birch-bashing, I’m led outside to a plunge pool next to the lake. I’m dunked repeatedly in the freezing cold water until my lungs near implosion.


PARTING GIFT After a warm shower and incongruously tender head massage from Aleksey, I sit rejuvenated in the lounge and realise that just because a spa treatment doesn’t come with candles and an Enya backing track, that doesn’t make it any less beneficial. While the west favours relaxation and a more gentle approach, Russia favours results and, like a maverick TV cop, it isn’t afraid to get a little rough in the process. As a parting gift, Aleksey meets me


clutching an iPhone and bashes a message into Google Translate: “Without expe- riencing extremities, we can never truly appreciate the extent of our capabilities.” l


Jak Phillips is the head of news at Leisure Media Email: jakphillips@leisuremedia.com Tel: +44 1462 471938


Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com/digital 51


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