Bath Like a Pro: Maximize your Banya experience

If you can, grab a venik and prepare it by soaking in a bucket of hot water for at least 10-20 minutes. Utilize a towel to sit on in the steam room. If you have a sauna hat, and we advise that you do, wear it as you enter the steam room for the first round. Good manners require that you quickly close the sauna door behind you. The first round is just a warm-up, so don't push yourself just yet. You may choose a higher bench if you desire a hotter experience or a lower level bench for a more moderate temperature. Sit or lay on the bench as desired as comfortable. Please be sure to leave steam room as soon as feeling of heat becomes slightly uncomfortable and cool off by preferably taking a dip into the cold plunge, by taking a shower, swimming, or by just sitting down in normal room temperature. Allow at least 5-10 minutes of resting time.

Enter again. You are now ready for the venik. It is highly recommended that anyone bathing at Banya brings an acquaintance for purposes such as the venik massage etcetera. The venik technique can become rather sophisticated, in its simplest form it is just a rhythmic and gentle waggling. (Learn more about venik techniques.) After soaking, the leafs and branches become soft and provides the most pleasant tingling sensation for your massage. The venik massage is not for everyone, many prefer their sauna stay without it. Sweating alone is by all means still affective in its own way. Please do not hesitate to push it a bit but when you feel that conditions are too hot to tolerate, go out and take a dip into a swimming pool with cold water. Ice-cold water comes as a bit of a shock to the body. To experience the Russian bath to the fullest, consider enduring it. Allow a cold plunge in duration of 10 to 60 seconds. The fantastic tingling sensation of your skin will make indicative that you have done it all. Allow 5-10 minutes after exiting cold conditions before re-entering the hot conditions of the sauna. Enjoy.

Relax and then repeat the hot-cold cycle as many times as comfortable. Bathers usually do five to six rounds, but acknowledging how you feel physically is absolutely essential to alleviate all risk of unfortunate happenings caused by your stay. We recommend relaxing with friends and enjoying a hot cup of tea after bathing at the sauna.

Since sweating may continue even for a little while after finishing bath, allow enough time for cooling off prior to redressing into clean clothing. Also, try avoiding cold conditions since the body is in a more "sensitive" state after the bath than normal. Note: to fully experience the Banya you must be able to spare around two hours.

Many common errors include:

• Do not drink alcohol prior to or while bathing. Alcohol and heat have a

cumulative effect, greatly increasing the load on the heart.

• Cold drinks slow down the sweating. Drink hot tea instead. (The key is to

sweat as much as possible – learn more about Bath and Health.)

• Do not over eat prior to bathing. Heat makes the blood rush from internal

organs to the skin and for proper digestion the very contrary of this is needed

• Exercise caution if your health is not at its best.

• Please be sensible while throwing water on the stones inside the stove.

Too much water may actually work against desired conditions.

• Try to lie while in a steam room. If you stand or sit, the difference in

temperature between your head and feet may be quite dramatic and may