Met with some friends and we decided to go and experience a traditional Russian Bathhouse. Good thing too we had our Russian friend Nikolay with us, to explain how things work. Thus, first there's a little shop where you can buy everything you need for the sauna, shampoo, oil, and most importantly, bundles of birch and juniper branches, to "flagellate" yourself or others with, in order to intensify the heat and give you that lovely piggy colour. Then there are those funny felt hats. I asked Niki what these were for - thinking maybe they have Sauna fan clubs just like for the Zenit football club (which by the by have great blue coloured fan stuff - caps etc.). I He said those hats were for keeping your head from overheating, and I figured "Fair enough, a stupid question begs for a stupid answer". But bought one anyway, as a souvenir. Of course I then realized that most men were really wearing these in the sauna, and what with the flagellation and all going on, everybody looked eerily smurfy. Also at the entrance, there's the little kiosk, where you can buy your beer, vodka, and dried fish snacks (tastes exactly like those snacks for cats - and yes, I have tried those too.
It is a huge bath house, not quite up to Swiss hygiene standards, but that's quite ok with me, as it made the place look and feel more homey. So you go up the wide stairs, (second floor is the men's baths, third floor the womens'). Here you hand in your valuables to another guy and get a number. So get naked and put your stuff into a small wooden "closet", no locks. I was a bit apprehensive walking around with no towel at first, but it seems that is so normal that nobody really seems bothered so you just do as when in Rome. Then there's the big shower room, full of benches with plastic buckets, which you fill with hot water and then put your branches in. And off you go into the sauna room, which is somewhat in between a Turkish bath (steamy) and a dry sauna. Very hot! And as mentioned before, a lot of self-flagellation. Let me tell you that whipping sure feels great though. You get all tingly feeling. Nobody really lasts very long. Next step, stand under a a bucket with a chain, which upon jerking on releases ice water. Before you know what hit you, the shock is over. Then you venture into the somewhat muddy coloured cold bath tub, to further cool down a bit. THEN you come out all squeeky pink and happy to have survived it all. Then you go to the entrance room and sit on one of those wood benches and start drinking and eating. Lots of eating and drinking going on all over the place. And I mean serious eating and drinking, not just nibbling. Plates of fresh salmon, dry fish, salads, and the almost ubiquitous bottle of voddie, and the beers. As i said before, when in Rome... And you try and listen into some of the (drunken) conversation. As people under the influence are bound to repeat themselves and to talk rather slowly (before getting to the point of slurring and making no sense at all), I was actually able to pick up quite a bit.
We did three runs of the hot-cold routine, then obviously got quite hungry and ready to go for dinner at a Georgian restaurant. Somewhere near Nevskii Prospekt, so not exactly cheap but nice, pleasant service though they did not speak "foreign", but we had Niki to interpret for us. The Italian guests at the next table weren't quite so lucky and struggled with their menu and ordering process, so we helped them out a bit.
After that we went clubbing. Timo, our friend from Finland, is an artistic photographer and he took pictures from quite some unusual angles, which got me interested, as I love it when people look at the world with their own eyes, not just trying to shoot the next postcard. I also had a look at his website and as I think he really captures atmospheres, I am adding his website link here (with Timo's permission, of course):
Timo's Art
I will also ask Timo if I may publish some of his St. Petersburg pictures here. I saw some on his facebook and was not disappointed. Funny that he took a photo of a graffiti I had seen before, and actually had meant to take a picture, but hadn't my iPhone with me.
After dinner, we went to a club, and the rest, as they say, is history. Got a bit, well - rather quite drunk, and after the others had taken off to their hotel, just went on partying, home late and possibly not on my best behaviour. Next thing I know it's morning and I have half the school banging on my door. Tried to ignore it for a while, (thinking: what the f... are those guys banging on doors in the middle of the night?!), but of course it was already morning and I had missed class. Good thing I finally opened the door as they had gotten worried and were considering kicking it in. Not really what you need for a good old hang-over in the morning. Sorry though, guys!
It is a huge bath house, not quite up to Swiss hygiene standards, but that's quite ok with me, as it made the place look and feel more homey. So you go up the wide stairs, (second floor is the men's baths, third floor the womens'). Here you hand in your valuables to another guy and get a number. So get naked and put your stuff into a small wooden "closet", no locks. I was a bit apprehensive walking around with no towel at first, but it seems that is so normal that nobody really seems bothered so you just do as when in Rome. Then there's the big shower room, full of benches with plastic buckets, which you fill with hot water and then put your branches in. And off you go into the sauna room, which is somewhat in between a Turkish bath (steamy) and a dry sauna. Very hot! And as mentioned before, a lot of self-flagellation. Let me tell you that whipping sure feels great though. You get all tingly feeling. Nobody really lasts very long. Next step, stand under a a bucket with a chain, which upon jerking on releases ice water. Before you know what hit you, the shock is over. Then you venture into the somewhat muddy coloured cold bath tub, to further cool down a bit. THEN you come out all squeeky pink and happy to have survived it all. Then you go to the entrance room and sit on one of those wood benches and start drinking and eating. Lots of eating and drinking going on all over the place. And I mean serious eating and drinking, not just nibbling. Plates of fresh salmon, dry fish, salads, and the almost ubiquitous bottle of voddie, and the beers. As i said before, when in Rome... And you try and listen into some of the (drunken) conversation. As people under the influence are bound to repeat themselves and to talk rather slowly (before getting to the point of slurring and making no sense at all), I was actually able to pick up quite a bit.
We did three runs of the hot-cold routine, then obviously got quite hungry and ready to go for dinner at a Georgian restaurant. Somewhere near Nevskii Prospekt, so not exactly cheap but nice, pleasant service though they did not speak "foreign", but we had Niki to interpret for us. The Italian guests at the next table weren't quite so lucky and struggled with their menu and ordering process, so we helped them out a bit.
After that we went clubbing. Timo, our friend from Finland, is an artistic photographer and he took pictures from quite some unusual angles, which got me interested, as I love it when people look at the world with their own eyes, not just trying to shoot the next postcard. I also had a look at his website and as I think he really captures atmospheres, I am adding his website link here (with Timo's permission, of course):
Timo's Art
I will also ask Timo if I may publish some of his St. Petersburg pictures here. I saw some on his facebook and was not disappointed. Funny that he took a photo of a graffiti I had seen before, and actually had meant to take a picture, but hadn't my iPhone with me.
After dinner, we went to a club, and the rest, as they say, is history. Got a bit, well - rather quite drunk, and after the others had taken off to their hotel, just went on partying, home late and possibly not on my best behaviour. Next thing I know it's morning and I have half the school banging on my door. Tried to ignore it for a while, (thinking: what the f... are those guys banging on doors in the middle of the night?!), but of course it was already morning and I had missed class. Good thing I finally opened the door as they had gotten worried and were considering kicking it in. Not really what you need for a good old hang-over in the morning. Sorry though, guys!
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