History

Pushkin wrote of the banya in 1832: “The banya is like the Russian's second mother.” The Russian Banya has been around since medieval times, and has been a staple of culture and health in every part of Russia. Back in the day every village had at least one banya, which served as a place of not only cleanliness and bathing, but also as a place of magic and folklore, personified by the mystical “Bannik”, a mischievous little sprite associated with the Russian Banya had its own spirit associated with it. The Bannik was considered to be the guardian of the steam and heat and the caretaker of the sauna and its residents. But he expected many things in return: the patrons of the sauna were expected to clean the sauna each time it was used and to sometimes provide animal sacrifices to the Bannik in order to appease him. In return, the spirit of the sauna would reward his patrons with good heat and good steam. It is through the legend of the Bannik that sauna etiquette was developed: in order to appease the Bannik, a bather is expected to enter the sauna clean and in good spirits and to leave the same way. In addition to the mystical legends surrounding the banya, there were also many credible and amazing factual reports of the many benefits of the banya experience.
Many foreign travelers when traveling through Russia recorded first-hand observations about the sauna and its beneficial influences. One such observer was the Englishman William Tooke, a member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg. He observed the following in 1799, regarding the health benefits of the Russian banya: “It is not to be doubted that the Russians owe their longevity, their robust state of health, their little disposition to certain mortal diseases, and their happy and cheerful temper, mostly to the baths.” Centuries ago, the world knew and acknowledged the incredible impact that the Russian banya had both on health and on its patrons happiness—now, we want to bring this knowledge and impact to you, our customers!