Russian Banya Traditions We Love
Russian saunas, better known as Banya, are a centuries-old tradition that stems directly from the Finnish sauna traditions we’ve already explored. Like Finnish traditions, banya culture traditionally centers on community. In the banya's entrance room, or predbannik, people drink tea and beer, play games, or simply socialize while the rocks heat up. We see this in our culture with our mobile sauna parked at Kayak Point in Marysville, where the beach serves as our entrance room; families play, swim, commune, eat, and drink before entering the sauna. Before water is poured over the rocks, banya members build up a sweat on their own, protecting their skin from the hot steam about to fill the room.
One of the biggest differences between the banya and the older Finnish sauna is that the banya has consistent steam, whereas the Finnish sauna has intermittent bursts of steam. Our mobile sauna experience is customizable: you can add more steam to create the banya experience, or add steam intermittently to maintain the traditional Finnish structure. With water just steps away, it honors both traditions of cold plunging and cooling down before stepping back into the heat. The Russians typically have 3 rooms in the banya. The predbannik (relaxation room), the parilka ( the sauna itself), and the moyka (washroom). Our mobile sauna does have a shower attached to the exterior, so if plunging in the waters of Kayak Point isn’t your thing, you could still honor the Russian banya tradition and cool off with the shower and rotate between the beach as the predbannik, the mobile sauna as the parilka, and the shower or Puget Sound waters as the moyka, rotating between the three throughout your session.
The banya is also where the felt hats come from, used to protect your head in heat that can reach around 200 degrees. Veniks, or whisks made from white birch, oak, or the deliciously smelling eucalyptus, slap your skin to improve circulation. In a banya, people also commonly use aromatherapy in the steam for health benefits and to make the banya more enjoyable for attendees.
We honor this tradition by including it in our mobile sauna experience. Though the fresh Puget Sound air just outside the mobile sauna has a distinctive scent, we provide essential oils for guests who want a soothing scent like lavender or an invigorating one like lemon balm while soaking in the steam.
As mobile sauna purveyors, we have a lot to thank the Russians for. Russians are responsible for mobilizing the sauna experience. Known for bringing their sauna on a hike, they would set up a tent and build an oven with stones they collected. A luxury in the harsh Russian wilderness, they set up next to lakes or rivers, just like we do with our mobile sauna at Kayak Point in Marysville.
Like many other cultures with deep ties to sauna culture, Russian Banya culture is part of marriage rituals. We're proud to bring this tradition to our community at North Sound Sauna Co. Is anyone else picturing bringing your bridesmaids or groomsmen to Kayak Point for a sauna during your Bachelor or bachelorette party? Banya culture even suggests a sauna right after your wedding. A Russian saying goes, “A couple that sweats together, stays together!” Banya culture is also part of birth, with women being known to give birth to their babies in the banya. I found the funeral rituals even more sacred and beautiful. The beloved who passed away was given a vennik for their banya in the afterlife, and funeral-goers and mourners would bathe together in a ritual meant to keep their loved one warm on the journey to the great beyond. Banya culture is such a beautiful way to begin and end major life events with ritual and community.
At North Sound Sauna Co., honoring sauna culture's traditions is important to us. We're proud to continue the tradition of setting up saunas near streams and lakes by parking our mobile sauna at places like Kayak Point. But wherever you want our mobile sauna, we honor community, healing, and leisure most. It’s missing from so many aspects of our lives, and at North Sound Sauna Co., our mission is to bring it back.
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