This traditional Russian spa in East London is hidden away in the basement underneath a block of flats. If you’re wondering ‘Am I in the right place?’, that’s a sign that you have indeed arrived.
At Banya, you can use the public spa or book a private session. Either way, perhaps the most relaxing thing about this establishment is the fact that staff - known as bankshiks - shepherd you around, telling you what to do and removing the need to think for yourself for as long as you’re here. Bliss.
A Russian banya is hotter than your average sauna. For that reason, you’ll be handed a grey felt hat to protect your head from the heat. Inside the sauna, one of the banshik’s will operate the cast-iron oven to crank up the temperature while waving a fan around. If you’re nattering too much, he may also tell you to be quiet.
Other treatments include paranie - a Russian sauna ritual which is supposed to improve blood circulation. This involves lying down inside a sauna while one of the banshik’s gently whacks your entire body with a bouquet of aromatic birch, oak and eucalyptus branches. This is more relaxing than it sounds, but it is an extremely hot treatment, so afterwards, you’ll want to dunk yourself in the ice-cold plunge pool. The traditional Siberian mud mask and honey and salt body scrub are also worth trying, and somewhat gentler.
In between treatments, you’ll be able to relax in the restaurant where you can order from an extensive menu of Eastern European and Russian delicacies, which includes, but is not limited to, beer, vodka, borsch, meat dumplings, pancakes with caviar and Banya’s house ‘herbal mix’ tea.