How I took a steam bath in Austrian nudist baths. The most “shameless” baths in the world, in which Russian people feel uncomfortable

One day in a German bath.

I am a native Muscovite. An engineer by profession. Having lived most of my life in crazy, but infinitely loved by me Moscow, in recent years I have been living in a tiny, clean and tidy, calm German city in our Russian opinion in the very center of Germany. I invite the public to get acquainted with my one day. There are 63 photos under the cut.

Today is June 25, 2015. I had a free day and, according to tradition, I decided to devote it to my favorite pastime - a bathhouse.
I became addicted to this procedure when I was already very young. Been there
Often in the famous Moscow "Sanduny", "Armory" and "Krasnopresnensky"

In recent years, living mainly in Germany, I have been trying to visit the local water park with a solid complex of various baths once a week.

I usually go for a standard 4 hour session, which at a cost
15€ provides disproportionately greater opportunities than the usual
Moscow public bath for the same price - about 600 rubles for 2 hours of steam room with plastic gangs.
A little retreat
I hope dear reader will show some leniency on some of the not very high quality photos because... They were made, for obvious reasons, in extreme conditions...

So, when I woke up,

and yawning sweetly

2.

I splash into the bathtub for the minimum necessary water procedures - what’s the point in rubbing my face before the bath?

3.
.

Now for a quick snack than God sent

4.
,

My beech and tablet turn on simultaneously when I open my eyes... and sometimes a little earlier - by touch...
I start any day as usual by checking email and news on a couple of regular sites.
But the other day there was a very interesting debate on Dozhd, which the media is buzzing about, but I haven’t seen it yet.
A bathhouse is not a bathhouse, but the gap needs to be filled.

Time however! "Tsigel-tsigel, ay lyu-lyu!" I jump into my favorite shorts, lightly cover my belly with an “alcoholic” T-shirt,
I grab my bright red sauna backpack with all the essentials, which certainly includes: a robe, two large towels for the sauna, a couple of smaller ones, mittens, slippers, shower gel, etc.

Now I quickly get into the elevator and dive into the underground garage, where my “184 horses” are stalled.

The road is calculated minute by minute.

And if some nerdy blonde
or a couple of cyclists in love will not cause a traffic jam, then I, almost without breaking the rules, will reach my goal in 15 minutes.

Another 5 minutes. will be spent on buying a card from a special machine
and an instant striptease in the men’s locker room, in addition to which, of course, there is also a women’s locker room, as well as “for couples.”
On the way, I fasten a key with a chip on my wrist

10.

and I’m already running across the picturesque courtyard with lawns and various reservoirs
11.

And exactly at 11.59 I fly into the “sauna arena”! Phew, I made it!
Small explanation 1 . In German public baths, men and women take treatments together and... completely naked! For the unprepared and highly spiritual, it’s terrible, isn’t it?
But, as you know, it is not recommended to go into someone else’s monastery with your own rules... so as not to get your bare ass... Therefore, you have to put spirituality away once a week for 4 hours.
True, for especially shy ladies, several steam rooms are allocated twice a week for half a day, but, as a rule, these ladies prefer equality and do not enjoy such a privilege.
By the way, for some reason such concessions are not provided to us men. Disorder, discrimination. Let's be barozzo.
Small explanation 2 .
I rushed headlong because... I know by heart the bathhouse attendant’s steam supply schedule.
And because Each time he uses different bells and whistles, this is important.

Having flown into a large steam room for about 50 people, reminiscent of a circus arena, already filled at this time with 10-12 naked “spectators,” I climb to the very top and make myself comfortable. According to strict rules (“Ordnung ist Ordnung”), a visitor to the steam room is required to sit on his own towel, which must be covered, among other things. and under your feet. Hygiene comes first.
12.

Exactly at 12.00, a bath attendant (or bath attendant) solemnly enters the arena with the appearance of a bullfighter, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, with a tub filled with water with various flavors. After the obligatory instructions and explanations, he begins to carefully pour the ladle onto the stones of a huge round furnace installed in the center of the arena.

13.

After this, the bath attendant walks around the circle twice, fanning the steamers with a towel. Next, the procedure is repeated again, after which, after recommending that visitors enjoy themselves for a couple more minutes, the bathhouse attendant leaves.
Not everyone can endure these “a couple of minutes.” Even I, with my many years of hardening, somehow lost consciousness twice after such a procedure.
Having flown out of the steam room, I rinse off in the shower and splash into the artificial pond. Today the water temperature is +22. Lovely!

14.

After splashing around a bit, I quickly move into a 120-degree Finnish sauna, stylized as a kind of dugout.

15.

With a wood-burning fireplace that crackles behind the glass
dry logs.

16.

I spend another 15 minutes here.

17.

After which I jump into a round ice plunge pool.

18.

Now it’s time to catch my breath... which is what I do, moving to a swimming pool with hydromassage and sea water heated to 36°C.

19.

But there’s no time to sit around - the bathhouse attendant won’t wait. Exactly at 11.30 he will enter a relatively small steam room for about 15 people and this time will treat visitors to menthol crystals, thanks to which the steam will immediately disinfect the respiratory tract. This procedure is especially beneficial during the snotty season.

20.

That's it... Half of the personal program is completed. Usually I make at least 6 passes, during which
It’s still, of course, impossible to visit all 10 different steam rooms.
Now you can sit up in a sun lounger in the sun for about 15 minutes, and at exactly 11.59... Rise!!! Fanfare calls to the arena!

21.

The next visit, unlike the first, is interrupted by the bathhouse attendant distributing a pinch of salt, which we rub into the body. In winter, salt alternates with honey.

After that, I, slightly catching my breath on the lawn in a sun lounger

22.

I wander into the next steam room. It's a round plastic cabin
into which moist steam is supplied, causing visitors to sit as if in a thick fog.

23.

After enduring 10 minutes in this box, I douse myself with ice water from a wooden tub.

24.

and head under the huge palm trees to the relaxation area,

25.

where, in addition to comfortable, relaxing chairs, there is a bed with a water mattress

26.
.

I've been somewhat wary of this building lately. One day, as soon as I plopped down on him, I immediately passed out, and when I woke up I saw the discouraged and condemning glances of the vacationers... The fact is that my wife is sure that the turbines of a Boeing jet are just the chirping of birds, compared to my snoring. He's probably lying - after all, I've never heard myself snoring.

Next I will have a sauna in which drops of water are supplied to special evaporators. Multi-colored lamps are built into its ceiling to change the illumination of the steam room.

27.

Having conscientiously served the legal 15 minutes in it, I dive into the next plunge pool

28.

Well, now that the mandatory program has been completed, it’s time to do the check weighing

29.

Well, not bad - 2.90 kg in 2.5 hours!
So I have another 1.5 hours left... to rest from rest...
Not so! Time to run to relaxation-meditation. The action takes place here

30.

It's not hot here at all. Pleasant relaxing music is pouring from somewhere from the speakers, and at this time the bathhouse attendant, in an insinuating voice with German categoricalness, is praising some spells...
Hm...here I also somehow de-meditated in earnest with my snoring
I slightly adjusted the relaxation program for those around me...
Here, they would probably have pushed me right away, but here tolerance flourishes.
Well... it’s time for work, but it’s time for fun - it’s time to refresh yourself...

31.

I think a healthy “diet” meal of well-grilled sausage and French fries won’t hurt me now... And, of course, a glass of cold beer by the fireplace...
After lunch, it would be a good idea to relax in the jacuzzi

32.

Now you can walk around the complex

33.

34.

35.

36.

37.

And go to a small ancient dam on a small river.

38.

However, the lunch grams pretty much spoiled the result and it’s time to evaporate the beer. For this, a small sauna with aromas is suitable, supplied into a special container installed above the heaters, where in 15 minutes. I completely eliminate the consequences of my libation

39.

Well, now everything is great. There is still time to finally sunbathe on a sun lounger

40.

In winter you can sunbathe in this scary thing

41.

resembling a pancake maker. True, this thing bakes “pancakes” for a fee.
To finish, I don’t know why, I climb into an infrared sauna with an ionizer.

42.

Why is it necessary, I still haven’t figured it out, but since it’s worth it, I have to try it.
Well, now, it seems like that’s it, it’s time to take a shower and get out.
The machine at the exit meticulously calculated the time as 4:05,

43.

I grumbled grumpily, like, what can I take from them - from foreigners, and opened the turnstile for me to exit - so be it, get out of here.
If I had been any more late, he would have demanded another 2€ from me. Those. for 17€ I could hang around here all day from 10am to 10pm. Sometimes I get stuck like that. Moreover, a ticket to the sauna also includes other parts of the water park: various swimming pools, an artificial river, slides, paddling pools, etc.
In addition, the sauna complex periodically hosts night celebrations: bonfires are lit, sausages and steaks are grilled, beer flows like a river until late at night. In general, people walk around purely in German.

Now I'm loading into the car again

44.

On the way home you need to stop briefly in the old part of the city
45.

There is always a problem with parking here. I know only one place where you can leave your car for half an hour for free, but there are only three parking lots and today they are all occupied. So I leave the car in the parking lot.

46.
and then with your legs...

47.

48.

49.

Well, now it’s time to move towards the house.
It's getting dark

50.

Therefore, I choose a bypass road, otherwise I might drag for about 25 minutes.
On the right is one of the city's "BoardEls".

51.

And this is a car dump, where you can throw away an old car, not for free... or an unnecessary fighter jet

52.

Well, the industrial zone is over. This is also a city

53.

Another minute and I'm entering my area

54.

Well, here's the house

55.

I recently found out that our house is not much younger than the Moscow "Khrushchev" buildings.

56.

They're just watching him.

57.

58.

By the way, this three-entrance house with a garage and lawns is maintained by one person.
And this is the famous German garbage dump with multi-colored containers

59.

Any German baby who has barely shouted “mama” will answer without hesitation that blue is for paper and cardboard, green is for biowaste, yellow bag is for packaging, and black is for everything else.
Shyly turning away, I pass by my bicycle, which I’ve been promising to pay attention to for the past six months, but for some reason I sneak into the garage every time.

60.

Well here we are at home

61.

Still, we've been lucky with the weather this summer

62.

However, it’s good to be distracted by the surrounding landscapes; LiveJournal awaits me (by the way, add me as a friend), FB and other time wasters.
In addition, you need to think about where to go on Saturday or Sunday. Lately I've been thinking about touring the surrounding castles.
ABOUT! Bravo! The Internet happily spent the rest of the day.
It's time for good-bye

63.

I hope I'm not too tired.

Astrakhan baths
- m. Prospekt Mira, Astrakhansky lane, 5/9, tel. 680-4329, opening hours: 8:00-22:00 except Monday
Old famous baths and one of the cheapest in Moscow. 2 hours of sauna on weekdays and weekends cost 250 rubles. The interior of the bathhouse is quite simple, approximately the same as in other public baths in Moscow. There were a lot of people here, apparently the bathhouse was popular.
Pokrovskie baths
- metro station Fili, Bagrationovsky Prospect, 12, tel. 148-2604, opening hours: 8:00-24:00 daily
Very nice baths with a pleasant interior. Prices are higher than in the Astrakhan baths, but the price/quality ratio in Pokrovskiye may be even better. The baths are located near the Fili metro station, which is very convenient. Already upon entering, you begin to understand that Pokrovsky baths are a new generation of baths. The entire interior is decorated in a conservative High Tech style, a computer system for registering visitors, very polite staff, and in general, if not for the prices, I would have thought that I was in a bathhouse for the upper classes. There are several price levels depending on the level of service quality. The lowest prices for the first male category. On weekdays, before 16:00, 3 hours cost 350 rubles, and after 16:00, 3 hours cost 450 rubles. On weekends 500 rubles for 3 hours.
There are also 4 saunas with a rather interesting feature - the number of people is unlimited (within reason, of course). The saunas are very nice and modern. Saunas vary in size and their prices vary, however, on average the prices seem to be below the Moscow average.
“Aquarius” - Kuntsevo Baths
- metro station Kuntsevskaya, Mozhaiskoe highway, 21, bldg. 3, tel. 443-3155
The cheapest baths of all those examined, but far from the best. Very simple baths with a cheap interior. In addition, they are far from the metro. On weekdays, a visit to the bathhouse costs 200 rubles - unlimited time, on weekends - 250 rubles and also unlimited time.
Baths on Presnya(A fitness center)
- m. Street 1905 Goda, Stolyarny lane, 7, building 1, tel. 255-01-15, opening hours: daily 8:00-22:00
The bathhouse is nice, but expensive. I think that the Pokrovsky Baths are more interesting both in terms of interior and money. A visit to the Baths on Presnya on weekdays will cost 500 rubles for 2 hours, and on weekends - 600 rubles for 2 hours. There is also a sauna.
Warsaw Baths
- metro station Nagatinskaya, Varshavskoe highway, 34, tel. 111-7997
It is believed (according to the administrator) that this bathhouse has one of the best steam rooms in Moscow. The steam room here is really big, good quality, two-story. In addition, there is a swimming pool, a sprinkler, a circular shower with acupressure. The bathhouse is simple, but quite decent. On weekdays, a visit costs 320 rubles for 2 hours (3 hours – 400 rubles), on weekends – 350 rubles for 2 hours (3 hours – 450 rubles).
Don Baths
- m. Shabolovskaya, st. Ordzhonikidze, 1, tel. 954-3278
The baths are located in an old building (which, as it turned out after half a year or a year, is subject to demolition). Therefore, the internal structure does not shine with luxury and at first glance may seem unattractive. However, during the short period of time that I stayed there, quite a lot of people visited it, and those leaving had it written on their faces how many positive emotions they managed to get in the allotted two hours. Rates: weekdays - 230 rubles for 2 hours (each subsequent hour - 115 rubles), on weekends and holidays - 280 rubles for 2 hours (each subsequent hour - 140 rubles).
Sanduny
- m. Kuznetsky Most, st. Neglinnaya, 14, building 3-7, tel. 625-4631
The oldest baths in Moscow. As the administrator told me, Sanduny is a kind of museum of bath art. We can talk about Sanduny for a very long time, so I will focus on the main thing. For men, there are 3 categories, in which the environment and level of service (and, accordingly, the price per hour) increases from less to more. The lowest prices for the first male category are 600 rubles for 2 hours. This is more expensive than most other baths in Moscow. All other information, in my opinion, is better to look at their website.
Vorontsovskie baths
- metro Taganskaya, Vorontsovsky lane, 5/7 tel. 676-4271
At your service - swimming pool, hydromassage, bar, steam service. Prices are quite high: on weekdays a visit costs 600 rubles for 3 hours, and on weekends 700 rubles for 3 hours.
Grandmother's Baths
- m. Babushkinskaya, Starovatutinsky Ave., 5, tel. 472-7167, opening hours: 8:00-22:00 daily
On weekdays, a bath here costs 400 rubles for 2 hours, and on weekends 500 rubles for 2 hours. Not the lowest prices.
Usachevskie baths
- m. Sportivnaya, st. Usacheva, 10, tel. 246-9164, opening hours: 8:00-22:00 except Monday
A visit to the Usachevsky baths costs 400 rubles on weekdays and the stay is unlimited; on weekends a visit costs 500 rubles.
Seleznevskie baths
- m. Novoslobodskaya, st. Seleznevskaya, 15, tel. (499) 978-8491, opening hours: 8:00-22:00 except Monday
Very famous old baths in Moscow, but they are very expensive. A visit on weekdays costs 800 rubles for 2 hours, and on weekends – 950 rubles for 2 hours.
Ochakovskie baths
- m. Yugo-Zapadnaya, st. B. Ochakovskaya, 35, tel. 430-2922, opening hours: 8:00-22:00
Prices in the Ochakov baths depend on the level of service - medium or high. The average category costs 300 rubles for 3 hours. The highest category on weekdays costs 400 rubles for 3 hours, and on weekends – 450 rubles for 3 hours.
Eastern baths
- m. Shchelkovskaya, st. 9th May, 8a, tel. 463-1463, opening hours: 9:00-21:00
The cost of visiting the bathhouse here is 280 rubles for 2 hours both on weekdays and on weekends.
Vostryakovskie baths
- m. Yugo-Zapadnaya, st. Matrosova, 3a, tel. 435-5834, opening hours: 11:00-22:00
A visit to this bathhouse on weekdays costs 180 rubles for 2 hours, and on weekends – 200 rubles for 2 hours. The prices are very low, but the baths themselves are quite simple. In addition, I advise you to check by phone when it is men’s and women’s days in the bathhouse, since they alternate. I was told that at the moment men's days are Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Izmailovo Baths
- m. Izmailovskaya, st. 6th Parkovaya, 21, tel. 165-9854, opening hours: 8:00-22:00
This bathhouse has a general and a higher category, which differ in cost. The general category costs 280 rubles for 2 hours, and the highest category costs 310-340 rubles for 2 hours. Visitors are allowed into the bathhouse in batches for 2 hours.

Many nations have their own bathing traditions, which may seem strange and sometimes indecent to others. Not in every country, when entering a local bathhouse, a Russian will feel feel at home.

Three in a Japanese barrel
Traditional Japanese baths may seem the most “shameless” to a Russian person. A furaco sauna bath is a large wooden barrel filled with water. Often thiswater was taken from hot thermal springs. In order not to change the water every time after washing one person, washing with soap and a washcloth is done in advance.

The whole family or just a few people can sit in the furaco, if the barrel is located in a public bathhouse, for this purpose there are benches on the sides of the barrel. In public Japanese baths in the old days there were servant girls who also provided intimate services to visitors. Some entertainment establishments in Japan continue this tradition today. Are they called "soapland"? and in them clients are washed, and then “entertained”.
However, not all bathhouse attendants are girls of easy virtue. Sometimes they prefer to hire girls because women would be uncomfortable usingservices of male bathhouse attendants. At the same time, there may not be an intimate component - the accompanying people will show you how to use the bathhouse, make sure that in the barrel ofWith hot water, visitors will not feel sick; they will add aromatic oils to the water and give them a massage.

Nowadays, most public baths in Japan (sento) are divided into male and female halves, although this was not always the case: over the centuries, relevant laws have been approved and then repealed. Sento may have large pools of heated water.Many sento bathhouses prohibit people with tattoos from entering, as they may be suspected of belonging to the mafia. There are also some establishments where foreigners are not welcome.

Bath equality
In many European baths there is no separation between men's and women's areas - everyone sits in the same room or splashes in the same pool. In Germany, many baths are located in areas with thermal waters. They are usually divided into two halves: in onethere are swimming pools and water attractions, in the other there are actually saunas and steam rooms. Swimsuits and swimming trunks are allowed only in the pool area. And come to the bathhouse in a swimsuit- nonsense. On the doors of the room where it is customary to sit naked, the letters FFK - Freikörperkultur - “Free Body Culture” are usually written.

The shyest ones can wrap themselves in a cotton towel - the Germans do not approve of synthetics, believing that they negate the healing effect of the bath. But usually no one
does not look at anyone - in the bathhouse everyone is equal. Rather, they will look at the guest wrapped in a towel.

The whole family goes to German baths, so in one steam room there can be teenagers, their parents, and very young children. Sometimes, however, they organize “women’s days”when men are not allowed into the bath complex.
You cannot make noise in German baths - this interferes with the relaxation of other guests.

It is worth saying that in the XV-XVII centuries. in Rus' in baths too
joint washings of men and women were practiced, and
an imperial decree prohibiting everyone from washing together,
came out only under Catherine II in 1782. Before that, the decree
The Governing Senate of 1741 was not successful.
This custom finally came to an end only in the era
Alexandra I.

To the bathhouse - for important contracts
In Finland, it is not customary to refuse an invitation to the sauna. There, as in Germany, they sit “in what the mother gave birth to,” and the status of the neighbor is not taken into account. There is a sauna
even in the Houses of Parliament. They say that until the 80s, parliament meetings were held there on Thursdays.
All Finnish consulates and embassies abroad have their own saunas.So if you want to sign an important agreement with a Finn or discuss any problem, you will have to go to the sauna with him. It is there that Finns, who are usually closed and not very fond of making contact, loosen up and willingly conduct complex negotiations. Former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari liked to discuss the most serious issues with foreign politicians in the sauna. All ministers and presidents sat naked, as expected. And Nikita Khrushchev in 1960 had to steam in a Finnish saunaembassy for five hours until he and President Urho Keccone came to agreement on important issues.
Families go to the sauna together, but in public saunas men and women steam separately. Many Finns are offended when they talk about intimate relationships in saunas, believing that this opinion came from Germany in the 70s. There are even floating saunas in Finland, which are not recommended for people sensitive to motion.

Gay saunas
In Sweden, for a long time there were special sauna clubs for people with non-traditional orientation. The government banned them in 1987, citing the spread of HIV, but the ban was lifted in 2001. The authorities consideredthat during the ban there was neither a sharp increase in morbidity rates nor a sharp decrease in them.

Another argument in favor of permission was that promiscuity in random places carries a much greater risk.

In the USA, similar baths also existed and were banned in the mid-80s in New York (1985) and San Francisco (1984). In the UK, gay saunas operate andnow: the largest network is located in London and is called Chariots. They have swimming pools, steam rooms, massage rooms.

The saunas of this chain are open 24 hours a day. There are similar establishments in many countries around the world. A few years ago, the BBC reported that a famous gay sauna and a Vatican department coexisted in a historic palazzo in Rome.

The most Russian form of recreation is experiencing its seasonal heyday: in winter, the number of visitors to public baths increases significantly. It is no longer possible to associate established stereotypes with some bathhouses: new ones are more like health centers, while old ones are being rebranded and reopened after large-scale reconstructions. The Village selected a dozen of the city's most notable bathhouses and discussed their benefits with regulars.

Sandunovskie baths

Operating mode

08:00−22:00,
sanitary day - Tuesday

Price

1,500−2,300 rubles /
2 hours

Steamer

1,320 rubles

SPA, beauty salon, restaurant, laundry

Sanduny is the main city baths, with a two-hundred-year history. You can go here not only for physical, but also for aesthetic pleasure: in the highest men's category there is an Empire style fireplace room, a Gothic room, a Turkish room and an antique swimming pool. Other categories look simpler, but, except in the interiors, there are practically no differences: it is believed that the quality of service in Sanduny is the best in Moscow. Movies have been filmed in Sanduny more than once, excursions and Hollywood actors come here, but not everyone likes it: Sanduny’s opponents complain that they feel like they’re in a museum here. Employees also publish a newspaper of the same name and actively work with social networks, offering discounts for check in and subscriptions on Instagram.

Elena Ivanova

HR manager

My sister and I have a tradition - to go to Sanduny on Fridays once every three weeks. The women's division gets crowded on Friday nights, but it's still a good time to get pumped up for the weekend. Among other things, you come here for the atmosphere, for this historical feeling. According to observations: women who prepare a steam room every 45 minutes are regular visitors themselves and do it simply because they like it. The categories for women differ in the number of people: in the highest it is more free and the steam room works constantly. Among the services, I like the “Soap Wash” - a very high-quality full body massage using gels, and they don’t look at the time and often do an hour instead of 40 minutes. During the time I've been going there, I haven't had a single complaint - everything here is at a high level.

Krasnopresnensky baths

Operating mode

08:00−23:00,
Mon. 08:00−22:00

Price

1,200−1,700 rubles /
2 hours

Steamer

700 rubles

SPA, hairdresser, cosmetologist, cafe Presnya

The main competitor of the Sandunovsky baths is that regulars here traditionally consider them stupid and pretentious. The price category and audience are approximately the same, but the capacity is larger and many additional cosmetic procedures are offered - they even offer Ayurvedic massage with herbal bags. The bath attendants prepare the steam room approximately every 40 minutes. In addition to the main menu, the restaurant has an extensive Japanese menu - udon, fried rice, three types of miso soup and rolls.

Alexey Chagin

For me, there are two bathhouses where you can relax and feel a certain spirit of the city - Sanduny and Krasnopresnensky. The highest ranks there are similar: everywhere is clean and the staff is friendly. In Krasnopresnensky, an important advantage is that the steam room is regularly ventilated and new steam is created. Bathhouse attendants can really take a good steam - an ordinary visitor will not be able to do the same. Delicious cuisine, I recommend the shrimp. Household details like chips on cups can spoil the impression a little.

Warsaw Baths

Operating mode

09:00−23:00,
Sat.-Sun. 08:00−23:00

Price

1,500 rubles / 3 hours

Steamer

from 1,000 rubles

beauty salon, massage, cosmetologist, restaurant “Shaika-Leika”

The Warsaw Baths have been operating since 1938, and recently a new milestone began in their history - after reconstruction in 2012, they turned into a wellness complex with an original design and began to cooperate with the Ginza Project. The decoration of the steam rooms, dressing rooms and washing rooms have nothing in common with the ornate interiors of Sanduny and the post-Soviet chic of the Krasnopresnensky baths. The menu of the local restaurant includes several dozen items, including grilled dishes, burgers and steaks. There is a decent bar. In the steam room itself you can order a dozen different steaming sessions: four-handed, with inhalation, with ice and with honey - prices start from 800 rubles. They sell subscriptions and packages of bath services. The role of VIP sections here is played by the “Baths of Peace” on the fourth floor - they are decorated in Russian, Byzantine and British styles and are heated with wood-burning stoves.

Mikhail Gogolev

specialist
by sales

I have been going to the Warsaw Baths for almost two years - there is a favorable atmosphere, everything is done with taste and quality. The staff is friendly and attentive. The steam room is cleaned every 30 minutes. Patrons often sing patriotic songs on weekends. The prices are not low, but they correspond to the quality. The Shaika-Leika restaurant is good, plus they give a discount to bathhouse clients, which is also nice.

Vorontsovskie baths

Operating mode

09:00−23:00, Sanitary day - Monday

Price

1,200−1,300 rubles / 4 hours

Steamer

2,000 rubles

beauty salon, cosmetologist, solarium, restaurant

Spacious, bright baths on Taganka with views of the Novospassky Monastery and Vorontsovskaya Sloboda. There are two men's categories, one women's, several saunas - elite and democratic - and numbered baths for groups of up to ten people with the telling names "Minimalism" and "Indiana". You can order steaming on hay, fir and oak brooms. On Fridays in the morning prices are halved. There is nothing unusual among the services or in the interior, but there is also no shortage of fans.

Alexey Tryapochkin

manager
on planning

For the last few years I have been going to the highest category of Vorontsov Baths, and at a specific time - on Sunday evenings. There is objectively the best steam at a decent level of everything else: a comfortable dressing room and washing room, high-quality food and service. In three hours, five to seven fresh steams are prepared in the steam room, each time using new bases: lemon balm, eucalyptus, lemongrass, horseradish, wormwood. The steam is prepared by enthusiastic visitors to the bathhouse, and not by the bathhouse attendant; the herbs are purchased independently, so on another day this may not happen in the same bathhouses. On the downside: visitors are mainly from the category of strong men over 40. However, this is the case almost everywhere. The restaurant menu could have been bigger, and the pool too. But these are all nitpicks rather than cons.

Seleznyovsky baths

Operating mode

Price

1,500−1,700 rubles / 2 hours

Steamer

Another long-lived bathhouse, operating since the mid-19th century. It hasn’t been repaired for a very long time, and you should be prepared for this: you will encounter both rust and broken tiles. The staff is also Soviet-style, but regulars here don’t expect subtle treatment - they go for the steam, one of the best in Moscow. And here is the largest font.

Alexey Klementyev

producer

Very brutal baths, with an old real stove - there is no such thing anywhere in Moscow. Steam with the lowest possible humidity comes out of it, that is, the water instantly receives the highest temperature. In one of the categories there is a powerful propeller that blows out everything unnecessary from the steam room. Only regulars go there, go for steam and know how to cook it. In general, the bathhouse is for the prepared: I witnessed how a guy who overestimated himself in the steam room started bleeding from his nose. Seleznevskie is the best option for those who have little time and little money, but need to warm up deeply and recover.

Usachevskie baths

Operating mode

08:00−23:00 (men)

08:00−23:00, Thursday until 18:00 (women)

Price

1,000−1,200 rubles

Steamer

beauty saloon,
fitness, cafe

Baths in the building of the sports and recreation complex - on the way you can go to a sports club or boxing training. One of the best price-quality ratios. The last renovation was done just six months ago; inside there are spacious locker rooms and washing departments. There is an opinion that it is good to go here with children: there is soft steam. The next feature is unlimited visiting time: other baths offer two- and three-hour sessions for the same price. Regulars say that it’s worth getting sauerkraut at the local buffet, and also that on Saturday mornings they prepare a special steam: at this time, the steam room is hosted by a group of old men who call themselves “gentlemen Cossacks.”

Yulia Bogomolova

specialist
in Marketing
and communications

We go to Usachevsky Baths with friends on Fridays to relax and chat. There is something very Russian here and the steam is very good. The laws on the territory of the bathhouse are strict: they can force you to sweep up leaves in the steam room that have attacked from brooms, bring water, and so on. But this is mostly a test for beginners. We steamed, ventilated the room, cleaned up after ourselves and started again - there is no special staff to take care of this. But it seems that this is only being done for the good.

In European countries, shared or shared baths and saunas are considered quite common. Where men and women, as well as their children, wash together without swimming trunks or swimsuits. Frankly speaking, being in a bathhouse in a swimsuit or swimming trunks is a rather stupid activity. There is nothing more disruptive to normal bathing procedures than synthetic textile accessories on the body. This is, of course, if you didn’t just go to warm up, but deliberately came to the bathhouse precisely for what the contrast of a 100-degree steam room and almost 100% air humidity, and a cold shower or font gives your body. And also herbal tea, fruit, a shallow pool to relax rather than swim at speed, meditative music, a terry robe and dim lights.

In Germany and Austria, 70% of baths and saunas do not have separate sections for men and women; this would be too expensive. No one will build from 5 to 18 steam rooms for literally every taste and color and several pools of different depths and temperatures separately for men and separately for women. And being in a bathhouse in swimming trunks and swimsuits, as described above, is a rather harmful and ridiculous activity that does not allow a person to feel the beauty and depth of the bathing procedure. It happens, of course, that such an establishment organizes a separate women’s day. Once a week, for example, or once a month. So that women who can’t stand being around a lot of unfamiliar naked men can also come and relax. On other days, the vast majority of baths and saunas in Germany and Austria, including those at water parks, are general and “swimsuit-free.”

In Holland there are 100% of such baths; there are simply no others. In Eastern Europe (Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia) there are about half of these baths. But despite the apparent stereotype, in northern Europe (Sweden, Finland and the Baltic states) there are very few such baths. I don’t know what it’s connected with.

In Moscow (St. Petersburg, Kyiv, Yekaterinburg and other cities of the former USSR) such baths do not officially exist. However, you would be surprised how many there actually are. All of them are not of the official nature of common or joint baths, but if you wish, you can easily find information about them in open sources.

How does this happen. There is a certain organizer who negotiates with some washing establishment that once a week (as a rule) he will rent the entire premises for a few hours for his company. Guarantees that this will happen constantly (i.e. without omissions) and receives a discount for this. And in general, it is beneficial for any enterprise to have regular, guaranteed customers. Next, the organizer first calls his friends, then they bring their own, then a group appears on VKontakte, Facebook or somewhere else. Where anyone can sign up (or friends of friends).

Among certain circles - visitors to such baths - information is gradually spreading that on Monday there is a bathhouse at such and such a place. And on Thursday, somewhere else - at someone else's. And so on. The information is also quite open and can be found if desired.

To be fair, we note that not all organizers are happy when strangers come to them straight from the street. Many people ask you to at least call in advance and tell them about yourself, where you got the information from, who you know, who you’re coming with, and so on. Phone numbers are published in the public domain. There is still a lot of “club” in such events in our country. In Europe, where this is official, there are naturally no organizers; you can come and go at any time, and the owner of the establishment, or rather his employees, monitors the adequacy of your behavior.

What can you say about the rules? The rules are the same everywhere: don’t use drugs, don’t be very drunk, don’t have sex. Many organizers do not accept alcohol at all. As well as heavy, unhealthy food on the common table. No one forbids making acquaintances and showing signs of attention. Just in case, I’ll write it a second time: sex is prohibited. No, of course there are even more closed meetings where they gather for sex. But now we are not talking about such establishments at all.

Believe me, where people gather for sex, no one is interested in the bathhouse as such. I'm interested in the presence of "relaxation rooms", but the steam rooms stand empty all the way. This is not why people gather there. I wouldn’t be surprised if the same people go to one bathhouse one day to wash, and on another day, excuse me, to have sex. Everywhere, as they say, has its own interest clubs. And to each his own.

I would also like to emphasize that the “club” nature of the events implies mutual respect, compliance with the rules of specific organizers (for example, they may ask you not to talk loudly, or not to bring beer, or to come only with your partner). If you are visiting for the first time, it is better to first take a closer look at how others behave.

So, in Moscow there are several common joint baths.

Baths in the Izmailovo Hotel on the 30th floor, in the Alpha and Vega buildings

Capacity – 40 people. The premises are almost symmetrical, but there are significant differences. There is only one, but large Finnish steam room in Alpha. In Vega, the Finnish steam room is smaller, but there is a Turkish hammam, and it is very hot, hotter than the required 40 degrees. In addition, Vega has a Jacuzzi bath, but Alpha does not. In the Vega building the pool is 3x5 meters, in the Alpha building - 2x4 m. In the Alpha building there are windows (don't forget about the 30th floor)! There is also a glass roof, which is very useful in summer.

Joint sessions are known on Fridays from 19:00 to 23:00. In Alpha also on Sunday from 13:00 to 17:00.

Plant "Compressor", Aviamotornaya metro station,2nd st. Enthusiasts

Capacity – 20 people. There is a Finnish sauna, something like a hammam (just a warm room for 4 people with steam and wooden benches), and a 3x3 meter swimming pool. The pool is always cold. Since this is a separate building, it is possible to go outside. A very homely atmosphere, a lot of things that accompany bath procedures. The owner of the bathhouse prefers to spend time with his guests.

Joint sessions almost every day on weekdays from 19:00 to 23-24:00 and on weekends either from 14:00, or from 16:00, or from 19:00.

Pool MPEI, st. Krasonokazarmennaya, 13 B

Capacity – 30 people. There is a small but very hot Finnish steam room, a plunge pool, and an infrared cabin for 1-2 people. Large recreation room with pool table. Some organizers have an agreement on free access to the pool (25 meters, swimming trunks/swimsuit and rubber cap required).

Joint sessions are held in sauna No. 2B on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays from 19:00 or 20:00 to 23:00. And although the place has been known among the general bath community for quite some time, finding information on the organizers is very difficult.

Bathhouse near Oktyabrskoye Pole metro station, on Narodnogo Opolcheniya Street, 43 k2

Capacity – 50 people. The largest space. Finnish steam room, 3x5 meter swimming pool, jacuzzi. Lots of rest rooms. One has a billiard table and a table tennis table. In another there is a massage table, in the third you can conduct sessions of energy or tantric practices.

Joint sessions on Fridays from 20:00 to 24:00, on Saturdays from 19:30 to 23:00, Wednesdays from 19:30 to 22:30. There are other days, but I don't know them.

Bathhouse near Vladykino metro station, Gostinichny Proezd, 8k1

Capacity – 30 people. Finnish steam room, large Turkish hammam, 3x3 meter pool. The hammam is huge – the bathhouse is called “Hamam” even from the street.

Joint sessions are regularly held on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays from 19:00 to 23:00, as well as occasionally on other days.

Bathhouse in Lotus-House (formerly "Women's World") on Poshtovaya Street

This is the newest space of all the ones listed. Made not according to Russian, but rather according to European standards. For example, there are no closed rest rooms with beds at all. But there are several steam rooms at once. Capacity – 30 people. Two Finnish steam rooms and two hammams. All with different temperatures. There is no pool. The shower cabins are very interestingly made - in wooden barrels.

Joint sessions on Fridays from 17:00 to 23:00 and on Sundays from 19:00 to 23:00.

Tsaritsyn and Warsaw baths, CSKA swimming pool near Dynamo metro station

These are not so popular among organizers, but quite well-known bathing places in Moscow. Quite spacious and quite high quality. They are regularly repaired. Each room is designed for 50-60 people.