Banya, but only for the boys!

Last week was pretty run of the mill, and so when the weekend ticked by I was very keen on making the most of it. Saturday, as I drove into work through the heavy snow, my mind began to drift. Not on the job at hand, which was to prepare for an individual student, but on what to do that evening. Clubs, bars, cafes: no, what I wanted to do was something a bit more extreme. So when Jeff rang with the offer of a banya mission, I jumped. "Only there's one catch" said Jeff. "It's a guys' only affair".

I had heard a little about the all male banya tradition and to be frank, I was a little dubious as to what to expect. As I've mentioned before, the banya is a social hub for friends to gather, eat, drink, wash, scrub, steam yourself and then beat the hell out of each other with a branch off a tree, known as the venik. Information regarding the all male version is mysteriously sketchy.

"What happens in the banya stays in the banya" was the comment I received when I asked one of my colleagues about this obscure male bonding ritual. Hmm, I thought, this could be an interesting night. Curiosity was definitely ignited. It was to be Jeff's brother-in-law's Birthday and 20-30, salt of the earth, hardcore banya connoisseurs, were to be in attendance.

This curiosity only intensified after telling Nastya of my plans. She looked at me in horror and rolled her eyes , as if to say " oh my god".

And so, upon entering the banya that evening many weird and wonderful thoughts ran through my mind. All of which were pretty true! Never have I seen so many naked, drunk heterosexual men completely oblivious to any sort of personal embarrassment. One hefty bloke, after thrashing himself with the venik, completely starkers came flying out of the steam room and forward somersaulted into the 2m plunge pool. Another chap knocked himself out, after slipping and banging his head on the tiles, he wasn't rushed to hospital or told to call it a night, but was sat down and given the Russian treatment for concussion, a beer.

The night was absolutely crazy. 30 naked men, drinking, saunaring, playing pool, table tennis, swimming, arm wrestling and just having a good old chin wag.

Strangely, by the end of the evening I was asking when the next one was on. "Every Saturday night" Gena slurred. Oh God, what I am getting myself into.