A wonderful little peice about a woman’s experience going to a banya or bath house in
Russia. Carol Perehudoff writes about the joys of stripping in front of strangers and being lashed about one’s
privies by twigs. Short and sweet with moments that might make you cringe:
Finally, draped in a makeshift toga, I follow my companions into a steamy labyrinth of rooms. Cracked tiles, wet
floors and low ceilings complete the women’s-prison-movie décor. I’m wondering about the sanitary conditions when an
older woman covered with brown peeling scabs walks by.
Yuck.