In my previous article, I mentioned the banya as one of the ways to influence Peter! I thought that a banya is not a common phenomenon in the States, and many might find it interesting.

So! By nature, I am a big fan of a real Russian banya. I mean a wood-burning stove, birch or coniferous brooms, and real heat! In Russia, I try to go every week; it's a tradition for us. But upon arriving in the States, I had to change this tradition. The only way for me to wash on that land was a shower. Yes, it's strange, but Americans don't understand or use bathtubs! They don't like to lie and soak in their own dirt; they don't like to spend time that way. A shower is fast, rational, and takes up less space, so a shower is the American way. But by the end of the summer, I got tired of it and started looking for a Russian banya, hoping that some revolutionary immigrant from the Russian Empire, sharing similar longings, had opened such an establishment. Well, that's exactly what happened. I found perhaps the only Russian banya in Boston. But my surprise knew no bounds when I discovered on the map that it was only 50 meters from where we lived.

From the outside, the building looks like a small factory or school. You know, the kind made of red brick darkened by time, with large square windows and the construction date at the very top, almost under a flat roof. Inside, there were several restaurants and classrooms. This building is mainly used for various training sessions.

The banya is located on the ground floor, occupies a huge area, and looks more like a swimming pool facility. At the entrance, a nice woman hands out towels and takes requests. Next is a purely American locker room with lockers and showers. Then, a huge but cold hall with a pool, a jacuzzi, tables and sofas for relaxing, and TVs. Moreover, they were constantly playing Russian pop music on the TV. Perhaps it's interesting for people who only remember Alla Pugacheva and the group Kombinatsiya from Russian performers, but it drove me crazy. The highlight itself—the steam room—turned out to be a very small room that reminded me more of a sauna than a banya. Maybe the air was just slightly more humid. Overall, I would rate this establishment a 5 out of 10. There was very little that was truly Russian here.

But the food was a 10. Excellent vareniki, solyanka, borscht. Authentic herring with onions in oil. Tea with jam and other delicacies left a very pleasant impression. Our American friends liked eating homemade Russian jam with a spoon the most. As they claim, no one in America does that; usually, jam is eaten in the morning with toast. But they didn't even have time to feel the banya; as soon as I poured water on the stones, they evaporated from the steam room into the cool pool.

Unfortunately, we forgot the memory card for our camera and didn't take any pictures, but you can learn more here http://www.yelp.com/biz/banya-russian-bath-house-allston