Save water, bathe with others

I stood there naked and self-consicous about it. There were long leather seats with naked men sprawled all over, their well-endowed bodies illuminated by the 19th century lighting. We were at a Russian Banya, one of the oldest and most luxurious Banyas still functioning in St. Petersburg. And so I grabbed my towel, wrapped it around my waist and headed to the door where lobster red fat men were emerging from, a little aprehensive. I entered a huge bathroom with numerous showers, marble slabs where naked men where scrubbing other naked men down. 3 skinny Asian boys standing there - boy we sure stuck out like yellow sore thumbs. Plucking up a little courage I decided to go nude too, since we were the only idiots covered up, Luke and Kinyan were a little more conservative about this aspect in the begining and decided to keep their towels on.

The huge bathroom connected to a smaller darker room where a furnace stood to one side while stairs leading up to an elevated wooden platform stood next to it. This was where the men went to become lobsters. The heat at first was bearable and we started monkeying the naked regulars, whipping ourselves with birch branches. Then they threw water into the furnace at the heat just hit the air out of me. I quickly stood up a little giddy, not quite sure if I could make it to the door. Once I was out, I immediately plunged myself into a cold pool of water, letting the heat drain out. This process took place a couple of times before I figured my heart could take not more.

After the whole Banya affair, I felt very clean for some strange reason, though I think the amount of bacteria lurking about in that unhygienic environment was enough to kill a horse.

- Andrew

PS: I haven't been posting because I'm too lazy. And internet, just like everything else in Russia is bloody expensive.