'Russian Banya/Sauna'

Size: approx. 4.8'' Metric: 12 cm Consists of: 5 pieces Finish: matte Availability: ships within 5-10 business days Origin: Russian Federation Product Details As all of our nesting dolls, this one is handcrafted in the heart Russia. It is handturned from linden wood and then handpainted by a professional nesting doll artist. It is a typical nesting doll, and each smaller piece of the set fits into the next larger one. Each doll has a gentle matte finish. This unique RussianLegacy.com 5 piece ''Russian Banya/Sauna'' nesting doll depicts a Russian family (mother, father and three kids) in a banya. MORE INFO / RELATED STORY: RUSSIAN SAUNA / BANYA A trip to the Russian baths (banya) can be a memorable experience. The banya begins in the dressing and undressing room, where everyone strips down (public banyas are segregated by sex). Towels in the form of large white sheets are available and most people grab one or two. Warm up in the Finnish-style dry sauna (heated to between 100° and 120° C). Take a small break to cool down and then check out the steam room (parilka), where you can be beaten about the body with dried branches (vennik), usually birch, oak or juniper. Half the people in the parilka will claim there's not enough heat and start calling for someone to throw more water on the hot rocks, while the other half feebly croak ''too much, too much'' - the guys who want more steam usually win. This combination of heat, steam, and physical abuse purges your body of impurities and gives you a clean unattainable by mere showers or baths.