Banya No.1

I have absolutely no idea what a traditional Russian bath/​spa (or «banya») is doing in the ground floor of an architecturally noteworthy apartment building between Angel and Old Street. But I have a friend who lives nearby, and she took me to this place.
What I love about Banya No. 1 is that as multicultural as London is, you don’t often to get the opportunity to feel that you have been transported to a different place. So, what does one do at a Russian bath club?
Well, for starters, there is a dry/​steam sauna. It is similar to a Finnish sauna — you lie on wooden planks and people can throw as much water as they want to increase how steamy the air is. And they like it pretty steamy. The Russians have brought an important innovation to the sauna, which is – yes — a woolen hat. Turns out that a woolen hat acts like a giant oven mitt, protecting your head from overheating and allowing you to stay in the sauna for a long time. You look silly, and it seems counter-​intuitive that a woolen hat would keep your head cool not warm, but it totally works.
The second thing that distinguishes a Russian sauna is the venik treatment (shown in photos on their web site) which is where an attendant pats you down with — yes — bundles of twigs and leaves. I opted for a regular massage this time to get the knots out of my back, but the venik treatment seemed like the thing to do, so I’ll have to try that next time.
When you’re totally overheating, you can leave the sauna to go jump in the freezing tub or dump a bucket of cold water over your head. For the more warm-​loving people, there are also warm showers.
The other thing that makes the experience unique is that you can go to the lounge, which is a bunch of restaurant-​style booths made of vinyl (so you can keep your wet swimsuit on). There, you can order traditional Russian food. We enjoyed cheese rolled in herbs, salted/​pickled cabbage, boiled crawfish which I had no idea was a Russian thing, and of course tea.
They have men-​only, women-​only, and mixed times so you can go with the group that suits you.
I left very relaxed and feeling I had seen a slice of life from another place.