Sauna, or banya as Russians and Alaskans call it, is an acquired taste. Do I like it? Within limits. I like when I come out of it and dip in ice-cold water and I basically sizzle and I don't even feel the cold. Do I think it's healthy? Yeah. Mostly. Like I think not drinking alcohol is healthy. Do I not drink alcohol? Nope.My last sauna was on Sunday. We (D and I) had already spent almost 20 min on the highest step so we were kinda done. But the Aufguss started. I went to a lower level (it makes a huge difference) but D decided to brave it up there. The first 3-4 min of the Aufguss they open a bit the door so it's more breathable. It was not a great Aufguss but it was a three bucket one so it lasted for 15 min and that was looooong... We had spent almost 40 min inside, my personal best, when we got out. There were maybe 200 persons in a sauna made for 50 and I was squeezed between two fat guys (really squeezed, knee to shoulder, I avoided raising my arms when the towel was waved at me to not slap the two guys next to me in the face with my boobs). At a point I thought I might faint but I didn't.That being said, I had seen my doctor the same day for a bad cough and wheezing. She heard a bad sound in my lungs, maybe a bronchitis, maybe a pneumonia, but she didn't give me any antibiotics (they do badly undermedicate in France) and asked me to come back after a week to see if I need antibiotics.The next day I was not coughing at all. Post hoc, ergo proper hoc. Not sure it was the sauna, but I always have one when I'm a bit ill and it seems to work.

Never tried the banya but absolutely love saunas, use to visit one in Dusseldorf when working in Germany, great experiences there.
R

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Sauna and banya are about the same - except that in a German sauna you get (very) hot air blown into you by a (dressed) attendant during Aufguss, while in a Russian banya you get beaten all over with a wet and hot birch branch. Both are nice.

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