• Finding my Russian roots at the banya

    The Romanesque mural sets the scene; you’re partaking in some ye olde ritual bathing right now. Photo: Lucille Huffman
    Rows of hairy men sweat it out, their paunches sagging gently in their laps like cats waiting to be stroked. Between bouts in the sauna, they put the world to rights over rounds of vodka, largely ignoring the younger clientele, like the gaggle in bikinis who treat this shvitz as a spa date. A rowdy family commandeers a long table to celebrate a birthday with borsht and pil

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