From an ice-cold plunge to a Finnish sauna, treat yourself to massages, steam rooms and scrubs
The “banya” is the Russian cousin of the Finnish sauna and Turkish hammam, and the one at The Bath House, opposite Buckingham Palace, is a great place for a day off. Warm up in steam rooms decorated with mosaics of traditional banya scenes, cool down in an ice-cold plunge pool or under tipping buckets, then enjoy a treatment. The menu includes parenie (a leaf and steam massage) and there are scrubs, wraps and massages. After, nibble on homemade Russian morsels such as Siberian dumplings in the restaurant – and there’s vodka, if you’re here to celebrate.
Treatments from £45, russianbanya.co.uk
