Main content
Russia's Banya Houses
Russians visit bathhouses to hit themselves with twigs – all in the name of beauty.
Russians visit bath houses to hit themselves with twigs – all in the name of beauty. We go along to one of these banyas (Russian for baths) to find out why this age-old tradition is still widely practiced by young and old today.
Also on the show, we chat to the strong men competing at the Highland Games in Scotland, North England; and find out what a 26-year-old monk at the St Benedict Monastery in London, England, likes to do on his once-a-month night out.
More episodes
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Archive
This programme was restored as part of the World Service archive project