In Russia, the bathhouse has a truly cult status that comes from the depths of centuries. For a Russian person, bathing procedures are a ritual of bodily and spiritual cleansing, loved by representatives of all classes.
The main difference between the Russian bath is that it is common - in contrast to the European. But this statement is only half true. Let's try to trace the historical course of the "reforming" of Russian baths.
In the villages
In the villages, baths could be erected by every peasant who had a sufficient area. The law did not restrict this initiative in any way. The only drawback of such steam rooms was frequent fires, so they were placed near water bodies.
Such baths were built by peasants for their own families, i.e. they were considered private. The heating of the baths fell on weekends and big holidays. In the steam rooms, there really were no separate female and male rooms, but first men and children went to the bathhouse, and then women.
In the villages, baths were heated in two ways - in black and white, depending on the building. The first option referred to buildings in which the smoke went into the steam room, the second - if the smoke evaporated through the chimney.
In cities
In Russian cities, combined baths existed until the beginning of the 19th century. The first public steam rooms began to be built by order of Alexei Mikhailovich. They were one-story buildings that included a soap room, a changing room and a steam room. Public baths were notable for their accessibility - their low cost made them open to citizens of all classes. Both men and women could be in the steam rooms at the same time.
Catherine II put an end to these "liberties". She wanted to introduce Russia to the traditions of Europe and constantly looked back at the life of Western countries. Therefore, the Empress decided to stop the practice of sharing baths. However, for several decades this decision was purely formal. In fact, these rules came into force only at the beginning of the 19th century - during the reign of Alexander I.
Foreigners' opinion
Foreign travelers have long been shocked by the bathing customs of Russia. The reason for this attitude lies not only in the absence of "separation of the sexes" during washing, but also in the bathing ceremony itself. Western guests were completely alien to the whipping of oak wreaths to redness and high temperatures. In European countries, it was not customary to splash water on hot coals, as this custom seemed to them suffocating.
Foreigners did not see any sense in contrasting procedures, which are dearly loved by Russian bath attendants. Running diving through an ice-hole with icy water or rubbing with snow - all these actions, which are common practice for Russians, seemed completely wild and incomprehensible to the visitors.
Some overseas travelers specially visited Russia just to see this unusual ceremony.