Russian Relaxation

My friend Queen Celeste had a very unusual idea for a girl's night. Now, I live in NYC, so you think I woulda already heard about the full range of girl's night options available in this great metropolis - but this one was a new one on me.

The Russian Baths. Down in the heart of the Financial District. Co-ed. Beer available.

This was either going to be very, very bad or very, very good.

Happily for me, I can report that Wall Street Bath & Spa 88 was the latter. Zig-zagging through the "spa's" shabby maze of two saunas, steam room, cold plunge, jacuzzi, pool, lounge and restaurant, it was all at once exotic, grubby and utterly soothing. Being beaten by Celeste with a bunch of oak leaves (pictured above) while schvitzing in an extreme-super-heated sauna was particularly fun female-bonding!

Taking a break in the lounge with a Baltica 333, Pringles and some nasty smoked fish wasn't half bad either. It might not have been a gourmet meal, but surrounded by a veritable sea of sweaty Russians - from big furry ones in trunks and natty robes to lithe young ones in bikinis - I didn't feel like I was in Manhattan anymore. Maybe Brighton Beach. Definitely St. Petersburg. But not Manhattan.

I'll definitely go back. But next time, I'll skip the fish - and try to find a hunky, compliant Russkie to do my branch beating in the sauna.