英语沙龙：独特的俄罗斯蒸汽浴

The unique Russian steam bath

In A．D．９４６，the Russian Grand Duke Igor was killed by the Delieflians．In the second year，his wife Oligathought out a brilliant plan to avenge¹ her husband．She invited those murderers to take a bath in a bathroom，locked the door and added fuel to the fire to increase the heat of the room，so that those inside were steamed to death．This historical record shows that there were steam baths in Russia as early as a thousand years ago．

We can’ t tell the exact time when the Russian steam bath first appeared．It is said there were written records of steam baths since Russian history began．

Many nations of the world had the habit of taking steam bath in the old days．In the Orient，there were the Persians，the Japanese and the Turks．In Europe，there were the Romans，the Irish and the Finns．But the Russian steam bath was quite different from others’．People not only steam themselves，but also whip their bodies with twigs²．Then they washed their bodies with cold water．That used to amaze a lot of foreigners．When the Russian Tsar Peter the Great visited France，his residence was provided with a steam bathroom specially³ for the Russian visitors．The Parisians were amazed to see a crowd of naked males rushing out with shouts and cheers from the bathroom and dive into the icy Seine River．They ducked their heads into the water again and again，and then went back to the bathroom．

Not only the way to have a Russian steam bath is unique，the installations of the bath room are also unique．

In some areas in Russia，people used stoves both for cooking and for heating up the bath water，so the chamber⁴ of the stove was very big，enough to hold one or even two persons．Before taking a bath，they cleaned the stove floor with a broom，then put the dust into a bucket of water and stirred it．When the water cleared up，there would be a layer of liquid called“dust juice”on the surface，which people substituted for soap in old days when soap was very expensive．

A Russian steam bathroom was compose d of two separate log cabins．One was the change room，t he other was the steam bathroom．There was a rectangular brick stove with a boiler⁵ beside which people put some small round stones．When the water was boiling，the stones would also be heated．Then people would pour some hot water over the stones and the room would be filled with steam．There was no chimney in the room，so the walls and ceiling were blackened by smoke with the passage of time ．People lay on a long bench with steps beside the stove．They got steamed and whipped every part of their bodies with tender white birch twigs．Because of the intense heat，they would pour cold water over their bodies to cool down．During winter，some people preferred to rub their bodies with snow or dip in ice holes．They would return to the bathroom and get steamed again after they had got cooled．They would repeat this procedure several times．

Steam bath was very prevalent in Tsarist days．At the beginning of １９th century，there were ８０public bathrooms in Moscow．Most Russian people took one or two baths every week．common people spent two kopecks to have a bath in the public bathroom．That was not a small sum in those days．Aristocrats⁶ had their own luxurious⁷ private bathroom built with marbles，some of which were imported specially from Italy．There were also some public bathrooms for the aristocrats．The most famous one was Shendulov Bathroom which was set up and managed by palace comedians⁸ Mr．and Mrs．Shendulov in １８０６．It’ s admission ticket was very expensive．The cost for four baths was equal to the price of a cow．

Though most modern dwelling⁹ houses a re equipped with bathrooms nowadays，the steam bath i s still very popular．The Shendulov bathroom still remain s today and is open to public．Out of curiosity many people wish to enjoy the aristocratic steam bath．They have to line up for admission．

The steam bath is very beneficial to people’s health．It can accelerate blood circulation an d metabolism，enhance the activity of the respiratory system and cardiac muscles and preventflu．It is also good for the skin．

1 avenge   

v.为...复仇，为...报仇

参考例句：

• He swore to avenge himself on the mafia.他发誓说要向黑手党报仇。
• He will avenge the people on their oppressor.他将为人民向压迫者报仇。

2 twigs   

细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some birds build nests of twigs. 一些鸟用树枝筑巢。
• Willow twigs are pliable. 柳条很软。

3 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

4 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

5 boiler   

n.锅炉；煮器(壶，锅等)

参考例句：

• That boiler will not hold up under pressure.那种锅炉受不住压力。
• This new boiler generates more heat than the old one.这个新锅炉产生的热量比旧锅炉多。

6 aristocrats   

n.贵族( aristocrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many aristocrats were killed in the French Revolution. 许多贵族在法国大革命中被处死。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• To the Guillotine all aristocrats! 把全部贵族都送上断头台！ 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

7 luxurious   

adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的

参考例句：

• This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

8 comedians   

n.喜剧演员，丑角( comedian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The voice was rich, lordly, Harvardish, like all the boring radio comedians'imitations. 声音浑厚、威严，俨然是哈佛出身的气派，就跟无线电里所有的滑稽演员叫人已经听腻的模仿完全一样。 来自辞典例句
• He distracted them by joking and imitating movie and radio comedians. 他用开玩笑的方法或者模仿电影及广播中的滑稽演员来对付他们。 来自辞典例句

9 dwelling   

n.住宅，住所，寓所

参考例句：

• Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。
• He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。