Banyafest`24. Prague

Intro #

In July 2024, I had the chance to take part in the Czech Banya Festival, hosted for the first time by the newly formed Czech Banya Association. Held at Aquapalace Prague, a venue known for hosting large sauna festivals and competitions, the event was an important step in growing banya culture in Europe.

Side note: There is nothing new under the sun #

At a certain point, the event was promoted as the first European Banya Championship, but that’s not quite accurate (though it was certainly tempting). Similar events have taken place across Europe long before, including the European Cup in Sport Steam Bathing in Ukraine in 2012, or the International Bathing Championship in Lithuania in 2008, which was the first banya championship I am aware of.

It wasn’t even the first banya competition in the Czech Republic—there have been for example in 2020, 2021 a 2022 organized by the Czech Sauna Association.

These events were organized and participated by very respected and globally acknowledged professionals of steam bathing, so it wouldn’t be fair to forget about them.

The festival was divided into two overlapping streams: an individual whisking championship and group non-competitive sessions. As a contestant in the whisking championship, I’ll focus primarily on that aspect in this article.

The competition #

I had the honor of representing the Czech Republic among 20 other participants from various countries. There were 10 performances per day, 2 groups of judges, 2 models, and 1 competition sauna, where each hour a new contestant had 20 minutes to perform.

The judges had a hard time evaluating participants from different traditions and schools. Some went all out with showmanship, while others focused on creating a more sensory experience. This variety made it challenging for the judges to compare everyone fairly, and they even had to tweak the scoring as the competition progressed.

I intentionally skipped many elements that could have earned me extra points. I know it was a competition, but as in a non-competitive setup, I wouldn’t rush to fill a 20-minute process with bells and whistles like massages or salt scrubbing, so I decided to stay true to myself and focused on showcasing whisking techniques and creating a distinctive vibe in the steam room. This resulted in me finishing in the upper half of the competition.

My program was heavily influenced by Vladimir Malyshev’s winning program from the 2023 Russian Banya Championship, and I want to use this opportunity to thank him once more.

After my performance, one piece of feedback was that I managed to create a very special atmosphere in the steam room, as if there was a portal to a parallel reality that remained even after the model and I had left. For someone whose general focus in the sauna is on creating such altered states, this was very important and appreciated feedback.

On the final day of the festival, participants were given the opportunity for some non-competitive whisking. This was a rare opportunity to practice, and enjoy whisking with colleagues. It was a nice, unplanned touch to end the weekend.

There was more #

In parallel with the championship, days were packed with group ceremonies where the king of Central Europe—Aufguss—played a significant role.

While being busy with the competition I couldn’t dedicate as much time to this part as I wanted to, but still I managed get a glimpse of it.

Here I would like to highlight the pair work of Antonio Legua and Marcelo Antunes whose shows were an eye opener for me - these were the best Aufguss ceremonies I have attended, and I have attended quite a few in my life. With these guys I spend time discussing their approach to group sessions, regional the traditions and much more.

Also Anton, whose sessions I couldn’t get a chance to properly participate but spent a lot of time talking banya. A very easy-going and a very knowledgeable bloke.

The festival was a wonderful place to network, exchange ideas, and learn from the fellow banya lovers. The banya community is pretty tight-knit and many of us participating the festival already knew each other, which made the event feel even more like a reunion. It was a great opportunity to work together and learn from one another.

Looking ahead #

There’s a potential for growing banya culture in Central Europe, where the steam-bathing scene is currently dominated by aufguss. I believe the introduction of banya practices could provide a complementary perspective, and these two approaches can coexist to enhance the overall experience of steam bathing.

The Czech Banya Association did a wonderful job with this first-time event, and I really hope they consider the feedback received to make future festivals even better. This event has the potential to become a regular, important fixture in Czech banya culture, filling the void left by previous festivals that ceased due to lack of ideas. I’m excited to see how the event evolves and look forward to the next edition.