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So I popped by bathhouse cherry yesterday, and boy did I like it!

I remember the first time that I saw the Russian and Turkish Baths on East 10th Street way back when, before I was even of legal age to drink in a bar, and I remember thinking that they might be cool, or, more likely, full of skeevy old men. 

Thankfully the latter of the two thoughts was way off, and the signs should actually specifically read, “Totally not creepy and or full of skeevy people and or skeevy things - for real!  We mean it!”.

Despite being assured by a reliable source that it was cool, laid back, and not skeevy, upon walking in, I had no idea what to expect, and had some butterflies entering.

I was immediately informed to place all of my valuables inside of a safety deposit box, given a key to a locker, and was sent to the locker room for a change.  I hopped into my bathing suit, flip-flops, and headed down the stairs…oooooohhh scaaaary…(totally not).

I felt like I was a kid on his way to a full on old fashioned ice cream parlor, not knowing what I would get, or what might happen - brain freeze.

At the bottom of the stairs I found a bunch of people just sitting around, relaxing - relaxing…I like to do that, this place immediately felt like home.  Or, at the very least, the home of an eccentric friend, what with the nearly freezing 4 foot deep pool of water, and numerous saunas. 

I hopped into a few saunas, sweated myself silly while drinking water along the way, and then decided to go for the oak leaf beating platza. 

Seriously, I had watched the video of the platza oak leaf, and wanted to try it, and wow, it’s not necessarily the most relaxing thing as you go through it, but afterwards you feel great, albeit out of whack, but great.  This platza oak leafcould best be described as life, “It’s not the destination (total relaxation), it’s the journey (being beaten by lots of leaves on numerous oak tree branches).” 

As it turns out, I have some control issues, because with a cool towel on my face and head, not being able to see, in a flippin’ hot room, with a strange, but friendly man, hitting, popping, stretching, and massaging me…I couldn’t seem to let myself fully just be there, but then again, this might actually be part of the process that makes it good for all I know. 

Anyways, back off to various saunas, ice cold pools, sitting around relaxing, and when I was done - I was totally relaxed and feeling great. 

Besides the complete relaxation, and having a total hottie of a date, the best part of the whole experience had to be watching a woman watch (in horror) as a 60-something year old (very) hairy man placed shaving cream on his face, chest, and legs and then proceeded to shave himself silly - oddly enough after a few minutes I couldn’t stomach it anymore and found myself in a sauna.  Desperately trying to erase the memory of fat, old, hairy guy shaving his body.