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| Moscow Guide 2007-09-15 01:19:44 |
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The Trend is Your Friend
07.06.2007 By Ira Iosebashvili
When it comes to health and wellness, Moscow has long been thought to have a bit of an image problem; is this not the sprawling, smoggy home of unfiltered Belomor cigarettes, mayonnaise-laden cuisine and suspiciously inexpensive vodka that goes down like a package of razorblades? Scratch the surface, however, and you’ll find a town that has welcomed a slew of fitness trends with open arms, as well as maintained centuries-old health practices like the famous Russian banya. Here is a rundown of Moscow’s current health crazes, some of which are still in their infancy, and others that promise to be around for a long time to come.
Bikram Yoga
What it is: Also known as “Hot Yoga” or, here in Moscow, “Thermo Yoga,” Bikram Yoga is a series of twenty-six yoga poses done in a room heated to 40ºC. The technique was developed by California’s self-proclaimed “Yogi to the Stars” Bikram Choudhury, who claims it is the only true yoga practiced in the West (though many other yoga schools disagree). It is a democratic yoga, with people of all levels, ages and body types practicing together.
What it does: According to practitioners, the twenty-six poses move fresh, oxygenated blood to each organ and fiber of the body, restoring all systems to full working order. The results are proper weight, muscle tone, and a sense of wellbeing.
Where to find it: Health Factory now offers Bikram Yoga classes twice a day throughout the entire week.
“It’s become very popular since we introduced it last year,” said the studio’s owner, Yulia Belotskaya. “One reason is, of course, the heat, but also because this is a form of yoga that is very easy for beginners to grasp. It’s also the only type of yoga that is ideal for weight loss.”
The art has not made it all the way to Russia without adjustments for the local market, however.
“We only heat our rooms to 33ºC, partly because local people can’t take it much hotter,” said Belotskaya.
Wheatgrass
What it is: To put it simply, just one of the many types of grass growing in this big old world of ours. Its earliest champion is Hungarian philosopher and researcher Edward Bordeaux Szekely, who claimed that the Essenes, a highly devout sect of early Christians, advocated wheatgrass as the perfect food for man. Long known to health food and wellness junkies in the West, it has recently made its debut in Russia at the cafe of clothing store Juicy.
 What it does: The best way to take wheatgrass is in the form of a freshly squeezed juice. Proponents claim wheatgrass improves digestion, prevents cancer, diabetes, heart disease and hair loss, aids in detoxification and generally boosts the immune system. And, at 50 rubles per shot, it’s relatively cheap.
However – “It’s not an overnight process,” says Gaukhara Zhakish, a spokesperson for BCBG Russia, the company that owns Juicy. “There’s an entire process of detoxification that should be carefully observed, with wheatgrass as an integral part of it.”
Juicy offers wheatgrass in a shot, or as part of its breakfast special (50 rubles and 360 rubles respectively). While you’re there, enjoy the cafe’s many varieties of fresh-squeezed juices (140-190 rubles) and its large selection of vegetarian breakfasts (the ciabatta bread sandwiches are particularly recommended).
Where to find it: See listings at the end of this article.
Aqua Training
What it is: A long list of exercises following one essential rule: if it’s good on land, it’s even better in water.
What it does: Everything from building muscle to losing weight to just helping you chill out.
 Where to find it: World Class gym offers Aqua Dance and Aqua Fiesta, a program of choreographed dancing in the water. Those wanting to take it one step further – or deeper – can check out the program at Fit Olympics, where a variety of dance styles, from folk to funk, are performed completely underwater. Getting out your aggression is easy with Aqua Thai, a Planeta Fitness work out for budding aquatic martial artists, and more of the same can be had at Fizkult’s Aqua Fight. The pool at Sport Line Club has a countercurrent that makes moving around all the more difficult, resulting in additional muscle growth, and Marina Club offers a course in diving, which can be continued on a higher level at the club’s diving center in sunny Anapa, a city in the Krasnodar region. Those who believe the water is strictly for relaxing can head to World Class for the Aqua & Mind relaxation program, which incorporates elements of yoga and meditation, or to the Orange Fitness club located in the Aliye Parusa residential complex – the pool there has artificial waves and hydro-massage.
Getting Steamed
What it is: The banya, or bath house, has been a local cultural institution for centuries and is believed to have therapeutic benefits in addition to its value as a place to socialize and relax.
But not all banyas are created equal: There’s the traditional Russian banya, examples of which you can find all over Moscow (in case you’ve just come over or have been living in a cave for the past few years, the best Russian banya by far is the palatial Sandunovsky, located in the Kuznetsky Most neighborhood). Russian banyas are kept hot, with an average temperature of 90º C, and maintain a 40% level of humidity. The Turkish hamam is just as moist but about 30ºC cooler. And the Finnish sauna is dry (10-15% humidity) and hotter than the fires of hell, with a temperature of up to 100ºC.
 What it does: Champions of the Russian banya (as well as Finnish saunas and Turkish hamams) have long claimed they help combat respiratory problems, aid circulation and make you sweat out all the nasty toxins in your body.
Yefim, a Sandunovsky banshchik, or banya attendant, says that steaming gets rid of wrinkles, helps relieve urinary diseases and kills lice, as well as having another benefit that may come in handy once in a while.
“In my experience, it’s the only effective cure for a hangover that exists today,” he said.
Those with serious health issues, such as heart ailments or high blood pressure, should see their doctor before going to a banya or sauna.
Where to find it: Sandunovsky, opened in the late 18th century by Georgian noble Sila Sandunov, is the king of Moscow banyas. Here you’ll find cathedral ceilings, sweeping arches, gilded moldings and a restaurant ready to provide everything from beer to crabs. The Balance Club spa-salon offers a hamam topped off by a therapeutic massage (1,600 rubles), and a good Finnish sauna can be found at the Vitasport fitness club.
Dances and more...
Moscow has seen a veritable explosion of dance schools in the past year, perhaps due to the popularity of the “Dancing With the Stars” television show on the Rossiya network. GallaDance bills itself as a “lifestyle dance club” and offers lessons in everything from Argentinean tango to modern jazz. Tired of making a fool of your self on the dance floor? Head to Dance Center, a Mayakovskaya dance studio that teaches you how to get your groove on at a club. They also offer lessons for couples in a variety of styles, from rock and roll to mambo. Speaking of Latin dancing, 1st Salsa studio can show you how to rumba and cha-cha with the best of them, and so can the encouragingly named Tantsevats Mozhet Kazhdy (“Anyone Can Dance”), located on Belorusskaya.
There are more wellness phenomena, ranging from the interesting to the highly suspicious. Bosu, an aerobic program offered by X-fit, features the Bosu Balance Trainer, an inflated rubber hemisphere attached to a rigid platform. The great variety of exercises that can be performed upon it not only give you a total body workout, but require you to develop a great sense of balance as well, keeping your mind in the here and now during your session. Of more questionable value is a 10-session course offered by X-fitness, which claims to burn fat with the help of a Quark machine, a device that sends electrical impulses throughout your body. Trishkin Coiffure, a beauty salon on Tretyakovskaya, will smear you in chocolate, a procedure that they say tones, moisturizes and relaxes all in one, while Kimberlyland, an all purpose spa and fitness salon, will be happy to put you into one of their spa capsules, where you can enjoy a relaxing hydro-massage.
LISTINGS:
Balance Club
95 Prospekt Vernadskogo, Bldg. 4, 434-0550.
M. Yugo-Zapadnaya.
Dance center
Multiple locations.
See www.dancecenter.ru
Fit Olympics
16 Olimpiisky Prospekt, 688-2088/937-7875.
M. Prospekt Mira.
Fizcult
132a Varshavskoye Shosse, 232-5000. M. Yuzhnaya.
GallaDance
16 Olympiisky Prospekt, Bldg. 1, 786-7636.
M. Prospekt Mira.
Health Factory
18b Lyva Tolstogo Ul.,
246-2750/609-1294.
M. Park Kultury.
Juicy
24/1 Bolshaya Nikitskaya Ul., Bldg. 6, 202-7383.
M. Arbatskaya.
Kimberlyland
24 Azovskaya Ul.,
310-0401.
M. Sevastopolskaya.
Marina Club
25a Leningradskoye Shosse, 150-5460.
M. Vodny Stadion.
Orange Fitness
9 Aviatsionnaya Ul.,
105-8222.
M. Shchukinskaya.
Planeta Fitness
10 Aviamotornaya Ul.,
933-4596.
www.fitness.ru
Sandunovsky
14 Neglinnaya Ulitsa,
Bldg. 3, 925-4631.
M. Teatralnaya,
Kuznetsky Most.
Sport Line Club
15/1 Kozhevbicheskaya Ul., 959-6935.
Tantsevat Mozhet Kazhdy
Rovesta Dance Center, 14/16 3rd Yanskogo Polya.,
507-7030/391-4688.
M. Belorusskaya.
Trishkin Coiffure
5/6 Tretyakovskaya Ul.,
959-5129. M. Ordynka.
www.trishkin.ru
Vitasport
21/2 Zhivopisnaya Ul.,
730-3636.
World Class
Multiple locations.
See www.worldclass.ru
X-fit
Multiple locations.
See www.xfit.ru
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