the venik platza massage. This is a Russian massage with bundles of birch and oak tree branches tied together and hit against your body by a trained masseuse. A video of the venik platza is up on Banya’s website for curious or apprehensive patrons. The Banya only uses natural, plant- based materials in its spa treatments. The venik platza, along with many of Archimedes Banya’s other offerings, involves aromatherapy. This practice, along with helping visitors relax, can help open congested airways so people can breathe better. Swedish massages, body washes and scrubs, steam rooms, yoga, meditation, and sound healing are also available. Patrons can also reserve parts of Banya’s facilities for private parties and events. Media outlets from around the state, including the L.A. Times, Sunset Magazine, the San Jose Mercury News, and Urban Daddy, have written about the superlative experience of a visit to Archimedes Banya. The Banya has its own publication, written by Ekin Balcioglu, a platza master and MFA of Fine Arts from the California College of the Arts. It’s intended to celebrate the “physical, mental, spiritual and social aspects of bathing culture” and will feature interviews with Banya’s founders and skilled bodywork practitioners. Balcioglu, originally from Turkey, has spent the past several years “literally immersed in the great bathing cultures of the world.” This historical research highlighted how public bathing and spas, now seen as luxuries, were much more inclusive and affordable for the general public in past days. Archimedes Banya seeks to welcome and include and invigorate San Francisco’s populace and create a first-class experience.
and finding out how much water got displaced. Legend says that Archimedes’ discovery so excited him that he leaped out of the tub and ran naked through Athens shouting “Eureka!” until he reached the king’s palace. Archimedes Banya can’t promise to send you on a naked sprint through San Francisco, but it does offer several signature services, including
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