A sauna whisk (Estonian: viht; Finnish: vasta or vihta; Latvian: pirtsslota; Lithuanian: vanta; Russian: банный веник, IPA: [ˈbanːɨj ˈvʲenʲɪk]) or bath broom is a besom, or broom, used for bathing in saunas and Russian banyas.234
Gallery
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Finnish birch vihta -
Sauna whisks in Russian store -
Jean-Baptiste Le Prince, a public banya (1760s) -
Boris Kustodiyev, Russian Venus (1925–1926)
References
References
- Koch, Eric (1967-07-05). "Helsinkiläinen sauna" [In the Finnish sauna. Beating with birch branches]. National Archives of the Netherlands (in Dutch). hdl:10648/ab1e6406-d0b4-102d-bcf8-003048976d84. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
- Radcliffe, Robert C. (May 17, 1974). Written at Helsinki. "Sauna Whisks". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento. National Geographic News Service. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
Finnish sauna bathers sometimes whip each other with water-soaked whisks of birch branches to stir up skin circulation and perfume the air with woodsy fragrance.
- Written at Helsinki. "Sauna Delights Ford; He Applies the Birches". The New York Times. New York City. United Press International. July 30, 1975. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
President Ford, after beating himself with birch branches, pronounced his first Finnish sauna delightful.
- Lohr, Steve (August 7, 1986). Written at Helsinki. "The Finnish Way to Relax — at 200°". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved December 16, 2023.