Now he realized, respected, and valued the simple pleasures of life, specifically banya rituals. The platza man was heavily tattooed and had spent years in prison. вЂњIt was the right time, late October or early November, so it was cold outside.

When I asked about his most outrageous schvitz, he described a private banya next to a lake outside Riga, Latvia whose owner overcame hurdles to open a banya for people. Twenty years into his quest to spread the practice of communal bathing and Misha is still dedicated to the cause. вЂњOf course San Francisco is among the best places to get it done.вЂќ вЂњIt required some bravery for Americans to believe that a co-ed, clothing optional bathhouse could exist,вЂќ he said. It was never a guarantee, and no one knows the obstacles that were overcome better than the Boss. The Swimming Pool at Centralbadet in StockholmДЄrchimedes opened its doors for the Bay Area banya community on New YearвЂ™s Eve in 2011. However I am also quite stubborn and that helps against calculations.вЂќ вЂњI was not confident in the result, chances to complete the project were slim and several partners withdrew. Thus began the twelve year journey to opening Archimedes. There was no lack of enthusiasm for his vision, but financing was not as easy to come by. вЂњThe Bay Area is so international and I feel an obligation to educate our community in the different ways of communal bathing,вЂќ Misha told me. When his application to be a department chair was rejected, he instead decided to pitch the idea of a public banya to his Russian friends and his steam buddies at Frogs. As the story goes, it was 1998 and Misha was a statistics research professor climbing the ladder of academia.

However, building a successful Russian bathhouse on the shores of the San Francisco Bay was easier said than done. вЂњAll details are important, there is nothing secondary,вЂќ Misha recently told me, describing the perfect platza as a philosopher would. Anticipating a lecture, I was shocked and relieved when he approached, grabbed a venik and joined in on the action. I could feel him observing my technique and sensing my nerves wielding veniks instead of a paintbrush, the standard tool of my trade. I recall the first platza I gave when Misha was in the sauna. Some guests head for the cold plunge as Misha takes his place on the top shelf - his favorite spot in the sauna - while others stay with anticipation that class is about to be in session. вЂњSee how the ceiling slopes?вЂќДЄs the dense steam falls, Misha waves his towel in the air to mix the heat and spread his love of sweat bathing across the room. вЂњI designed this room so the steam would rise and collect before falling here,вЂќ he instructs as he points to the corners of the room. Like the ancient mathematician and inventor, Misha is a problem solver with an eye for detail, which means he is almost always in teaching mode. To friends he is known as Misha, but to sweat enthusiasts all over the world, he has come to be known as Archimedes. When he isnвЂ™t cooking steam, he wears a boss hat of a different kind at Lincoln University in Oakland where he is the President. Mikhail Brodsky is indeed the Boss of the Banya.

Even without the custom embroidery, his presence is ominous causing one of the guests to lean over and whisper to his friend вЂњthatвЂ™s the owner.вЂќДr. He raises his hands above his head to survey the conditions as he has done in almost every sauna from here to Kamchatka. The regulars are catching each other up on the weekвЂ™s events and offering compliments on the quality of the heat to no one in particular, when a man walks up the stairs wearing a gray hat with вЂњBOSSвЂќ unironically stitched into the felt. ItвЂ™s a typical Thursday night at Archimedes: the saunas are packed with sweating bodies and the steam ovenвЂ™s stones give off the perfect sizzle indicating the complex heating system is operating properly.

Archimedes banya