Oak Leaf Venik for Russian Sauna

Oak Branches and Leaves.

Take a bucket and fill it with warm water verging on being hot. Fully submerge your venik in the water and leave it there for at least one hour. In the meantime, make sure you go in for a few steam sessions before the venik massage begins. It's important to get your body accustomed to the heat before the massage, because exposing yourself to too much heat before your body is prepared for it can cause overheating and lightheadedness. When you feel sufficiently steamed up, grab the venik and head back to the parilka. Once you're inside the parilka make sure you amp up the heat by adding water to the hot rocks. Once you feel the newly formed steam in the air, it's time to begin the massage. You can perform a massage on yourself if no one else is around but ideally you should have someone else perform it on you.