Russia - My Home - 8. Chapter 8 The Banya (Bath House) (1934 - 1936)

The banya (public bath house) Franz visited weekly was very different than the one in Breslau. Since most residences of Moscow did not have access to private hot baths in their homes the city provided banyas. The one near Franz’s home was in a building that contained a banya for women on the second floor and for men on the third. There was a kiosk on the first floor (which is the street level floor in Russia – same as USA) where one paid a small fee and received a ticket. Upon entering the banya the attendant took the ticket, gave a bath sheet if purchased with ticket and pointed out the locker to use. There were about 50 lockers in a large room. Each locker was about 1.7m (5 feet) high and had a seat in front of the double doors. The men stripped, hung their clothes in the locker and remained naked throughout their visit only using the bath sheet or towel from home for drying. The next room contained showers, benches, a cold water barrel high and wide enough for one man to jump in. The next room was a sauna type room with a wood furnace that heated to as much as 93 C (200 F). Many men wore felt hats to protect their heads from the extreme heat. There was a cup size scoop to take water from a barrel and throw it on the fire to create moist heat. Most men brought mats or towels from home to sit on the hot wood benches. Many bought from street vendors white birch, oak or eucalyptus branches to swat their sweating bodies or have a companion swat their body. The men would strip, shower, go into the sauna, swat, shower again and then sit naked at their locker resting or talking to friends. Some brought beer and snacks, most likely dried fish. After sitting awhile most would do the shower, sauna, swat, shower routine again. (While most Russians have access to hot baths or showers at home now, 2016, banyas are still popular).

Franz had no friends at the banya. He did enjoy looking at the men. There was never any overt indication of man to man attraction. One afternoon after his first session in the hot sauna Franz sat at his locker drinking a glass of kvas (a fermented beverage usually made from black bread with very low alcohol content). Franz had noted a thin handsome young man about 25 sitting across from him. He would never stare in this public place. Franz lifted his eyes and the man was looking directly at him. The man smiled. Franz smiled back and dropped his eyes. He looked up again and the man smiled again. Then the man gently scratched his left nipple. Franz with no expression on his face mimicked the movement scratching his nipple. The man, not looking at Franz, scratched his balls. Franz mimicked him again. The man got up, walked to the door to the shower area. As he opened the door he looked at Franz and gave of nod of invitation. Franz followed him into the sauna. They sat on the lowest bench which was the least hot. The man pressed his leg against Franz’s. Franz pressed back.

“Would you please swat me?” The man stood and handed Franz his birch branch. Franz also stood and swatted him on the back, then chest and legs. As Franz moved swatted up the leg, the man, as was the custom, held his hand over his dick and balls for protection. The favor was then returned on Franz. By the time both had been beat with nature’s branch they were each getting hard. They quickly sat.

The man whispered, “You have graceful hands. Are you a musician?”

“No, I am a teacher. I had not noticed your hands since I was looking at something else.” He laughed and pressed harder against his friend’s leg.

“What were you looking at?”

“I would like to answer that question with my hands but would need privacy.”

A few minutes later the only other man in the sauna at that time got up and left. “This,” as Franz gently stroked his friend’s now almost hard dick.

His friend moved away and in a normal voice since they were alone, “I would like to get to know you better. But as you can see neither of us are in condition to walk out of here. We should ignore each other until our hardness is down. I suggest we take showers, dress and go to the nearby park and talk. I really want to know you better.”

Franz moved further away, “That would be nice.”

Fifteen minutes later they were sitting on a park bench talking. Mikhail had recently completed his military service following graduation from the university. He had studied economics and worked in the office of a state owned manufacturer of small tools. He had been asked to deliver papers to one of their suppliers and had been told he could have the remainder of the afternoon off. He went to the banya rather than going home where he lived with his mother and two aunts in one room.

Franz told Mikhail he was German teaching at a new Academy of Language. When Mikhail suggested they go someplace private Franz told him about his experience with the man he had met in a park soon after arriving in Moscow. He explained how that event had so frightened and disgusted him that he only had his hand for a friend since. “Nothing would make me happier than to take you to my room now. My dick is begging me to ask you. But, if we are going to have a real friendship and not just a quick cuddle, suck or fuck we can wait so that I know it is my and your brains making the decision and not our dicks. Tomorrow I am meeting a friend to attend a concert at the Conservatory. You are welcome to join us. I am sure you will find Pavel interesting. I know what you are thinking. He is not a friend in that way.” Franz then told Mikhail about his visit to the forest with Pavel and their conversation while soaking in the warm spring. He explained that Pavel enjoyed fucking women. He then told how he and Pavel jerked off together, shoulder touching shoulder, in the warm spring.

“I would enjoy attending the concert with you and meeting Pavel.”

“If something happens and you are unable to attend I do hope to see you again. Please remember my name and where I work and live.” Franz then told his friend his full name as well as name and address of the Academy. “Now I must go home. My dick is asking for a date with my fist. It must be difficult for you in one room with your mother and aunts.”

“Yes, it is very frustrating sometimes.”

They stood, shook hands and departed. They both thought at the same time, ‘this hand I am shaking will soon be holding his dick.’

The three men enjoyed the concert the following evening. After the concert the three walked and talked. After Pavel said good night Franz and Mikhail walked until they came to the intersection where Franz would turn to the left and Mikhail continue to his room shared with his mother and her two sisters. As they were about to go their separate ways Franz said, “It would give me great pleasure if you would visit me tomorrow after your work. We could continue our discussion while having tea in my room.” Mikhail told his new friend that nothing would make him happier.

The following evening Franz was slicing cheese and bread when there was a knock at the door. He answered and Mikhail stood with a big smile holding a box that contained small cakes. Franz invited him into the hall and in a voice loud enough for his roommates who were in the kitchen, “Good evening my friend, the tea is ready and we may begin our discussion.” He then led Mikhail into his room and shut the door. The two men stood and smiled at each other. Neither seemed to know exactly what one did in such a situation. Finally Franz helped Mikhail remove his coat placing his hand on his new friends shoulder. He then slid his hand down to Mikhail’s hand and they just stood there holding hands and smiling into each other’s eyes. Mikhail placed his hand on Franz’s chest. Franz put both of his arms around Mikhail pulling him tight to his chest with Mikhail’s hand trapped against his chest. They held their faces cheek to cheek as they embraced. Franz pushed the visitor away saying, “Let me pour your tea.” They sat at the small table knees touching while continuing to stare into each other’s eyes.

Mikhail broke the spell saying, “You are one of the most handsome men I have ever seen. I want to see you naked.”

“Your desire is my command. Just sit and enjoy your tea.” Then Franz stood and removed his shoes and socks, then shirt and pants standing in front of his friend in his underwear. Mikhail reached up and caressed Franz’s chest. He then stood and removed the undershirt. He caressed the bare chest playfully nipping at the nipples. He then removed all of his clothes except the underwear. Franz removed the undershirt and played with his friend’s chest also nipping the nipples. The men drifted to the bed and soon Mikhail was on his back with Franz kneeling between his slightly spread legs. Franz forced Mikhail’s arms up over his head. He leaned forward and first kissed Mikhail on the lips while holding his wrists. He then moved his head up to the right hand and kissed each finger, then hand, then arm, and then bit his exposed armpit. He repeated on the left side. He then moved down kissing his forehead, each ear, each cheek and then neck. Moving down he lightly bit each nipple, kissed the navel, and moved below his crotch area still in the under briefs. He kissed each inner leg, then each foot and each toe. He could see his friend’s untouched dick bulging in the briefs. He slowly pulled down the briefs and examined but did not touch the rock hard dick that was dripping. He looked at his friend, moved up and kissed him hard on the lips. He returned to the crotch and placing his lips on the dick swallowed it to the base.

Since he did not want their love making to end prematurely he released the dick after one swallow and lay next to his friend. Mikhail then reached over and began to caress Franz’s face. Mikhail could wait no longer. They were now laying on their sides, faced to face, dick to dick. Mikhail reached down and stroked both dicks with one hand while holding Franz’s face tight against his as they deep kissed. Soon both men were shooting their juices onto each other. They continued to hold each other. Finally Franz got up and cleaned the juice that was drying on both himself and his friend. For the next two hours the two men alternated love making and tea breaks. They never spoke a word. They just smiled at each other. Reluctantly Mikhail finally told his new love that he should return home. Franz invited him to return the following evening and suggested he tell his mother he would be staying at a friend’s place who lived near his work. Actually Franz lived nowhere near Mikhail’s job.

From that first meeting Mikhail stayed with Franz one to three nights a week. When Misha visited from Berlin a month later Franz stayed at his Moscow apartment. He told Misha about Mikhail and Misha asked him to invite him for evening ‘tea’. While Mikhail and Franz had never fucked it just seemed the natural thing to do with Misha who happily bottomed for both of the young men. Never had Franz enjoyed three way sex as he did now, especially watching Mikhail fuck the very willing Misha.

A Happy Time in Moscow

The next two years (1934 – 1936) were pleasant years for Franz. Professionally he enjoyed his work and was respected by his students, peers and the administration. The Academy had approximately 100 students in each of its two groups of students. The students were aged 16 to 18. All had studied German prior to being selected to attend this special two year intensive program. All were highly motivated and intelligent. They were a pleasure to work with. Approximately one third of the students were young women. Students from outside Moscow lived in crowded rooms in the same building as the Academy. They lived eight to a small room. They had kitchen facilities and cooked their own meals. Female students lived on one floor of the building and men on two floors including the top floor that contained the apartment of Franz and two of his co-teachers. To the delight of Franz it was not unusual to see near naked (and sometimes naked) young men in the hall. However, after his experience in Berlin with the handsome Eric, Franz never seriously considered any kind of sexual contact with a student. Thanks to his friendship with Mikhail as well as the love of his fist he was rarely in a state of sexual frustration.

The majority of the students were from Moscow who commuted daily to classes. Unfortunately for some the commute was more than an hour each way. The opening of the first line, Line 1, of the metro (subway) in 1935 decreased the commute for some students as the Academy was near the new Park Kulturi station.

While the Soviet government thoroughly controlled the media: magazines, newspapers and radio the students and faculty at the Academy and other German language schools were given access to German publications. The purpose of the language training was to immerse the students totally into German culture. Packages of newspapers and magazines were shipped from the Russian Embassy in Berlin to the Academy. Misha, Franz’s friend (and lover), at the Embassy was in charge of the shipments.

Of the ten instructors at the Academy Franz was the only one who had been born and lived most of his life in German. Some of the other instructors had studied, visited or worked there. But Franz was considered the only one who thoroughly knew the culture. Consequently he was assigned two subjects: speech (enunciation) and culture. The other instructors taught German grammar, history and other high school subjects such as math and science.

Franz distributed the newspapers and magazines to the students. With the permission of the authorities there was no attempt of censorship. These young men and women were being trained to work for the Soviet government in areas related to Germany including trade, tourism, military and most important intelligence. The students were required to read the newspapers and magazines and then discuss their observations. All discussions were in German. Since the students were speaking in a foreign language sometimes they lost their inhibitions and were not careful with their comments and made statements that might be considered anti Soviet. Franz generally agreed with their comments but was careful to keep the conversations pro Soviet.

He became increasingly alarmed with the news from Germany. In March 1935 Hitler ignored the Versailles Treaty and ordered Germany to re-arm and introduced required military service. In September laws were passed invalidating citizenship of Jews and prohibited them to marry outside their religion. To the horror of Franz in March 1936 Germany sent troops to the Rhineland occupying this area between France and Germany that had been controlled by France under the treaty of Versailles after World War I. While protests were made neither France nor England took any action to protect this area from aggression.

Franz realized he would have been conscripted into the Nazi army had he not escaped from Berlin following his indiscretion with a student, the son of a Nazi official. He believed war was imminent and felt safer in the Soviet Union than Berlin. He realized Germany would become one of if not the most dominant countries in Europe. At the present time Stalin and Hitler appeared to be on friendly terms. However, Franz was not so naïve to realize that the tide might turn and Germany would become an enemy of the USSR. He felt a deep satisfaction that he was helping his adopted country prepare to deal with Germany whether friend or enemy.

New Students – September 1936

The third year of the Academy began classes in September 1936. Franz walked into the classroom of new students and introduced himself. He had done this a number of times in the past years. Franz was drawn to a young man sitting in the front row. While his classes had contained many handsome young men this student was different. He had an aurora of sensuality. He was not overtly sexual. But his eyes seemed to penetrate into the sole of Franz. His body tingled as he looked at the young man. As he reviewed the class roster he noted the name Vladimir Melnikov.

Vladek (Vladimir Melnikov) took a seat at his third class of day. The first two subjects had been mathematics and German grammar. Both teachers had appeared pleasant and competent. Vladek was pleased with his classes. The instructor, Herr Franz Eberhardt, entered the room and introduced himself. He had an aurora of sensuality. He was not overtly sexual. But his eyes seemed to penetrate into the sole of Vladek. Vladek’s body tingled as he listened to his new instructor.

Russian Banyas and Bathhouses – now – 2016

With the improvement of living conditions of many Russians the use of banyas is no longer as essential for the masses as it was prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union 25 years ago in 1991. However they still exist. I have visited a number of them. My favorite is the Yamskyie in St Petersburg. At Yamskyie do not go to the upscale facility on the ground floor. Two flights up is the men’s traditional banya. My description of a banya in this chapter is of the Yamskyie. When I visited St. Petersburg in the mid 1990s the Yamskyie was the place for gays to meet and hookup. This was a holdover from Soviet times. There was a door in the sauna area that led to a stairway. Men would go through this door and hang out (double meaning of “hang out”: loiter and let your equipment hang lose or hard). The stairs led to the attic. Uninhibited loving by individuals, couples and groups took place on the stairs and in the attic. Unfortunately the door has been locked for years. No more activity at the Yamskyie. However there is still a lot of eye candy, just be discrete. In March 2016 I visited Yamskyie knowing everyone would act 100% straight. However, much to my surprise I did have eye contact with a handsome 40 something man. After alternate gazes I followed him when he went to another room. I asked him if he spoke English. He replied in excellent English. We had a brief conversation and I gave him my email address (the one I use for private conversations). Since I did not know him I was not willing to give him my mobile (cell) number. He told me he was there with his straight friends. We did connect by email and eventually hook up. He told me he prefers in shape older men. I certainly met his preference, especially the older part. He became my inspiration (body and sexually – not profession) for Vladek who was introduced in my book Boys of the 1950s when Vladek was in his 40s. This story, Russia My Home, is the story of the coming of age of Vladek.

St Petersburg now has a gay sex club, Bunker, with a bar and extensive tangle of hallways leading to rooms, slings, glory holes, etc. Lube dispensers available, bring your own condoms. Check out its website for a schedule of ‘naked nights”, “under ware nights” and other events. Also on the web site there is a “Sauna” listed. This is a traditional gay bath house about a km (half mile) from the Bunker.

Moscow has upscale banyas that are more known for luxury than eye candy. I have not visited any of the ordinary banyas. There are a couple of gay saunas (not traditional banyas). My favorite is Mayakovka Sports Sauna (bar, sauna, steam room, showers, dark halls, small rooms with locks) very active, all ages. Also massage boys available. Voda and Podval are two other gay bath houses. Voda is upscale and Podval definitely down scale. I prefer Podval. Voda was full of beautiful men who know it – the untouchables. Unfortunately having an address does not mean a place is easy to find. Both Mayakovka and Podval have unmarked doors in a courtyard or alley next to or behind the building of their street number. A street number could represent a group of buildings behind each other in a maze of courtyards. You should be able to get up to date information about these places on the web. I would be happy to answer your questions, send me a message. Enjoy!