Well, the long-awaited Saturday has come. We naturally did not go to school. What else was missing was to go to school on our birthday (we have such a tradition). Mom came into my room in the morning - congratulated warmly, kissed and warned that, despite my day of jam - I have to help her with preparing festive dishes.
My duties included cleaning, cutting, chopping, and generally doing all the rough, preliminary work in the kitchen. A couple of times I had to run to the store for the missing products, and so unnoticed behind the household chores we approached seven o'clock in the evening.
- Now quickly in the shower - and we are going - my mother commanded.
- So we are going to the bathhouse - I wondered.
- Not in the bath, but in the sauna. In the bath - they wash, and in the sauna - they are steamed, and the body must be clean at the same time - the mother retorted.

After a quick shower, we all packed the products in a large bag over the shoulder. Towels, soap, clean linen, well, everything that was supposed to be there - my mother put a smaller bag. Of course, I was carrying a bag with groceries, my mother was carrying a bag with accessories, and I could say I was light.
On the street, we waited a few minutes for Seryozhka and Aunt Sveta, and they all went together in the direction of the city bath. “The complex of bathing and laundry services” - that’s what it was then called - and you had to stomp on it for a good twenty minutes with quick steps. In the middle of the road, we sat down in a public garden to take a break and our mothers announced that from that moment we were going separately.

- You have to understand, our city is small, and tomorrow everyone will know that we go to the sauna with our adult sons. Not everyone will understand correctly. You can’t talk then. Therefore, it is better to go separately - the aunt of Light began to explain.
- The end of the sauna is ordered in your names. You approach the administrator — this is my client — I warned her. She will give you sheets and take you to the sauna. The sauna is located in the far wing of the building. Come in - close the door on the latch, and go into the dressing room. There you will see near the far wall an old buffet with glasses, cups, an electric samovar and other utensils. Open the upper right drawer - there are spoons, forks in a plastic sudochu - lift it carefully and find the key under it. Nearby, to the right of the cupboard, there will be a door - it is covered with tiles, so who does not know - it seems that this is just a wall. To find the keyhole it is enough to push the buffet to the left literally 10 cm - and you will see it. Open the door - we will enter. All clear? Remember?

We nodded together, fascinated by just such intriguing, almost espionage circumstances. On that and went.
In about fifteen minutes, we were already with Serega. They boldly stepped towards a tall woman of about 40 in strict glasses and loudly informed our names and purpose of arrival. She smiled - gave out one sheet to us and with a gesture invited me to follow me. On the way, I read the rules of behavior and, right before the door, announced that we had a two-hour session and 10-15 minutes before the end of the session she would knock loudly on the door to warn us if we suddenly lost in time. At the same time she smiled meaningfully.
We quickly entered the open door - locked it behind us and looked around. We stood about two meters in a small corridor - behind him was the same small room with a door on the left. Seryozhka looked behind the door - it was a toilet - a truth without excesses, a simple cast-iron Soviet public, as in a pioneer camp, on which it was necessary to squat. Behind him was a tiny dressing room with a hanger on the wall - more than two people would not be located there at the same time.And then a rather spacious light room with a leather rubbed sofa on the left against the wall, two leather armchairs opposite the same state - and a table between them. It was low as a coffee table, only the size of a larger one - the entire length of the sofa.
An antediluvian hair dryer stood near the right wall, as shown in old films with a huge head bath. Well, right on the course was already mentioned buffet.

Shackle quickly found the key - we pushed the sideboard and opened the door. Moms squeezed through the door, obviously unhappy that they had to wait a long time.
- Why so long? May not be a month on the street. Frozen - snapped Aunt Light.
We justified, such as a banshchitsa long read the rules of conduct. Everyone laughed - the atmosphere was discharged.
- So. Quickly undressed - and in the steam room. - Mom commanded, giving us the Vietnamese.
- Yes, and do not forget the sheets - threw after Aunt Sveta.
We quickly undressed, thinking for a second - whether to remove swimming trunks or not. Looking at each other decided that it would be too much - we remain in swimming trunks.

From the waiting room to the right led a heavy wooden door - into which we slipped, throwing a passing glance at our mothers. They did not undress yet, unpacked the bags and laid out the contents on the table.
Well, here we are in a sacred place called "Sauna". To the left, two meters from the door, there was a shower, or rather that kind of it — not with a flexible hose, but with a high curved metal riser, ending on top of a watering can. Further to the left was a swimming pool, which we, to be honest, did not expect to see. Pretty big: six meters for two and a half. Opposite the entrance door about two meters away was a wooden structure, which was actually PARISH.
I pulled the steam room door. The door was heavy, but still springed from the back side to close tightly. In the face immediately hit the hot air. From surprise, I even recoiled, but then, bracing myself, boldly stepped inside.
Seryoga jumped in after me.

- Ooooooo - cool - he said admiringly, looking at the room.
Although it was possible to consider something with great difficulty. On the wall hung a single, some strangely shaped lamp, barely illuminating the room. There are steam stones in the left corner, I don’t know how to call them correctly, two small benches adjoined them to the right and left, with a wooden circle tied to one of them.
The main space was occupied by wooden shelves. The one that was taller - it was wider - two people could fit on it, but it was uncomfortable to sit on it - my head rested against the ceiling, I had to sit half-bending (they were probably meant for lying down). The lower one, of course, was more comfortable for sitting, but it was narrow, if you lie down - at most one person and then thin - like me. Auntie Light would hardly fit.

We naturally sat down at the very top, but after a few minutes we understood why we need the sheets here. Pripekat ass became concrete. Without saying a word to Sergei, we jumped off, covered the shelf with sheets and sat down again, plunged into anticipation. We sat for about ten minutes - the sweat had already begun to cover our eyes, the body dried out after the shower and had time to get covered with drops of sweat.
Then the door opened noisily and our mothers literally burst into the steam room. Naturally all our attention was riveted on them. They were wrapped in sheets as in Roman togas, with funny felt hats of the Panamanes type on their heads. Auntie Sveta was holding a basin of water in her hands (a gang in the bath slang), her brooms were sticking out brooms under her arm, and she was holding two more felt panama women in her hands.

- Rule number one - you need to bathe in headdresses - mother said in an instructive tone and solemnly handed us Panamas.
Auntie Sveta purred the march and clapped her hands. The fun has begun. Seregoy and I put on Panama - it turns out they were nominal - with embroidered capital letters of our names. This is probably my mother tried. I also had a needlewoman.Yes - it became significantly less in the head oven, but sweat began to flood the eyes even more.
Auntie Sveta conjured over a basin, adding some liquid from a small bottle to the water, it is not known how she was in her hands. First, she soaked brooms, then scooped water from the pelvis several times with a wooden mug tied to a bench and poured it on hot stones. All hissed wildly, par ...