Birch leaves, rising steam, cold water and a cup of herbal tea. Just steps from Monte-Carlo, SOMA has brought a bathing ritual practised for centuries across Eastern Europe to the Côte d’Azur.
The first thing you notice is the scent: birch, eucalyptus and herbs, carried on a wave of steam as water meets the hot stones. Then the heat settles in, slow and enveloping. The banya master lifts a bundle of leafy branches, the venik, and works it through the air, drawing the heat down over your back and shoulders before pressing the leaves gently against the skin.
This is the banya, and it now has a home at 17 Boulevard de la République in Beausoleil, a short walk from Monte-Carlo. SOMA presents it as the first authentic banya of its kind in the South of France.
A ritual, not a sauna
Rooted in Eastern European bathing culture, the banya has been a place to cleanse, recover and gather for centuries. Where a Finnish sauna relies on dry heat, the banya is built on moist, enveloping steam, and on the skill of the person guiding it. The banya master reads the room and each guest, adjusting heat, pace and pressure so the experience is intense but never punishing.
“A true banya is not about how hot you can make it. It’s about feeling the person in front of you. The venik is like an instrument: it can whisper or it can roar. With a first-time guest, it whispers. We treat them like a baby, softly and carefully, because the first session decides everything. Either they love the banya forever, or they never return.”
— Sasha, SOMA’s banya master
How the SOMA ritual unfolds
First round: adaptation. The ritual begins with a cup of hot herbal tea to warm the body from within. Then comes a gentle, preparatory circuit that lets the body get used to the heat. The first sweat arrives, and with it a rinse that washes the day away.
Second round: steam and venik. The heart of the ritual. The heat rises, and the banya master takes over with the venik, the traditional bundle of birch, oak or eucalyptus branches. Swept through the air, it drives waves of hot steam deep into the muscles. Pressed and patted against the skin, it works like a massage, stimulating circulation, gently exfoliating and releasing the natural aromatic oils of the leaves. The result is warmth that reaches far deeper than steam alone, and a feeling of lightness that guests remember long after they leave.
The cold pool. Straight from the steam into cold water. Purists go all the way, head under the surface.
Rest, breath and tea. Between rounds, guests wrap up, drink more herbal tea and simply rest, with breathing practices to slow the heart rate and settle the mind.
Zero gravity. Then comes the moment guests talk about most: settling into a hanging swing and letting go completely. Body light, mind empty, it feels like floating in zero gravity.
Tea ceremony. The ritual closes with a final tea ceremony, an unhurried moment to come back to the day. A honey and sea-salt scrub can be added.
The rhythm is deliberate, and that is the point. In a region where wellness usually means a massage table, the banya asks something different: to slow down, to feel, and to share. Rituals can be booked for one person or for groups of up to four, which makes it as natural a plan for an evening with friends as dinner on the port.
Why it feels so good
The banya’s secret is contrast. Moving between intense heat and cold water works like a training session for the blood vessels: they open in the steam and tighten in the cold, a rhythm traditionally valued for keeping capillaries supple, stimulating circulation and giving the metabolism a boost. Deep sweating is at the heart of the banya’s centuries-old reputation as a cleansing ritual, and many guests make it part of their detox and weight-loss routine.
Just as powerful is what happens in the mind. The heat, the cold and the stillness that follows act like a reset for the nervous system. After a busy week, it is a chance to let everything go, and guests often describe a deeper relaxation than any spa treatment has given them.
A founder’s conviction
For founder Anna Lunhu Wardenaar, the banya is deeply personal. “After my third baby was born, at 45, I wanted to lose the weight I had gained during pregnancy, and to support my immune system, my circulation and my body’s natural cleansing,” she says. “But I also needed something for my mind. I have a busy professional life, and I needed a moment to truly disconnect. That is why we built the banya: a place where you step away from everything, and in just two hours you feel reborn, light, happy and pure.”
She often comes alone, or with her husband. “It’s a wonderful way to spend relaxed, private time together, just the two of us.”
Her wider philosophy is simple. “I see it in my own life and in the people around me: those who take good care of themselves live their best lives, whether they are 45 or in their 80s. Small choices, made consistently, add up. My own goal is to stay in great shape into my 90s. With SOMA, I want to share that journey with others who are just as passionate about the quality of their life as I am.”
After the steam: hands, wraps and warmth
The banya is only the beginning. “I especially love the banya followed by a massage,” says Anna. “The body is already warm and open, so the massage becomes so much more effective and relaxing. It’s the next level.”
SOMA’s massage menu runs from deep-tissue and sports massage for active bodies to slow, relaxing treatments and lymphatic drainage, alongside targeted head, neck and shoulder therapies for those who carry their week in their shoulders. Mineral wraps and body treatments complete the ritual, leaving the skin soft and the mind quiet. Paired with a banya session, they turn an hour into an afternoon you will not want to rush.
Natural materials, warm tones and an outdoor courtyard tie it all together. It feels less like a busy spa and more like a private retreat on the edge of Monaco, one where the most memorable hour may well be spent in the steam.
SOMA Banya at SOMA Longevity
17 Boulevard de la République, 06240 Beausoleil, France
Private banya rituals for 1 to 4 guests
Bookings: +33 6 31 80 96 44
Instagram: @soma_longevity_monaco