If Alex Abramovich's Russian bathhouse review in this month's issue sparked an urge to schvitz, but perhaps in milder form, I was recently happy to find the spa at Miami's Standard hotel offers just that. Think of it as the banya for beginners. Carrying on the communal tradition, the central room, called a "Hamam", features heated marble and bellystone to raise the body's temperature, circled by four individual soaking tubs. You choose the water temperature for either a cold dip, or warm hydrotherapy. But the best way to achieve the hot/cold jolt in circulation is to alternate between the "Cedar Sauna," the "Aroma Steam Room" -- where the soothing aroma of eucalyptus wafts through the fog -- and the "Cold Rain Shower." Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any vodka flowing, or meat kabobs roasting on the grill. And after experiencing the real Russian deal, this experience, though relaxing, seemed a bit lite -- like reading the cliff notes to War and Peace. Though it certainly offers a pristine place to start. --TASHA GREEN

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