Banya Venik Bathhouse Plaque

A proud little sign for anyone who takes their steam seriously. This oval relief plaque is a banya (Russian bathhouse) piece through and through. At its centre, sculpted in layered depth, sits a birch venik — the bundle of leafy branches used to swat and stimulate the skin in a hot sauna — its overlapping leaves fanning out from a bound handle. Curved Cyrillic lettering arcs around it: "ВЕНИК В БАНЕ" across the top and "ВСЕМ ГОСПОДИН" below, the folk saying that roughly means "the venik is master of the whole bathhouse." A double oval border and two small ringed bosses frame the whole thing. It's made to hang by a sauna or banya door, or as a warm-toned gift for someone who owns one. CNC / print notes: • This is a classic relief-carving job: run it on a CNC router in birch, oak, or a dense hardwood, roughing with a straight bit and finishing the leaf veins and lettering with a fine tapered ballnose. • Watch the varying depths — the leaves and letters sit proud of a recessed field, so set your finishing stepover tight to keep the veins readable. • Printing instead? Lay it flat on the back face for a support-free relief; 0.12mm layers hold the fine leaf edges. • Finish with a stain-and-wipe or dry-brushed highlight to make the raised leaves and text stand out, then seal against sauna humidity.