International Women’s Day is another great reason to pamper yourself. For example, relax in the evening in an atmospheric bar or a stylish jazz club, or maybe play the role of a sommelier and chef. During the day, you can go for a massage in a beautiful studio or spa, have brunch at a restaurant and learn a new art at a master class.
We have collected 9 ideas for enjoyable activities on a holiday in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Go for a massage
Visit the studio in Moscow Shape it, decorated in pastel and pink shades. This is a real girl’s paradise, where space and all the amenities for clients are thought out to the smallest detail. And in the chain of salons “Lie on Your Back”, on the contrary, there is a stylish and brutal interior, and each branch is unique. Designer furniture, whimsical decorative elements and original paintings are a real treat for the eyes.
Another atmospheric place – studio TEKSTURA on Tsvetnoy Boulevard. Modern interior in the spirit of minimalism, beautiful decorative elements and furniture, and after the session they offer tea, coffee or prosecco.
In St. Petersburg, sign up for a session at the massage center LEGCHE. The studio has the atmosphere of a techno club, and each visitor has an individual playlist. Heated massage tables will help you warm up, and the aroma of sweet almonds will add to your mood.
If you prefer Thai and Balinese massage techniques, you are welcome to Bua Thai Spa & Yoga. The concept here combines stylish Asian interior, oriental practices and yogic philosophy. And in the salon “Altai health resort” everything is created for complete relaxation – aromas of herbs, eco-style interior, twilight and meditative music.
Be in the role of a sommelier
In Moscow, in the wine library SimpleWine on Pokrovka and Smolensky Boulevard, a blind tasting and a wine casino are planned on March 8, where they will offer to guess different types of drink in a playful way .
At the sommelier school Wine Project a tasting of premium red wines from Spain and Portugal will be held at the Patriarchs. And you can immerse yourself in the history and taste characteristics of this drink at the evening master class “About Wine” at the restaurant GOODMAN on Trubnaya Square.
In St. Petersburg, go for a tasting at VinoFeelon Zakharyevskaya. Here you can find the original 3-star wine list RWA’21, non-trivial European varieties and Russian brands. A similar program will be held in the wine library “Assemblage” in the Europolis shopping and entertainment complex.
To find your wine, sparkling or dessert, go to a festive tasting of a whole set of different varieties of “Cherche la femme”. It is organized by the Wine Academy school at Sangiovese Club on Kazanskaya.
Spend time at a spa hotel
In Moscow, treat yourself to a spa day at the five-star boutique hotel Mamaison All-Suites Spa Pokrovka. There are programs for one or romantic sessions for two: thalassotherapy, oriental spa treatments and all types of massage. Or book a room at the Swissotel Krasnye Holmy hotel with views of the Garden Ring and a cozy bar on the 34th floor. The hotel’s spa offers programs with cosmetics from the Swiss Alps, and the aquazone has a swimming pool with hydromassage and a jacuzzi.
In the small four-star Moscow hotel Soderi’s Residence & Spa you will find a wide range of spa treatments, clinical and hardware cosmetology. After relaxing in the aquazone with hammam, sauna and hot tubs, go for a tropical wrap with papaya and pineapple or deep exfoliation with salt mousse scrub.
In St. Petersburg, have a relaxing day at the five-star Lotte Hotel St. Petersburg, where the Mandara Spa is located. Massages here are performed by specialists from the island of Bali, using the secrets of Asian medicine and ancient massage techniques. And in the more affordable five-star ALBORA hotel you can relax in a spacious lounge area with a swimming pool, steam in a sauna or hammam. The spa program includes popular massages, relaxing aromatherapy body treatments and peelings.
For an affordable spa, head to the four-star Kravt Nevsky Hotel. Guests can enjoy a spacious swimming pool, jacuzzi, saunas, snow showers and a salt cave. And then treat yourself to a relaxing massage, oil body treatment or hot wrap on a heated marble table.
Go to a jazz concert
In a Moscow jazz club “Essay”There will be festive jazz brunches. The club has a cozy atmosphere, lamp light, red brick walls, and the menu has a lot of wine and delicious dishes.
You can spend an evening in a pleasant intimate atmosphere at the music bistro Well Well. Jazz and blues concerts are held here with artists from various groups. In addition, there is an excellent selection of dishes from different cuisines from the chef and a wine list divided into associative musical categories.
Concerts will also be held in the oldest jazz club in St. Petersburg JFC. The menu has a limited number of drinks and snacks at affordable prices.
And in the St. Petersburg jazz bar The Hat Bar it will be pleasant to be transported to the atmosphere of the USA of the 1950s. Order single malt whiskey or premium bourbon and listen to performances by leading jazzmen of the Northern capital.
Try a new cocktail
In Moscow, go to the jazz bar The Bix bar, stylized in the spirit of the American 1920s. In the evenings, a young and noisy audience gathers here, there is live music, and the degree of fun is maintained by a huge selection of delicious cocktails.
Capital bar The Nest looks more like a theater: there are velvet tapestries everywhere, and the tables are arranged like an amphitheater. The bar menu includes a dozen signature cocktails with an emphasis on travel to different parts of the world. Try Glou-Glou from France with brandy and herbes de Provence or strong Kerala from India with aged rum and Marsala bitters.
Another interesting Moscow bar with a laconic interior, hidden in the depths of Petrovka – “Voda”. On the ground floor there is a bright stone space with a bar and a high table in the middle of the room, and on the second there are massive windows and small tables. The menu includes only signature cocktails, which are prepared according to the taste preferences of guests.
Something interesting can often be found in St. Petersburg courtyards, and one of such places is the wine loft Do Immigration. This is a two-tier bar with a warm veranda on the roof. At the bar they let you taste the wine to decide on your choice. The restaurant’s menu includes pasta, delicious olives and a cheese plate.
For aesthetics, go to the St. Petersburg restaurant “Apartment number 8”. This is a whole museum on the attic floor of an old five-story building in the very center of the city. The cocktail menu includes more than 20 signature cocktails: try the “Salty Russian” with cream, bitters and salted caramel or the “K8 Sour” with bourbon and passion fruit puree.
Have a beautiful brunch in a restaurant
In Moscow, have a late breakfast that smoothly turns into lunch at the restaurant Eva on Bolshaya Gruzinskaya. There is a beautiful designer interior with Greek motifs – an abundance of wood, open shelves with wines, olive wood and a large stove made of tiles with national ornaments. On weekends until 14:00 they serve Greek flatbreads with various fillings, yoghurts with mint and white chocolate and zucchini croquettes.
At the restaurant Lou-Lou on Malaya Bronnaya, brunch can be held in the cozy atmosphere of little France. Indulge yourself by ordering foie gras with persimmon or duck scramble. And in the restaurant Margarita Bistro on Malaya Bronnaya you will be greeted by a snow-white minimalist interior, stucco on the walls and an open kitchen in the very center of the room. Try a set of four types of cheese and baked eggs or quinoa porridge with coconut milk and berries.
In St. Petersburg, have brunch at the cafe Aster on Mayakovsky. The atmosphere of an old city cafe reigns here: textured plaster walls, furniture from different eras, a lot of wood and light. Try the salmon benedict on rye coffee bread or the buckwheat porridge with mushrooms and parmesan.
In the restaurant AnimalsOn Nekrasova there is a real garden with exotic plants. All dishes are prepared from seasonal ingredients, so the menu is always changing.
And in the restaurant Kuznyahouse on New Holland the atmosphere of a 20th century St. Petersburg apartment is recreated. Here you can spend hours looking at the interior elements: vintage lamps, massive lacquered sideboards or false stoves. Until 2 p.m., Kuzna serves porridge, desserts, pastries, and savory, hearty dishes prepared in a smokehouse.
Go on a city tour
Look at Moscow from a new perspective on the excursion “In Search of Modernity. Ostozhenka and lanes.” And in the White City area in the very center of the capital, go on a historical walk “Between Myasnitskaya and Bolshaya Lubyanka”. You will learn the secrets of the mysterious Moscow triangle and visit secret courtyards.
You can look at the very heart of the city from a completely new perspective on the excursion “Zaryadye and Varvarka – a journey through medieval Moscow.” Moscow legends, beliefs and a fascinating story about what would have happened to Red Square if Stalin had managed to implement his plan to rebuild Moscow are waiting for you.
In St. Petersburg, sign up for the excursion “District of Doppelgangers and Other Mysteries of St. Petersburg” to learn about parallel worlds, mystical places and the area of doppelgängers in the Northern capital. You can take atmospheric photos near beautiful mansions, visit observation platforms and get a closer look at the architecture of imperial St. Petersburg on the excursion “Mysterious estates and temples: photo walk”.
In the evening, stroll through the city streets filled with the Italian spirit of Rome, Venice and Bologna, and visit the courtyard-well with the Colosseum graffiti on the “Italian Petersburg” excursion.
Learn something new
In Moscow, sign up for the ceramics studio Soil Studio on Dolgorukovskaya. Here they will teach you how to work with a pottery wheel and help you create a small vase, bowl or cup of abstract shapes, and finally paint them with colored pigments. And to create your own perfume scent, diffuser or an entire exclusive composition, go to a master class at the perfume studio Aroma Labon Lavrushinsky Lane.
If you want to treat yourself to something edible, go to the culinary master class “French Kiss: Mussels, Steak and Creme Brulee” from the Moscow studio CulinaryOn at Kuntsevo Plaza on Molodezhnaya. Here you will learn how to choose products and prepare sautéed mussels, Newport steak with cherry brandy sauce and Creme Brulee dessert.
In St. Petersburg, create candles and scented sachets with your own hands in the workshop Candle&Aroma at Aircraft Designers. Or spend a festive evening at the Women’s Day master class on hand-sculpting ceramic objects in the pottery workshop Burning Clay on Rybatskaya.
On the evening of March 8 in the northern capital, studio “Game of Tables”on Odoevsky organizes a culinary master class “Madrid”. Prepare and taste national Spanish dishes – paella with seafood and chicken, cold gazpacho soup, olive tapenade with tortilla and sangria.
Take a trip to the neighboring town
From Moscow in one day you can go to Kolomnato try Russian delicacies and feel the spirit of the old merchant city. In the list of places to visit, include the stone ensemble of the Kremlin, the observation deck on the Marinkina Tower, the old district of Kolomensky Posad, and also be sure to go to the gastro-museums “Kalachnaya”, “Kolomenskaya pastila” and “Secrets of Kolomenskaya mead”.
Rent a car
Another option for Moscow residents is a trip to Sergiev Posad, the Golden Ring city closest to the capital. Here you can feel the incredible tranquility next to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra under the melodious ringing of bells, see the tiny underground cells of monks in the Gethsemane Chernigov skete or feel nostalgic in the Museum of Soviet Childhood.
View train tickets
In one day you can travel from Moscow to Zvenigorod. Elegant ancient temples have been preserved here, authentic museums are open and the spirit of a provincial town reigns. Stop by the Museum of Russian Dessert, where you will be taught how to make sugar flowers, enjoy the beauty of the architecture of the tented Church of the Life-Giving Trinity and stroll along the high stone walls of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery.
Rent a car
From St. Petersburg, go to neighboring Kronstadt, where almost all the most interesting things are connected with the sea and the history of the navy. Wander through the old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and see the Kronstadt forts, St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral and Petrovskaya Pier with its warships.
Rent a car
The second option for residents of the Northern capital is to go to Gatchina, which in past centuries was the imperial residence. Look at the luxurious Great Gatchina Palace and the Priory Palace, reminiscent of a Gothic chapel, walk along the pedestrian Cathedral Street and stroll through the local landscaped parks.
Rent a car
You can travel from St. Petersburg in one day to the resort city Sestroretsk in the north of the Gulf of Finland. Ancient estates, merchant mansions, centuries-old parks and monuments of religious architecture have been preserved here. Take a walk through the Dubki natural park, look at the Church of Peter and Paul in the style of ancient Russian architecture, or visit the open-air exhibition complex “Sestroretsky Frontier”.
Rent a car
