Russian spa opens monument to the enema

Thu Jun 19, 2008 3:05 PM EDT
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MOSCOW MILLS — A monument to the enema, a procedure many people would rather not think about, has been unveiled at a spa in the southern Russian city of Zheleznovodsk. The bronze syringe bulb, which weighs 800 pounds and is held by three angels, was unveiled at the Mashuk-Akva Term spa, the spa's director said Thursday.

"There is no kitsch or obscenity, it is a successful work of art," Alexander Kharchenko told The Associated Press. "An enema is almost a symbol of our region."

The Caucasus Mountains region is known for dozens of spas where enemas with water from mineral springs are routinely administered to treat digestive and other complaints.

Kharchenko, 50, said the monument cost $42,000 and was installed in a square in front of his spa on Wednesday. A banner declaring: "Let's beat constipation and sloppiness with enemas" — an allusion to a line from "The Twelve Chairs," a famous Soviet film comedy — was posted on one of the spa's walls.

Sculptor Svetlana Avakina said she designed the 5-foot-high monument with "irony and humor" and modeled the angels on those in works by Italian Renaissance painter Alessandro Botticelli.

"This device is eternal, it will never change," she told the AP. "We could promote this brand, turn it into a franchise with souvenirs and awards for medical doctors."

Dozens of monuments dedicated to characters from tall tales and popular jokes have been erected in post-Soviet Russia.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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{"commentId":2005764,"authorDomain":"nano649"}
nano404
Kharchenko, 50, said the monument cost $42,000 and was installed in a square in front of his spa on Wednesday. A banner declaring: "Let's beat constipation and sloppiness with enemas"

Ha, that's your best excuse for letting your inner fantasies be publicized?

{"commentId":2005764,"threadId":"294029","contentId":"1591733","authorDomain":"nano649"}
  • 2 votes
Reply#1 - Thu Jun 19, 2008 5:07 PM EDT
{"commentId":2005915,"authorDomain":"bluecollarbytes"}
bluecollarbytes

As bad as this is, it's a cut or two above our own poopart.

{"commentId":2005915,"threadId":"294029","contentId":"1591733","authorDomain":"bluecollarbytes"}
  • 1 vote
Reply#2 - Thu Jun 19, 2008 5:31 PM EDT
{"commentId":2006210,"authorDomain":"njb"}
njb

Just one or two...

This happens every single time I think I've seen it all...

{"commentId":2006210,"threadId":"294029","contentId":"1591733","authorDomain":"njb"}
    #2.1 - Thu Jun 19, 2008 6:08 PM EDT
    Reply
    {"commentId":2006355,"authorDomain":"benstraight"}
    Benjamin Straight

    What a wild story.

    {"commentId":2006355,"threadId":"294029","contentId":"1591733","authorDomain":"benstraight"}
      Reply#3 - Thu Jun 19, 2008 6:31 PM EDT
      {"commentId":2006445,"authorDomain":"bacos1103"}
      bacos1103

      Awesome.

      "An enema is almost a symbol of our region."

      I can think of a few places in the US this might be true, too.

      I love the positioning of the girl on the podium, too.

      {"commentId":2006445,"threadId":"294029","contentId":"1591733","authorDomain":"bacos1103"}
      • 1 vote
      Reply#4 - Thu Jun 19, 2008 6:45 PM EDT
      {"commentId":2008257,"authorDomain":"celestina"}
      Celestina
      "There is no kitsch or obscenity, it is a successful work of art,"

      I disagree. I am quite sure I saw some kitsch lurking under the nurse in back...

      {"commentId":2008257,"threadId":"294029","contentId":"1591733","authorDomain":"celestina"}
        Reply#5 - Thu Jun 19, 2008 11:20 PM EDT
        {"commentId":2008570,"authorDomain":"Andimia"}
        Andimia
        "Let's beat constipation and sloppiness with enemas"

        BWHAHAHA it's a big bronze billboard! It's nearly as bad as the bronze Fonz that's being erected in Milwaukee.

        {"commentId":2008570,"threadId":"294029","contentId":"1591733","authorDomain":"Andimia"}
          Reply#6 - Fri Jun 20, 2008 12:14 AM EDT
          {"commentId":2011834,"authorDomain":"jimgysin"}
          JimG.

          This story stinks.

          {"commentId":2011834,"threadId":"294029","contentId":"1591733","authorDomain":"jimgysin"}
            Reply#7 - Fri Jun 20, 2008 1:01 PM EDT
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