A Woman's Own: A whole new kind of mikva

"Eyes, ears, navel!" is the typical drill that naked Orthodox women are subjected to seconds before their dip in the mikva, or ritual bath. In most mikvas, the attendant inspects the woman's body from head to toe, checking and picking off specks of dirt or hair under nails, between eyelashes, and on the torso. Women deemed free of all interference are then observed descending and dipping, while the attendant cries "Kasher!" The woman ascends, clean from menstrual impurity and ready for intercourse with her husband, and wraps herself in a towel, as the attendant calls out, "Who's next?"

All this may be about to change. In April, a new mikva opened up in Givat Shaul, Israel, which is unlike any other mikva in the world. "Ivriya: Spa Boutique, Bridal Center and Kosher Mikva," replaces the cold, sophistic factory-like mikva with an environment of care rather than compulsion. Ivriya, literally "Hebrew woman", offers an array of massages, manicures, hairstyling, waxing, and holistic treatments, thus taking a whole new approach not only towards mikva, but also towards the needs and desires of religious Jewish women.

The drive behind Ivriya came from 28-year old entrepreneur Shimrit Beinhorn Klein. As a practicing Orthodox woman, married at the age of 20, Klein used the mikva regularly, and decided that change was needed.

"Jewish women are living in a modern world, and the mikva should reflect that," Klein says, sitting behind her desk in her manager's office, wearing a white cosmetic cloak with a nametag - all of which are non-existent in any other mikva. "We decided to create a mikva that is comfortable and attractive. The day a woman goes to the mikva, she is supposed to be nurtured and pampered so she can spend time with herself on physical and spiritual renewal. It should be a day to refresh and dedicate to herself."

The lobby, furnished like a coffeehouse, offers free drinks and "health cookies" served from a brass tea set, and is adorned with curtains, glass and soft lighting. The preparation and treatment rooms have client-controlled soft music, candles, Jacuzzis, and clean white robes with slippers. There are also special day plans for brides that include guided imagery, massage, cosmetics, and of course the special room for friends and relatives.

But perhaps the most noticeable difference between Ivriya and a typical mikva is the smell. Rather than the chlorine-acetone assault of most mikvas, at Ivriya, one’s olfactory nerves are gently greeted with placid scents of jasmine, lavender, and massage oil.

Rivka Hindin, a 25-year old religious mother of one, comes to Ivriya regularly, and brings her friends and relatives, whether or not they use the mikva. "The women of my family came for a whole evening when we all had massages and pedicures," she says. "It was fabulous."

Since its launch in April, women have come to Ivriya from all over Israel - and in fact, all over the world. "A woman from New York called me last week to book a visit here before her wedding," says Esther Hemli, Klein's business partner and the funding behind the venture. The name Ivriya, she says, reflects that which all Jewish women have in common. "It's not 'Jewish', or 'Religious' or 'Israeli'. It's Hebrew woman, connecting us all to our common heritage."

Hemli, founder of Mobix Communications, made a very successful exit from hi-tech three years ago and was looking for a new project, when her daughter introduced her to Klein - and the partnership was born. The 400 square meter building is a product of Klein's vision and Hemli's investment. "We are far from making a profit, but it has been an incredible start. Our clients already number in the thousands."

Hemli's experience came in handy during the three years of planning, and navigating between councils, architects and rabbis. They received approval from leading Orthodox rabbis around the country.

"As long as the mikva is kosher, we are satisfied," said the spokesperson for Rabbi Landau of Chabad, who regularly checks and approves the mikva. "Plus, if it gives women incentive to keep the mitzvah, we support it."

Klein agrees. Flipping through a folder full of glowing letters from clients, she says, "When a woman writes to me that Ivriya has made her want to keep the practice, it brings tears to my eyes."

According to a 2004 study by Yael Frankel on women's attitudes towards mikva, 29% of the women dislike the practice, mostly because of the excessive checking of the attendants. Moreover, 33% of the women respondents do not use the mikva because they feel it is a demeaning invasion of privacy.

"Most mikvas are about as inviting as a state health clinic," says Dr. Hana Kehat, founder of the Orthodox feminist organization, Kolech. "They're cold and bureaucratic, part of the state apparatus, and nobody really cares about the person who walks in."

Annie, a 34-year old religious native New Yorker living in Israel, used the mikva at her wedding - and never again since. "I didn't feel connected to it," she says, "and actually, it completely turned me off."

Not everyone agrees that the Ivriya approach is the ideal solution. "Certainly it's great that they are making mikva a more pleasant experience," says Rabbi Dr. Haviva Ner David, whose doctoral thesis is on the halakhic evolution of mikva. "But I would rather see a focus on developing spiritual aspects of mikva rather than on the woman's body. Empowerment and pluralism are also key issues. I would like no attendants, for example, and to do away with that whole checking and watching. An ideal mikva, in my dream, should give women freedom and privacy to explore their own spirituality in their own way."

"It's great that there is finally an option that is outside the establishment," says Kehat. "I hope that one day it will be economically accessible to all women," she adds, referring to the 60 NIS ($18) price tag for a visit before extra perks, double the price of a state-run mikva.

Still, Kehat feels that this is a very important first step. "Hopefully the fact that Ivriya exists will create competitive momentum. Maybe all the other mikvas will be forced to make improvements on what they are doing."

"If I were going to go to the mikva," muses Annie, "I would only go to a place like this, that is embracing and loving. Who knows, had Ivriya been around when I first got married, maybe I would feel differently about the whole thing."