Most bathhouse attendants are accustomed to steaming with a classic dried broom, believing that this is the only way to get maximum benefits and relaxation. But a fresh broom is no less useful and pleasant to use. It can be prepared from both tree branches and herbs.
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Experienced bath attendants recommend using fresh brooms only once. Previously, bundles that were reused were called maggots, since they no longer provide virtually any benefit.
Features of fresh brooms
Unlike dried bunches, fresh brooms have the following features:
- they give a strong aroma, which is especially noticeable with the cold steaming method;
- quick steaming, to use such bundles it is not necessary to keep the bundles in boiling water for a long time, you can use the quick method by simply holding the bundles in cold water;
- great variety, not all plants can withstand good drying, they can become very brittle, but in their fresh form you can use any wood and herbal brooms;
- short service life, as a rule, almost all fresh bundles are used no more than 1-2 times, with the exception of brooms made of birch or oak;
- ease of cleaning, dry bundles crumble and quickly turn into dust, this does not happen with fresh ones, which eliminates the need for complex cleaning of the bathhouse;
- great benefit, fresh bundles contain more essential oils and vitamins that are not destroyed during drying, this allows you to get an anti-inflammatory, tonic and antiseptic effect.
Attention! To maintain a balance in obtaining nutrients, improving skin health, and boosting immunity, it is recommended to alternate dry and fresh brooms. But only one type of connection should be used in one soar.
The benefits of a Russian bath for the body
- Improved blood circulation.
- Beneficial exercise for the heart and blood vessels.
- Improving blood clotting.
- Accelerating the removal of waste and toxins.
- Increasing breathing efficiency and developing lung capacity.
- Clearing the respiratory tract of mucus.
- Normalization of weight.
- Improving muscle function.
- Calming effect.
- Prevention of colds.
- Cleansing and moisturizing the skin.
- Revitalizing massage.
- Normalization of sleep.
- Improving the functioning of the thyroid gland.
- Prevention of cellulite.
- Acceleration of lymph outflow.
- Strengthening hair follicles.
- Improving the functioning of pores and excretory organs.
- Bactericidal effect.
If you visit the bathhouse occasionally, the body may experience stress. Experienced bath attendants recommend introducing bath procedures into a cult. In this case, the body will get used to temperature stress, and the bath will benefit it. Irregular visits to the bathhouse lead to stress in the body. The benefit in this case is conditional. The reward will be stronger immunity, good health and mood.
Birch
This type of broom is the most popular and affordable. If properly collected and processed, it can last in the steam room at least 3-4 times. More often, a dry birch broom is used for a steam room, but a fresh one will give no less benefits, and you won’t need to waste time drying it or looking for a place to store it.
To get the maximum benefit from the procedure, birch branches should be properly steamed. You can do this in several ways:
- The preparation of the broom begins 12-24 hours before going to the bathhouse . First, the bunch is kept with the leaves down for two hours. After this, the branches are turned upside down and kept in new cool water for another two hours. Then the broom is tightly wrapped in cling film and left at home. On a bath day, leave the broom for 10-15 minutes in the dressing room, after removing the film. Already in the bath, the bunch should be placed in warm water for 10-15 minutes, heated over a heater and used for its intended purpose.
- First, the bunch, leaves down, is placed in cold water for 10-15 minutes . After this period of time, transfer the broom into a container with warm water; the ideal temperature is 40 degrees. It is important that the water covers all the leaves; steam the broom for 30 minutes. After this, add boiling water to the container and use the bunch for its intended purpose.
- Hot steaming . First, the branches are placed in warm water so that all the leaves are well soaked. We hold the broom in hot water for 10-15 seconds, take it out and heat it over the stove, and lower it into the basin again. This treatment should be repeated 5-7 times.
The cold steaming method provides more benefits. Thanks to this processing, almost all microelements are preserved and essential oils are not boiled down.
You should steam with fresh birch branches by gently patting your body along the massage lines. The broom should be held as if you were wiping the skin. Moisten the branches with water from time to time so that they release more essential oils and have an antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and relaxing effect. You should not slap such a bundle too hard on the body, so as not to scratch or injure the person.
If you cannot lie down in the bathhouse, you should sit down, leaning slightly forward. You should rub a person in this position from top to bottom. If possible, use massage lines.
Expert opinion
Lovkachev Boris Petrovich
Bath master who knows everything about steaming
Attention! For greater benefits, you can add branches of medicinal plants to a birch broom - chamomile, wormwood, St. John's wort. But such brooms should be subjected to minimal heat treatment.
Oak
Oak has dense and wide leaves that absorb moisture well. Thanks to this property, oak branches are good to use for massage and adding steam. But due to the fact that oak wood is not so flexible, you should carefully approach the steaming of recently cut shoots.
- The bunch is placed in a basin or tub with cold water for 30-40 minutes, during which time the leaves will straighten out well and begin to absorb moisture. After this, the broom is turned over with the handle down, making sure that the shoots are now completely covered with water, leave it for 10-12 hours. Before bathing, remove the shoots, wrap them in a damp cloth and keep them on a bench inside a heated bath for 15-20 minutes. After this, we lower the branches into a basin of warm water and use them for their intended purpose.
- The second method is suitable for those who like tighter ligaments. First, oak branches are kept in cold water for 20 minutes, then dipped in hot, but not boiling, water. We also keep the bunch in this water for 20-30 minutes. After this, take out the broom, put it in a basin with fresh warm water and after 5-10 minutes use it for its intended purpose. Old warm water can be used to rinse the body and hair.
You should use oak bundles in the same way as a birch broom. You can also first stroke the body from bottom to top several times, then start lightly slapping it with a broom, increasing the pace each time. But it is important not to overdo it so as not to damage the skin.
Attention! Oak shoots are especially useful for people with skin diseases, including chronic ones. In case of severe rashes, the body can only be massaged! Slapping the body during periods of exacerbation of skin diseases is prohibited.
Fresh pine needles
It is recommended to use such brooms only fresh. Recently collected branches will not prick so much, will not fall off and retain all their healing properties. You only need to tie such a broom before going to the bathhouse.
Unlike classic deciduous brooms, pine needles require mandatory treatment with boiling water so that the needles become soft and do not harm the skin.
Pour boiling water into a deep container and immediately place coniferous branches pre-washed under cold water there.
Cover the tub with a lid so that the essential oils do not evaporate while steaming takes place. After half an hour you can start steaming.
Needles should only be used as a massager. There is no point in slapping the body too much, especially if some of the needles were unable to steam. You should steam starting from your feet, gradually moving to your back and arms.
Attention! Coniferous brooms are used strictly once, even if they have not crumbled. The main properties of such bundles lie in essential oils. They disappear literally within 1-2 hours after steaming.
Herbal
You can use fresh chamomile, wormwood, St. John's wort, nettle, bergamot and other beneficial herbs. Plant shoots should be collected before the seeds ripen. At the same time, it is important to cut only those herbs with succulent stems, bright flowers, if they have already appeared, without traces of rot, drying and disease.
To get more benefits from fresh herbal shoots, you can steam a broom in several ways:
- Before going to the bathhouse, rinse the herbs under running water, then immerse the bunch in a basin of cold water for 15 minutes. If the plant already has a flower part, you should not keep the shoots in water for more than 10 minutes. After this, pour hot water over the bundle and you can begin the procedures in the bathhouse.
- Place the collected stems in cold water for 2-3 minutes, then place them in hot water for 1-2 minutes. We repeat this 2-3 times, at the end the broom is doused with boiling water and the bath procedures begin. It is especially important to treat nettle this way, otherwise it will severely burn the skin.
- Herbs can also be steamed using the hot method. But here it is important not to overdo it in order to prevent the stems and leaves from becoming limp. Rinse fresh stems with cold water and place in boiling water for a minute. After this, immediately remove the broom and lower it again into cold water for 10-15 seconds. Place the treated bunch in warm water and use it for its intended purpose.
Herbal brooms are great for massages. You should proceed in the same way as with an oak broom. At the end, the bundle can be squeezed into a bowl of water and rinsed off the body and hair.
Plant bundles can be harmful if you are allergic to them. Therefore, be sure to make sure that you do not suffer from hypersensitivity to a particular plant. Allergies typically manifest as severe burning, redness, or rash. If unpleasant symptoms occur, rinse the skin and take an antihistamine.
Attention! Never keep herbal whisks in boiling water for more than a few minutes. This will destroy all the beneficial oils and vitamins. Such ligaments become practically useless.
Mistakes when visiting a bathhouse
If you have never been to a sauna, do not rush to immediately get the full range of pleasures. Beginners make common mistakes that can turn them away from an enjoyable procedure once and for all.
1 mistake - steaming at high temperatures
In a Russian bath, the rule is 60 to 60, that is, with a humidity of 60%, the temperature in the steam room should also be 60 degrees. If you raise the temperature at the same humidity, there is a danger of heat stroke. At 60 degrees, the steamer sweats. At the same time, waste is removed from the body and the person feels comfortable.
Mistake 2 – give in immediately
Do not apply steam immediately before entering the steam room. First you need to get used to the ambient temperature. Otherwise, you may overheat and feel discomfort. So the desire to steam again risks disappearing for a long time.
3 mistake - out of the frying pan and into the fire
It is recommended to douse yourself with ice water and dive into the snow after the third entry into the steam room. The body must get used to temperature changes gradually.
Error 4 – incorrect location
When you enter the steam room, lie down on the shelves with your back. The head should be located where the heat is less. It will be easier for the body to tolerate high temperatures if you raise your legs to the top. This will relieve the heart and large vessels of the legs.
5 mistake – steaming immediately after eating
After eating, postpone visiting the bathhouse for a couple of hours. It will be difficult for the body to do two things at once - digest food and maintain optimal body temperature. Avoid unnecessary stress!
Before entering the steam room, put on a felt or woolen hat - this will protect against overheating.
Questions and answers
Should you choose a fresh broom for your first visit to the bathhouse?
It makes no difference which broom to take for your first trip to the bathhouse. The main thing is that it is soft and you should not overdo it while vaping, as it is difficult to say how the body will react for the first time.
Are there any contraindications for using fresh brooms?
Since they still contain a large amount of aromatic oils and specific substances, the concentration of which decreases during drying, a fresh bunch can provoke an allergic reaction.
Which brooms are more useful: wood or herbal?
It is impossible to say which broom is better. Each of them has its own characteristics, based on which you should select a combination for yourself.
Can coniferous brooms be tied to oak or birch branches?
It is possible, but the needles require longer preparation to soak all the needles, which can be harmful to the tender leaves of the birch. For the combination, it is better to take oak shoots; they also require lengthy preparation.
How often can you use herbal brooms?
You shouldn’t use them every time you go to the bathhouse. The ideal option is 1-2 times a month.
By choosing a broom made from fresh branches or grass, you give yourself only pleasure and benefits from the bath procedures. This combination becomes not just a bath attribute, but additionally saturates the room with a bright aroma, which has a positive effect on the condition of the entire body.
Aromatherapy in the bath
Natural aromas have a beneficial effect on human health. Aromatherapy treats pulmonary, cardiovascular, and psychosomatic diseases. Some fragrances are used for preventive purposes.
For a healing effect, it is recommended to use no more than three aromas at a time. In this case, everyone’s individuality will be felt.
The procedure should be properly organized as follows. Three bunches of different aromatic plants are taken and placed as high as possible in a corner away from the stove. When water hits the heater, wet steam is formed, and it rises to the ceiling, envelops the plants and steam distillation occurs, as a result of which the steam releases phytoncides and distributes them throughout the steam room. Thus, the resulting aroma is absorbed through the lungs and body of the steamer, and he receives healing pleasure.
Secret: freshly picked plants will not give the desired effect, and therefore they are first dried. In this case, the concentration of nutrients in them reaches its peak. Some types of flora do not accept “competition”, for example: mint, wormwood, eucalyptus are placed in the steam room in a single form. That is, the first time the steamer breathes mint, the second - wormwood, the third - eucalyptus. Otherwise, the herbal cacophony will not bring pleasure. Eucalyptus brooms can additionally be placed under the head as part of the procedure. This will enhance the beneficial effect of aromatherapy.
Among experienced bath attendants, the sweet clover plant is held in high esteem. Due to its composition, it is considered a herbal massager, since its vapors are actively absorbed into the blood with a good healing effect.
Lavender is used in the steam room as a calming and relaxing agent. A few drops of lavender oil can be dissolved in a small glass container and placed on the top section of the shelf.
Precautionary measures
The inhalation effect can be so strong that it is better for people with heart problems, allergies, hypertension, and children to refrain from an aromatherapy session.
Chemical fragrances should not be used to avoid poisoning. If you decide to use store-bought essential oils instead of plants, look for a quality product with good reviews. Natural essential oil is produced using expensive equipment and is not cheap, while a cheap product will be useless at best.
The herbal infusion must be strained before pouring onto the heater. If this is not done, plant particles will smoke when in contact with hot stones, forming toxins. An unpleasant smell should also alert you. If the combination of aromas results in a “strange” odor, irritation or discomfort, get rid of the mixture and leave the steam room for a while.
If essential oils come into contact with your eyes, immediately rinse them with plenty of water.
Do not use fragrances if you have allergies, in childhood or during pregnancy.
Follow the instructions. You should not drop essential oil onto your eye. Excessive amounts of the drug increases the risk of allergies even in healthy people.
Use nature's pharmacy without fanaticism. Listen to your body and do not neglect the recommendations of doctors.
