In the land of the rising sun there is a completely different approach to personal hygiene, unusual for a Western person. A striking example of this is the Japanese ofuro bath, which is unlike any other representative of the bath traditions in the world. Unlike the familiar Russian, Finnish or Turkish bath, heating in it occurs not with steam or hot air, but with water heated to 45 ° C. Such a hot bath may seem unbearable to many, but for the Japanese the norm is at least one, and traditionally two sessions a day. Maybe that's why the people of Japan look quite young even at an advanced age? One way or another, ofuro is a great idea for arranging a full-fledged bathhouse in your own home. And most importantly: it’s easy to create it with your own hands, and with minimal effort and materials.
- 2 Construction characteristics and main elements
- 3 Additional requirements
3.1 Options for a free-standing Japanese bath ofuro in the photo
- 4.1 Interior design of the ofuro bathhouse in the photo
How to make a Japanese fukaro bath with your own hands?
A Japanese furako bath with your own hands is no longer a dream.
To make it you don’t need much – a little experience, practice and materials. The Japanese furako bath, like others (sauna, hammam, Russian) are intended not only for washing and caring for the body, but also for preventive and therapeutic procedures. But furako is not quite similar to the usual bathhouse. It is not a separate room or room, but something resembling a font or a phyto-barrel.
Do you want something like this to appear on your summer cottage? A Japanese furako bath with your own hands is no longer a dream. To make it you don’t need much – a little experience, practice and materials.
Furaco sauna - how to make?
The Japanese furako is a kind of large wooden barrel made of oak or cedar. There are benches along the entire perimeter of the font. To heat the water, in a small part of the font there is a stove, separated by a wooden partition from the main space, and which is heated with wood.
The maximum temperature in such a bath is no more than +50 degrees. During a visit, various incense and aromatic oils are often added to the hot water.
Usually, in order to enjoy Japanese furaco, bathtubs are purchased ready-made and installed independently. But you can make it yourself. To do this you need:
I install the furaco sauna on a solid foundation, since the structure filled with water has significant weight. It can be located anywhere the owners wish, but the main thing is that it is convenient to supply and discharge water. To make it easy to get into the barrel, steps are made to it. To heat the water, I install a stove with a lid, which is heated with wood and immersed in a small part of the font. The oven must be made of stainless steel, with a wall thickness of 20 millimeters.
Fuel is supplied through the top cover. The water is heated by interaction with the inside of the firebox. A DIY Japanese Furaco bath helps remove excess fluid from the body along with harmful metabolic products and improve blood circulation. It is recommended to immerse yourself in the barrel to the level of your heart.
See also video: Japanese bath Furako
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How to build the famous Japanese Ofuro bathhouse with your own hands
In the land of the rising sun there is a completely different approach to personal hygiene, unusual for a Western person. A striking example of this is the Japanese ofuro bath, which is unlike any other representative of the bath traditions in the world. Unlike the familiar Russian, Finnish or Turkish bath, heating in it occurs not with steam or hot air, but with water heated to 45 o C. Such a hot bath may seem unbearable to many, but for the Japanese the norm is at least one, and traditionally two sessions a day. Maybe that's why the people of Japan look quite young even at an advanced age? One way or another, ofuro is a great idea for arranging a full-fledged bathhouse in your own home. And most importantly: it’s easy to create it with your own hands, and with minimal effort and materials.
Brief history
All known bath traditions and buildings in one form or another influenced the development of each other. The Japanese bath followed its own branch of development without interfering with other cultures at all. Japanese bathing procedures were divided into public ones in Sento and home ones in Ofuro. The Ofuro home bath is an interesting design with its own subtleties and rules of use.
A traditional Japanese bath is made only from natural materials.
The main difference between the Japanese Ofuro is that heating occurs not from exposure to steam or heated air, but from water. The water is heated to a precise temperature of 45 °
C. For an unaccustomed person, this may seem like boiling water, but the Japanese know the benefits of carrying out the procedure every day.
Japanese emperors loved the procedure and recovered their health in Ofuro twice a day, at least once before dinner.
Japanese approach to bathing
Bath font in Japanese
In such conditions, warming up the body after being outside becomes vital. And since firewood and coal, by Japanese standards, are quite expensive and very scarce materials, representatives of this eastern culture had no choice but to invent ofuro.
A Japanese bath is a wooden barrel of water placed on a stove that heats the liquid to the required temperature. The material chosen for the container is not at all simple - traditionally it was created from pine, cedar and larch, less often - oak and other valuable species that can retain heat. Inside the barrel there are seats on which you can sit relaxed or lie in a reclining position.
Font with internal benches
As a rule, a bath is taken for 5 minutes, which is quite difficult to endure if you are not used to it. However, more hardy lovers of bath procedures can easily afford to soak in the water for about 10-15 minutes. It is recommended to dive gradually to a level below the heart, and in the process of getting used to the water, incomparable physical relaxation occurs.
Since the temperature of the water in the barrel must be within 45 o C, which is provided by the stove on which it is installed, there is a risk of thermal shock. To avoid this, the person taking the bath must put a felt cap on his head, previously soaked in cold water.
Felt bath cap
Adviсe
In order to create the atmosphere of a Japanese bath, you should adhere to some rules and customs, without which the furako will be just a barrel of hot water. Taking a hot bath is designed to relax the body, relieve muscle tension and stress, and help the body get rid of toxins. Other cleaning procedures, the use of soap and shampoos are excluded from the bath. Aromatic oils, dry herbs and natural salts are added to the water.
Before diving, you should definitely take a shower, and then relax on the couch, allow your body to get used to the temperature difference, and calm your heartbeat. Taking water treatments and a bath with hot sawdust takes no more than 10-15 minutes for a trained person. You should get into the rhythm gradually, starting from a session of 5 minutes. It is not prohibited to arrange dives every day.
Construction characteristics and main elements
It should be noted that ofuro is only one of the elements of the Japanese bath complex. In fact, this is not a bathtub at all, but a rectangular container filled with sawdust of cedar, oak or linden, preheated to 60 o C. The bathtub itself is called furako in Japanese. It is intended so that a person can relieve fatigue before immersing his body in the beneficial warmth of sawdust.
Ofuro: container with heated sawdust
As for the ofuro procedure, it is more of a massage nature, helping to improve metabolism and lose excess weight. Various phyto-ingredients are often added to sawdust, which not only provide the presence of a pleasant aroma throughout the session, but also enhance the healing effect of the procedure.
So, we have two main elements of the Japanese bath - ofuro and furako. The bottom of the first must be equipped with a special heating system that will maintain the required sawdust temperature. The font is placed on the stove, which must be made of stainless steel. Therefore, it is recommended to make its bottom from heat-resistant wood, for which Finnish technology is ideally suited.
Furaco font with internal water heating system
It is very difficult to make wooden containers for a Japanese bath yourself. It is better to purchase them ready-made, and before starting to design the bathhouse - this will allow you to better plan the interior environment. If you decide to make furaco and ofuro with your own hands, you should pay attention to their main parameters:
Furaco hot tub for several people
What's the benefit?
The Japanese bathhouse ofuro is gradually entering European life. How can this be explained, fashion or the desire to try something new?
Like all thermal procedures of this kind, this one has a beneficial effect on the human body:
- accelerates blood circulation;
- Helps cleanse the body of toxins by increasing sweating;
- It is used to treat asthma, rheumatism and all kinds of diseases.
The healing properties of this bath differ little from a traditional sauna or steam room.
However, for the Japanese, furako ofuro - a bathhouse with special baths - is one of the ways to cleanse not only the body, but also the soul; it is not just a procedure, but a ritual.
The ofuro bathhouse is more of a bathtub in technology. A wooden container is installed in a wooden building - it does not necessarily have a round shape, like a barrel, but can be made in the shape of a parallelepiped.
Inside the container there is a bench on which people sit, comfortably taking a Japanese ofuro bath. The stove is lowered inside the font, carefully insulating it - to protect people from burns - or it is placed outside, and the water flows through the pipes.
Various healing additives are added to the water: essential oils, salts, tinctures of medicinal herbs. The procedure lasts no more than 15 minutes, since the water is quite hot - it is heated to 45ºC.
The head is not immersed in the font.
But according to Japanese traditions, furako ofuro consists of several procedures. After ablution, massage and warm up the body in another container filled with hot cedar sawdust or pebbles. In Japan itself, thermal ashes are still used to complete the procedure.
This is not surprising - first people bathed in thermal springs, and only then moved the fonts to their homes.
A little history
The ofuro bath in Japan began to spread among all segments of the population along with the introduction of Buddhism.
Buddhism rejects murder, and soap was made at that time from natural raw materials - lard. It is possible to thoroughly wash the body without using detergent only with very hot water.
In Japan, the climate is quite damp, and central heating appeared only in the twentieth century - by the way, it never came into use in the Land of the Rising Sun. The walls of the houses were thin, and there was not enough stove to heat the room. It is not for nothing that children began to be hardened from birth, trying to protect them from colds in the future.
Due to tradition, it is not customary to dress warmly - clothing made of wool and fur appeared in Japan relatively recently. Therefore, the healing and warming procedure helped restore immunity during the damp winter and off-season.
If you want to take this procedure at home, and not just when visiting the Land of the Rising Sun, then you can build it yourself.
If a separate area is allocated for the structure, then it is necessary to install a reliable foundation. It must be insulated. It is necessary to take into account that the structure will be quite heavy - it will have to install a stove for heating water, a volumetric tank - sometimes two, if the plans include traditional baths with water and sawdust - a room for massage. In this case, it is customary to install the foundation of a columnar structure.
The walls of the building are made only of wood. The ideal solution is cedar or pine. Economy option: oak or larch.
In the European version of the bathhouse, the stove is not placed in an ofuro barrel - it is mounted under the container. It is not necessary to buy a large wooden barrel or order it specially. The decision to replace the round container with a rectangular one will help reduce the cost of the project. In this case, it will be easier to install the seats along the walls.
It should be taken into account that this is not just a water procedure - inhalations are also carried out at the same time. Therefore, all cracks in the walls must be insulated.
The ofuro oven is made of stainless steel. It has a relatively complex stepped design. The approach to the furnace must be completely closed, preventing water from entering the hot surface.
A stove is not needed to heat sawdust. It is more expedient to heat the sawdust using a structure built into the box, reminiscent of a “warm” floor. It is installed quite simply.
It is very important to pay attention to the quality of sawdust. They should be small enough and not sharp. Currently, cedar sawdust for furo barrels is already on sale.
The most difficult thing to make is the ofuro bath itself. Its bottom is made of heat-resistant wood, since it is in contact with the heating device. Interestingly, the technology for making a Japanese bath was developed by the Finns.
The room is usually designed after the desired volume of the container has been determined, and the barrel has even been purchased. If you make it yourself, then it is advisable to calculate the volume for 3-4 people, the height of the sides should be at least 120 cm, and the diameter 1500-1700 cm. The volume of such a container is 1300-1400 liters.
If a stove, which is heated with wood, is brought from below under baths of a smaller diameter, then an electric stove is often installed to heat such an ofuro. It is placed at some distance from the barrel, and a “piping structure” is developed.
Water exchange is carried out as in a small pool. Cooled water leaves through one pipe, hot water enters through the other. Special ovens are necessarily equipped with temperature sensors. If there is no such sensor, and water is poured manually, then it is necessary to install a water thermometer directly into the container.
It is necessary to install regular shower cabins. Before sitting in a barrel with water and medicinal components dissolved in it, you need to wash yourself. It is especially important to follow these rules if several people are taking a bath at the same time.
Be sure to install a reliable lighting and sewage system.
The dressing room in the bathhouse should be warm, and not located in the vestibule. After the procedure, the body is not only warmed up, but also relaxed; exposure to cold temperatures can reduce all the benefits of visiting a therapeutic bath to zero.
Since in European traditions it is customary to drink strong drinks when visiting “religious” buildings, it is necessary to provide a separate room where guests can drink, relax and talk.
You should not drink directly in the bath. If the alcohol takes effect quickly, you can fall into the water and choke. To eliminate rotting of logs, a reliable ventilation system is installed.
However, the basic requirements for a Japanese bath are the same as for the construction of a Russian or Finnish one. Sometimes a barrel for ofuro is placed in the sauna room - for color. Some consider this supplement to be an excellent health treatment.
The classic ofuro ceremony is performed in several stages:
- First, ablution, when the body is cleansed of household pollution - a regular shower with detergents and a washcloth.
- Next, immersion in the first container in water heated to 35ºС - the person is immersed to the level of the heart
- After 10 minutes, you finally dive into the ofuro itself - you need to put a cap soaked in cold water on your head so as not to get heatstroke. The water should not reach the level of the heart, its temperature should not be lower than 45 ºС. Sea salt is usually added to the water for complete relaxation, and essential oils. It is recommended to stay in hot water for no longer than 5-10 minutes.
- The steamed skin is thoroughly rubbed dry and placed in a container with linden or cedar sawdust heated to 60ºC, which is mixed in advance with medicinal herbs. You can simply cover a steamed person who is lying on a sunbed with sawdust. The procedure lasts up to 20 minutes.
- Another 20 minutes are spent in the ofuro with heated sea pebbles - this prepares the body for the massage. The massage itself is performed using bamboo branches.
- Then a healing immersion into oneself. You need to wrap yourself in light clothes and lie down or sit in the relaxation room, drinking green tea and thinking about existence.
This is how healing is performed in a real Japanese fufako ofuro. Of course, it is impossible to create all the conditions for a complete imitation of the life of samurai, but a mini-version ofuro also has a beneficial effect on the body, rejuvenates, calms the nerves, restores the functioning of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, and is a prevention of viral and colds.
Be beautiful and healthy!
We suggest you read: How to make ventilation in a steam room with your own hands
Additional requirements
The most suitable option for arranging a Japanese bath is a separate building. It is very advisable to place it at some distance from other buildings on your site. If it is not possible to build a separate bath complex, the dimensions of the ofuro and furaco are selected in accordance with the size of the room chosen for this.
Options for a free-standing Japanese bath ofuro in the photo
In a bathhouse, even if it is Japanese, it wouldn’t hurt to provide a shower. At the same time, as in the case of any other bath complex, you will need to plan and organize a lighting, water supply, sewerage and heating system.
If you want to build a Japanese bathhouse in which you are going to receive guests, you should organize an additional room for a changing room. You also need a dressing room or just a separate room where you can drink tea, talk with guests and just relax before or after bath procedures.
A ventilation system is a mandatory attribute of any bath complex. It must provide effective ventilation to avoid the accumulation of excess dampness in the premises.
Air circulation and arrangement of a ventilation system in a timber bathhouse
In many ways, the characteristics of a Japanese bathhouse resemble a Russian one. This means that during construction you can safely follow the same rules and construction techniques as for the latter.
Finally, it is not advisable to make a Japanese ofuro bath too cramped. Considering the volume of the furaco bath and the container for warming the body with sawdust, sufficient free space should be provided. Especially when it comes to a bathhouse complex designed to accommodate several people.
Placing the elements of the ofuro bath
When building a separate bathhouse or decorating a room allocated for it, it is necessary to strictly follow safety rules. This means that all heating elements must be insulated from the wood and securely fenced to avoid burns to visitors.
Japanese hot tub with external stove
Materials
In the construction of Japanese baths, just like Russian ones, natural materials are used, the main part of which is wood. For ofuro and furaco, preference is given to cedar or oak. This type of wood is the most durable and also has healing qualities. Coniferous wood (larch or pine) is used in more economical options, but it should be borne in mind that at high temperatures, coniferous wood will release resin. Wooden coverings in the bathhouse are treated with an antiseptic, this increases their service life.
The bathhouse excludes any artificial materials, for example, the use of plastic for wall decoration. When heated, plastic coverings will warp and also release toxins.
Natural stones are used to decorate the room. They can be used to lay the floor in a recreation room or decorate a Japanese bonsai garden.
The exception is sento, where the floor and pool are most often tiled, and the walls may be decorated with mirrors.
Construction and finishing
Any construction begins with laying the foundation. For a separate ofuro bath, it must be calculated in accordance with the soil characteristics of the site and the climatic conditions of the region.
To build a Japanese bathhouse on a site with maximum cost savings, it is best to choose a pile or columnar foundation. The support piles are installed below the soil freezing line using concreting, backfilling or a combined method. The grillage can be made of wood, metal or concrete. However, the last two options can withstand a much heavier structure.
Pile foundation for a one-story log bathhouse
The walls and roof of the bath complex are made of various types of wood, but it must be selected, that is, without the slightest defect. Cedar and oak are best suited for this, but larch, pine and other resin-producing species are not recommended. In most cases, aspen, poplar or linden are used to decorate the walls of an ofuro bathhouse, although other hardwoods can also be used.
Interior design of the ofuro bathhouse in the photo
The roof of the bathhouse can have an attic space, and its shape can be single- or gable. First, the ceiling is always erected and only after that the construction of the roof begins. Work can be performed both on the ground and directly on the frame of the building.
Furaco, that is, a font designed for 1200 - 1500 liters of water, will weigh 200-250 kg. The same applies to ofuro - a container for heating with sawdust. Together with the latter, she will weigh about three times more than an ordinary person. This, as well as all other loads, should be carefully taken into account when constructing the floor. In the process, water supply and sewerage systems, as well as heating, are installed under the main elements of the complex. All engineering communications, including electrical, are laid in accordance with current standards. And most importantly: doors and windows in a Japanese bath should also be made of wood.
Laying the floor in the bathhouse
Construction project
The construction of the bath complex goes through several standard stages:
- laying the foundation;
- walling;
- roof decking;
- room decoration.
The main section of the Japanese bath is the room for ofuro and furako. If the area of the future building is limited, then the room for the bathtub is calculated taking into account only the volume of the bathtubs and the ease of access to them. You definitely need to allocate space for the dressing room, where you can take off your clothes and leave your shoes.
Construction should begin with laying the foundation. By the way, it is necessary even if the Furaco barrel is installed outdoors. Wooden containers with water that can accommodate several people weigh a lot, and therefore you need to make a stable base for them. The foundation for a bathhouse can be strip or pile. If you choose a strip foundation for the entire structure, a separate monolithic foundation should be poured in place of the water barrel. To do this, a hole is dug at a selected location, a “cushion” of sand and gravel is laid, reinforced with a metal frame and filled with concrete.
For the construction of the walls and roof truss system, high-quality wood that has been treated with antiseptics is used. It is worth noting that traditional Japanese baths are built from cedar and oak, which are 300-500 years old. However, in our conditions, such a luxury may not be affordable for everyone. Precious oak wood can easily be replaced by timber or galvanized pine or larch logs. The main thing is that the material is free of rot and wormholes.
The roof of a free-standing bathhouse can be single-pitch or gable. If you plan to attach a veranda to the bathhouse, then at the initial stage it makes more sense to immediately plan a common roof. This will significantly reduce the cost of roofing material and labor costs. The roofing material can be anything, but for a bathhouse it is most profitable to choose the economical option of metal tiles or galvanized corrugated sheets. In addition to their inexpensive price and fire safety, these materials are offered in a wide range of colors, which can make the bathhouse truly an adornment of landscape design.
For the interior decoration of bathhouses, only natural materials, mainly of wood origin, are used. The lining retains heat well and looks beautiful:
- from linden - durable material with a pinkish structure and a pleasant aroma;
- alder - the wood is resistant to heat, avoids burns, has a reddish tint;
- larch is a relatively inexpensive option with high performance properties.
Experts do not recommend choosing lining made from birch and aspen for a bathhouse, since this wood is not resistant to humidity and will quickly fail. Coniferous species are practically not used in the interior decoration of bathhouses due to the increased release of resins when heated. The most expensive, but also respectable finishes are cedar and oak.
Japanese bath procedures and their therapeutic effect
Unlike any other baths, the Furaco font does not relax, but rather tones the body. However, this is only in the first seconds, while getting used to 45-degree water occurs. In the next minutes, the body relaxes and you seem to dissolve in the bath, experiencing sweet languor and a feeling of real weightlessness. All this happens to the body because furaco:
During a furaco session with sweating, a person can lose about a liter of fluid, which leaves the body along with salts, toxins and other harmful substances.
Ofuro bath with cosmetic effect
After taking a bath, the ofuro procedure follows. You lie down in the container and the bath attendant covers your body with a layer of warm sawdust. The temperature effect obtained here perpetuates the effect of the bath, with the only difference being that you feel the heat dry.
This allows the body to get rid of toxins and disperse blood through the capillaries while simultaneously completely relaxing the muscular system. After finishing with ofuro, you will feel as if you were born again thanks to improved blood circulation filled with oxygen.
Before the bath and after the ofuro procedure, you should take a rinsing shower, after which it is a good idea to sit in the dressing room to allow the body to adapt to the normal ambient temperature and the lungs to adapt to the room air.
Decoration of the relaxation room in the dressing room of the Japanese Ofuro bath
As you can see, the construction of a Japanese ofuro bathhouse is in many ways similar to the method of constructing a Russian or Finnish bathhouse, with the exception of bathing containers and heated sawdust. Having such a complex at your disposal, you can not only improve your health and well-being, but also give such a chance to your household, friends and guests.
Medical effect of ofuro
In the West, many successful people have already appreciated the dignity of the Japanese bath. Moreover, their popularity came not only because of the opportunity to relax, but also because of their healing properties. Among them the following points can be highlighted:
- Japanese ofuro baths are great for relieving stress;
- Stimulates the functioning of the kidneys and cardiovascular system;
- Metabolism is normalized;
- Relieves pain due to rheumatism;
- Regular adoption of these procedures reduces the risk of acute respiratory infections;
- As a result of exposure to hot water, toxins and waste are removed from the body through the pores;
- Excess weight is lost due to the fact that fat deposits are effectively dissolved during the session.
Outdoor sauna
People who take care of their body and constantly look after themselves, after regularly taking this bath, will definitely feel and see that ofuro is truly an excellent addition to daily body care.
Advice! The most comfortable time for taking a water outdoor bath is winter, spring and autumn.
Features of the furaco bath
The traditional Japanese bath complex includes 2 elements: the furako bath itself and the ofuro bath:
In its simplest form, a Japanese bathhouse is a real barrel, spacious enough to accommodate a person in a sitting position. The barrel is equipped with a pair of steps, filled with hot water, which is then drained and replaced.
A more complex and modern version of the Japanese bathhouse, Furako, is a large font divided into 2 unequal parts. The more spacious one is intended for the bathroom and is equipped with benches for seating. A stove is installed in the smaller part of the bathhouse. Tradition presupposes a wood-burning stove, but today Furaco is equipped with both gas and electric models.
The stove can also be located outside: this option is more convenient if the Japanese bath is small in size.
The benefits and harms of furaco
The effect of furaco on the body consists of two components. Firstly, this is the influence of heated wood, which releases essential oils and beneficial substances into the water. Secondly, this is the hot water of the bath: its temperature in a Japanese furako barrel reaches 45–50 degrees. Such a hot liquid is difficult to perceive at first, you need to get used to it.
The Japanese furako bath, despite the unusual appearance and nature of the procedure, has the same positive effect as the usual forms of steam room and sauna:
The Japanese bath also has its disadvantages:
Contraindications to visiting furaco
Like any other procedures involving hot water or steam, the Japanese furake bath has contraindications. They are associated either with the general health of the user or with damage to the skin:
Visits to the Japanese furako bath, along with visits to the sauna or steam room, are prohibited if there are contraindications associated with special conditions: for example, after surgery, when performing certain cosmetic procedures, etc.
Accessories
When purchasing or making your own bathtubs for a Japanese bath, you should keep in mind that wooden containers alone will not be enough.
The main element included in any bathhouse is the stove. Sauna stoves are made of high quality stainless steel. If the model is intended to be immersed in a furaco barrel, it must certainly be sealed. Furnaces for furaco and ofuro can be either traditional - wood-burning, or, in a modern style, gas or electric.
The Furaco barrel package includes:
- thermometer to regulate water temperature to avoid burns and heat stroke;
- steps for climbing into the barrel;
- seating around the perimeter inside the tank;
- a grate enclosing the internal stove;
- water drainage device;
- a lid that retains heat during idle time and protects against debris if the barrel is located outdoors.
In modern models offered by manufacturers, additional items are often included in the package: electric pumps, hoses, devices for water filtration, decorative hanging tables for drinks.
Rules for visiting furaco
To benefit from a Japanese bath, you should follow certain recommendations.
The bathroom is filled with cedar, linden, and oak sawdust. Medicinal herbs, roots, dry leaves and flowers, and essential oils are added to the mixture. The total weight of sawdust is about 45–50 kg. The mixture is heated to 45–50 degrees.
After the font, the user is immersed in sawdust up to his neck. The weight of the top layer does not exceed 2–3 kg. When heated, sawdust releases beneficial oils and volatile disinfectants, which has a strong healing effect. A person stays in such a bathroom for up to 30 minutes.
After the ofuro with sawdust, it is recommended to spend another 15 minutes in a bath with pebbles. The same box is half filled with pebbles heated to 60 degrees. A sheet or towel is placed on the pebbles, and the user is positioned as convenient for him: on his stomach or on his back. The procedure is extremely useful for back pain and spinal problems.
The Japanese bath ends in the same way as the Russian one: with hot fragrant tea and relaxation.
Do-it-yourself Japanese furako bath
You can make a furaco bathhouse with your own hands. This will require some skills and materials. However, first of all you should decide on the size of the product.
Japanese baths are not designed for different numbers of people. Recommended sizes are shown in the table.
Furaco barrel diameter, m
For any model of a Japanese bath, boards of almost the same thickness are used - 42–48 mm. Their task is to ensure that the temperature is maintained, and this is important for both a small barrel and a large one.
Materials for making furaco
For a good Japanese bath, choose dried boards obtained from the most mature wood possible. The wood of a young tree is not only more friable, but also contains fewer nutrients. Medium density species are preferable, since wood that is too hard is difficult to process.
The best materials for a Japanese furako bath include several types of wood.
Furaco font
A barrel for a Japanese bath can be purchased at the appropriate store. Such a font for 2–3 people will cost 50–80 thousand rubles. You can make a barrel of furaco with your own hands. To do this you need to have some skills.
Place the structure anywhere in the bathhouse, but always on a solid foundation, since the filled furaco has a fair amount of weight.
Details of the installation of the Japanese furaco bath should be found out before starting work.
Furnace oven
For Japanese baths, compact stoves with a body made of high-quality stainless steel are used. Depending on the operating principle, different solutions are allowed:
In addition, such furaco stoves are distinguished by installation method.
Built-in oven
The built-in oven is located directly in the barrel. A small platform is built for her in the smaller part of the Japanese bathhouse and surrounded by a wooden lattice. The latter simply protects swimmers from possible burns, since the body of the structure heats up quite strongly.
Most often, this installation method is used for wood leaks. At the same time, the placement of the furaco is limited by an additional requirement: the built-in stove is equipped with a chimney and this must be taken into account during installation.
Outdoor oven
This solution is possible thanks to modern technologies. Compact stoves - gas, electric, wood - can now be mounted on the outside of the barrel or installed nearby. Furaco with an external stove can accommodate more users.
It is also recommended to cover the outer stove in a Japanese bath with a wooden box to prevent burns.
Recommendations
Since furaco is a rather complex design, and it is difficult for non-professionals to prepare it, it is better to order an individual project or buy a ready-made sample. To make it, you should use boards from trees that have grown for at least 200 years. After completion of the work, the surface of the barrel must be coated with wax (this will increase its service life). Metal structures cannot be used for connection. Be sure to make a couple of wooden stairs so that you can enter and exit the furaco autonomously, without interfering with each other.
If the barrel is placed on top of the stove, it is recommended to place a reliable thermometer inside: then it will be easier to control the water temperature. When choosing a design with an internal oven location, a vertical partition is used, thanks to which users will not be at risk of burns. The oven must be completely immersed in water: you need to take only structures that close hermetically. Furaco, heated by external stoves through a heating water supply, is the most modern and safe solution.
In the latter case, you will need to provide an additional pipe to drain the cooled liquid (the tap at the bottom helps drain the container). Wood heating is preferable for outdoor baths; an electrical system is more often used inside the building. Compliance with truly Japanese traditions implies a large size of the rest room.
Buddhist slowness and tranquility require the use of large tables, chairs and comfortable sofas, and the allocation of a place where you can make tea. A sanitary facility in a Japanese bath is strictly required. For the top waterproofing of foundation pillars, it is recommended to use liquid bitumen, covered with two layers of roofing material. When decorating interior spaces, you should not use pine and spruce: these species easily heat up (the risk of burns is high). Any wood should be treated with antiseptic compounds. A ventilation system is always installed, thanks to which the room will dry faster.
A Japanese-style sawdust bath is filled with sawdust, heated to 50 degrees. Traditionally, cedar sawdust mixed with rice bran and crushed medicinal plants is considered to have the most valuable medicinal properties. You should not think that using a Japanese bath in a city apartment is an unattainable dream.
Its imitation is achieved through special techniques:
- water heated to exactly 37 degrees is poured into the bath;
- within 12 - 15 minutes of bathing, you need to gradually raise the temperature to 41 - 43 degrees;
- warmed-up visitors come out and put on terry robes;
- sweating takes approximately 1⁄2 hours;
- a suitable drink is tea with raspberries or honey;
- The procedure ends with air drying and two hours in bed under blankets.
For a review of the Japanese bath, watch the following video.
Heated hot tub - design choice
The idea of combining business with pleasure and building an outdoor swimming pool with water heated from a fire source is not new. Such designs have been known since antiquity. For example, Japanese Furako (Ofuro).
Fonts are placed next to the house or bathhouse.
On the open terrace.
The font bowl is made of plastic: polyethylene, polypropylene, with a fiberglass liner, or wood, which is considered less hygienic.
A wood stove is placed nearby.
Or mounted inside the font.
People prefer free-standing hot tubs with an external stove.
But such bathtubs from the manufacturer, if you buy them, cost a pretty penny. The solution is to roll up your sleeves and make a hot tub yourself, as Pit7pit did.
It all started with “wants”.
I want to make an outdoor winter plunge pool for myself and my wife. I took as a basis an old cast iron bathtub “Made in the USSR” weighing 100 kg. I brought her to the station. I barely unloaded it. I figured out how and what. The next idea is to weld a frame from metal pipes. Place a bathtub into this podium, 4x5 m. Make a barbecue type stove underneath it. Bring the chimney through the podium, not forgetting about fire safety, and cover the structure with a board. Next: I pour water into the bath and light a fire in the stove. I'll add herbs to the water for flavor. I plunge into the heated water and feel blissful in nature, in the fresh air. Well, in the summer, I use the plunge pool as a mini-pool, and sunbathe on the plank flooring. What do you think of the idea?
The user was puzzled by the following questions:
Without waiting for answers, because... an outdoor hot tub is a rarity, Pit7pit built it himself, picking up some “bruises and bumps” in the process.
Types of Hot Springs
Natural hot springs (Onsen) are numerous and very popular throughout Japan.
There are many types of hot springs, differing in the minerals dissolved in the water. Different minerals provide different health benefits, and all hot springs should have a relaxing effect on your body and mind. Hot spring baths come in different types, both indoor and outdoor, gender-segregated and mixed, developed and undeveloped. Many hot spring baths are owned by ryokans, while others are public baths. An overnight stay at a hot spring ryokan is highly recommended for any visitor to Japan.
There are many types of hot springs. A common hot spring is a hot water bath. Depending on the source, different minerals dissolve in water, giving it different health benefits, colors and smells. Many hot springs contain sulfur and have a corresponding smell.
Hot spring water baths come in indoor, outdoor and different sizes. Street baths are called (Rotemburo). While some baths are wooden or stone baths, others are built to resemble or are actually natural hot spring pools. Some outdoor baths are spectacularly located in mountains, valleys or along rivers, lakes or seashores.
Besides regular hot water baths, a popular feature of large bathtubs are so-called waterfalls, which comfortably massage your shoulders as you sit underneath them. Other types of baths include sand baths, where bathers are buried in naturally heated sand, mud baths, and steam rooms.
Ashyu are shallow hot spring pools for foot-only bathing. They are found on the streets of many hot spring resorts and can be used for free.Large Inn (Onsen Ryokan)
Onsen Ryokan
You don't need to stay overnight in the ryokan to enjoy its bathing experience. Many ryokans open their bathhouses to the general public, usually only during the day and for an entrance fee of several hundred yen. In addition to the ryokan, most hot spring resorts also have public baths with hot spring water.
Hot springs in Japan can be enjoyed naked, although there are a few exceptions. While most baths are separated by gender, some are mixed. Mixed baths are usually found in more remote areas of the country.
Additionally, some establishments have both gender-segregated and mixed sections, such as in the case where there is only one impressive outdoor bath that the owner wants to make available to both genders.
Many Japanese women, especially younger ones, avoid mixed hot springs, and it is not unusual for mixed hot springs to be used almost exclusively by men.
If you don't feel comfortable naked in front of other people, you should ask about the "kashikiri" (private) baths that are available in some ryokans. Private baths are sometimes also called kazokuburo, translated as family baths.
