Japanese baths: ofuro, furako and sento - their features and the effectiveness of ablution procedures

The Japanese bath has little in common with traditional European baths and saunas.

The process of ablution in the countries of the East belongs to completely different cultural traditions, the history of which goes back many centuries. This is not just a hygienic procedure - it is a ritual designed to preserve the health, beauty and youth of the body, as well as inner spiritual harmony and tranquility.

Furaco barrels in Finnish style

In this northern country, the wooden bathtub is especially popular. Finns have long known what furako is. They gave it its own name - palyu. It harmoniously complements the traditional sauna. In Finland they love water and swimming in lakes. But summer is quickly ending. The heated plunge pool extends the swimming season.

Strange car trailers are moving along Finnish roads. Furaco barrels with stoves of different designs are installed on the platforms. Barrels for outdoor bathing can be rented, brought with you to a campsite or on a visit to a country house.

The Finns heat the water in the font to 25-30 degrees. Gatherings in a barrel alternate with a sauna. There the temperature for vaping is -70-100 degrees. Warm water after such heating gradually reduces the load on the heart and blood vessels.

Furaco baths in Finland are made using modern technologies. A wood stove is an element of country romance. But more often they install electric heaters. The wood is subjected to special treatment to increase its service life. It is used for benches and decorative exterior cladding. The font itself is made of plastic or metal ceramics.

Selecting a location

The equipment of a Japanese bath in open areas has its own subtleties. You need to choose an area where the sun does not heat too much. Otherwise, the wood will heat up and dry out. It is recommended not to leave furaco in dry mode for a long time. It is unacceptable to build a bathhouse where it will create crowding. It is impossible for her to be tight

It is important to make the Japanese bath room not too large: this will entail the need to heat unnecessary area

Separating the building from other buildings and objects is also necessary because it increases fire protection. When there is not much space on the site, it is worth combining furaco with a residential building, and not placing it on the street or in a separate building. The choice of a two-level solution helps to further reduce the occupied area. The bathhouse itself is located on the first tier, and the upper tier is reserved for the rest room. If desired, you can distribute different parts of the Japanese bath in height, so you can relax in the house.

Thermal baths in Germany

As in Japan, baths in Germany are often located near thermal springs. Some have existed since ancient Rome. Furaco baths have expanded the list of services in balneotherapy clinics with cold mineral waters. Hot baths are combined with therapeutic mud and massage.

Joint gatherings in furaco with beer are common in Germany. As in Japan, people dive into the font without clothes. City baths without division into male and female halves still surprise tourists in this country.

Questions and answers

What oils are suitable for furaco?

In Japanese tradition, oils are used when bathing depending on the desired effect. Chamomile, sage, and valerian will have a calming effect. Citrus fruits are suitable for a cosmetic effect, and verbena and geranium are suitable for headaches and cramps.

How not to overheat in furaco for the first time?

Be sure to listen to your body; if you feel dizzy, it is better to leave the bath and rest for a while, or take a shower at a cooler temperature.

What temperature should the tea drunk after procedures be?

To increase sweating, be sure to drink the tea hot.

Is it possible to use soap in the bath?

Even in modern times, soap is not used in a Japanese bath. It is allowed to soap the skin only at the stage of taking a shower before the procedures.

Are there any additional procedures at sento besides bathing?

No, visitors can only be offered a tea ceremony or a special place for relaxation.

Great Britain

At the beginning of the century, the word glamping appeared on the islands. This is the name for a glamorous outdoor recreation. The most comfortable conditions are created in tents, wigwams or yurts. Guests are guaranteed a warm toilet, shower, kitchen and walks along ecological trails.

Furaco baths immediately fit into the life of glamping camps. This is all-season fun for couples and groups. In England, even in summer it can be damp and chilly. It’s nice to plunge into the ofuro plunge pool in this weather. In the heat after a hot bath, the body breathes easier and sweats less. Reviews of visits to barrels of all types are always enthusiastic.

Contrary to Japanese traditions

Having borrowed Japanese barrels, few places became imbued with Japanese philosophy. Almost all foreigners behave outrageously in furaco. From a Japanese point of view.

The font is a Japanese cult item. In the land of the rising sun, the guests of honor are the first to dive into the water. All conversations are conducted quietly and very politely. To drink sake, people go to special rest rooms.

In other countries they can jump into a barrel like into a swimming pool. Guests sit in the water in swimsuits and swimming trunks. They laugh and splash water. They bring drinks and food. The water temperature is much lower than in Japan.

But this does not overshadow swimming outside in the middle of the snow, at temperatures below -10 degrees. In Russia, the owner of a street barrel has to clear a path in deep snow. Guests flee through the frost from the warm living room or dressing room in clouds of steam. It's hard to look serious after a run like that.

In winter it gets dark early, so the font or sauna gazebo is illuminated by electric light bulbs. The vat has underwater lighting. This creates a festive winter mood. It's hard to resist a glass of mulled wine. For such parties, the owners of country houses install a furaco font.

Do-it-yourself Japanese furako bath

It is important to decide why you need a Japanese Furaco bathtub in your garden. To entertain guests? For relaxation and health? The cost of implementing the project depends on this.

Steel vats

A steel vat is perfect for surprising guests. It is cheaper and more durable than a wooden barrel. It's easier to keep clean. A wooden container should not be left without water for a long time. The steel vat can be easily dismantled and stored in a basement or shed.

The sauna vat is lined with stone or brick and lined with wood for thermal insulation. Layers of thermal insulation are laid between the casing and the walls of the vat. A furnace for heating water is placed under the bottom of the vat. This way the water heats up faster and less wood is consumed.

The original design is a vat suspended on three supports. A fireplace is folded under it or windbreaks are placed around the fire pit.

A steel vat with an external furnace can be placed on a platform with wheels and moved around the site.

Amateur welders post videos. They demonstrate the process of making a vat from a sheet of steel. But you shouldn’t take on such work without experience.

Many companies have mastered the production of bath vats. You can buy the finished product from them. Or order a container of the required size and shape.

Installing a vat provides space for those who like to work with their hands at their leisure. You can build a full-fledged aqua gazebo, with a changing room and a relaxation area. Limit yourself to building the foundation. Build a podium around the boiler and build a wooden walkway away from the house.

You can attach a veranda to a Russian bathhouse and install an outdoor font there. Each owner has his own engineering and design solutions.

Innovative ideas

Inventors have found a budget option for an outdoor bathtub. An external furnace with a heat exchanger is connected to a frame plastic pool. You can swim in summer and winter. In the cold season, wooden flooring is laid in the pool, benches or sun loungers are placed. You can take a Japanese bath.

Working with wood

Do-it-yourself Japanese Furako bathhouse in the best traditions is a wooden barrel. In Japan, with limited resources, there are not many huge barrels. They were made in the castles of the nobility and in public baths. In the house of an ordinary Japanese there was a single barrel about a meter high. The barrel was intended for all family members. We took turns warming up; the water was not changed every day.

Wooden sauna vats are made in Russia and Finland. Furaco barrels have become a profitable business for the woodworking industry.

Marketers support ideas about the medicinal properties of wood. Spas advertise Japanese natural wood barrels. They are used for rejuvenating herbal treatments.

Interesting. Bath color therapy is coming into fashion. It is known that light waves of different lengths have different effects on the body and mood. In a bathhouse, when a person is relaxed, the effect is enhanced. Cool colors reduce aggression and calm. Warm and bright help overcome the winter blues.

Special waterproof lamps and reflective screens are installed in steam rooms and saunas. A white plastic liner is installed in the Furaco barrel. LED cords are laid between the liner and the walls of the font. A remote control is included to control color and mood.

How is it useful?

In addition to the obvious effect of excellent cleansing, the Japanese bath has other beneficial properties:

On a regular visit:

• Stress and nervous tension are reduced. Long relaxation sessions help fight depression and anxiety.
• Through heated skin, waste and toxins are well removed. Tree resins are disinfected and disinfected.
• Along with sweat, excess fluid comes out, swelling decreases, and weight normalizes. It is believed that the Japanese rarely gain extra pounds, largely due to regular visits to the bathhouse.
• Helps with muscle spasms or after intense exercise. Hot stone baths also have the ability to relieve myalgia.

• Blood circulation improves. This is a good prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
• The condition of the joints improves. It is especially recommended to visit Japanese baths for people with gout, arthrosis, arthritis, etc. Healing sessions relieve pain and increase mobility.
• It has an excellent effect on the skin, accelerates regeneration processes and has a rejuvenating effect. Taking baths with sawdust is a kind of peeling.
• With long-term visits to the bathhouse, the immune system is strengthened, and the visitor is less likely to be exposed to colds and viral diseases.

When visiting a Japanese bath, you should pay attention to contraindications:

• Pregnant women should not practice such procedures.
• Also, children under 3 years of age should not visit the bathhouse.
• If you have cardiovascular diseases, you must first consult a doctor.
• Serious diseases of the respiratory system, for example, tuberculosis, are a reason to refuse to visit a Japanese bath.
• Exacerbation of chronic or colds and viral diseases is not the best time for such procedures.

Cooperage

Even in the days of subsistence farming, barrels were made by specialists - coopers. For a long-lasting barrel, good wood and skillful hands were needed. Furaco manufacturers are subject to the same requirements.

The wood is harvested in ecologically clean areas of the Siberian taiga. These are larch and cedar. In Finland, thermowood is used. After processing at high temperatures, any wood is suitable for a bathhouse or furaco barrel. Its structure does not change from moisture and steam.

Barrel parameters for outdoor swimming:

The thickness of the dies is 4-5 cm, regardless of the diameter of the barrel. This is the optimal size for saving heat.

A Japanese furako sauna, made by yourself, can be of any configuration. A round barrel is a traditional but not required shape. It’s easier to assemble a rectangular wooden bathtub with your own hands. An oval-shaped font is more comfortable for two.

Wooden dies for a barrel cannot be placed on glue or sealant. This shortens the life of the container. High-quality assembly is achieved by adjusting the grooves.

Furaco is collected like an ordinary barrel. A bevel is made at the side ends of the dies (the cross section becomes a trapezoid). The dies are pulled together with hoops and driven into place with a wooden hammer. Mark the installation location of the bottom. Then the barrel is disassembled, a groove is made, the bottom is inserted, reassembled and trimmed to height.

A high-quality and durable connection is guaranteed by the moon groove. The tenon and the mate have a semicircular shape. It is difficult to make such a groove without special equipment. Therefore, it is easier to buy ready-made parts for a furaco bath. Many companies sell this type of construction set. With assembly instructions.

Holes are made in the finished barrel for draining and connecting the pipes of the external furnace. The immersed oven is installed on a console or on legs. They are secured with stainless steel self-tapping screws. The heated metal should not come into contact with the walls and bottom of the font. The top edge of the stove is above the water level.

Install benches and furnace fencing. The barrel is filled with water for several days. The wood swells, all grooves close hermetically, and leaks disappear.

Submersible furnace design

The wood-burning stove body is a sealed rectangular box made of stainless steel. Firewood is loaded through the top. The inside of the oven is tripled so that the air for blowing is sucked in through the gap between the lid and the body. The base of the chimney is low.

The furaco stove is selected according to the size of the font. Furnaces from different manufacturers may have separate design features.

The external oven can be connected to a container made of any material. The water is heated by circulation. Cold water from below moves through the pipe into the heat exchanger. The heated water flows back into the font. The layers of water need to be stirred (it is recommended to take a paddle).

An outdoor stove is safer and easier to light. Heating the entire volume with the stove outside is slower.

Features ofuro

What is a Japanese bath? This is a wooden box or barrel. For its manufacture, larch, oak or cedar wood is used. According to Japanese beliefs, Ofuro is the unity of all elements: fire, that is, heat, earth, that is, wood, air in the form of steam and water.

The dimensions are standard: 81 cm – depth, 1 m – width and 1.4 m – length. A step is installed inside the bathtub for a comfortable reclining position. A special oven should heat the water to fifty degrees. It is possible to heat water from outside: the fire is lit under a thin layer of stone. With its help, the water is heated. Salts from thermal springs and aromatic oils are added to the bath.

Immersion in ofuro is also carried out in compliance with age-old traditions. The heart area is necessarily under water. After just ten minutes of being inside the ofuro, the pulse increases to one hundred and twenty beats. Often a Japanese bath ends with immersion in a dry, preheated barrel with healing aromatic herbs, oils and cedar sawdust, furako. The temperature inside it is even higher than in ofuro: sixty degrees. Sawdust perfectly absorbs sweat, and beneficial substances from the wood penetrate inside through the pores.

When first immersing yourself in ofuro, you get the feeling that it is impossible to withstand such a temperature of water: it is boiling water. The bath does not relax, but tones. But very little time passes and there is a feeling of complete dissolution inside the bath, weightlessness.

Fatigue disappears, the body seems to receive a charge of energy. Blood circulates faster, the skin becomes more elastic, renewed and begins to breathe better, and the figure becomes toned. All muscles relax, and sweat washes away traces of fatigue.

Additional accessories

To care for a furaco barrel, you need simple equipment. They are offered by manufacturers of bath equipment:

• Barrel lid. Protects from debris and heat loss during heating.
• Long-handled poker and ash scoop
• Pump for quick drainage of water (or natural flow drainage system)
• Thermometers
• Paddle for stirring water

A floating tray table is useful for receiving guests. They even offer light and music lighting for furaco baths. But a disco in a bathhouse is not Japanese. A set of aromatic oils and herbal mixtures will come in handy. To combine fun and wellness on a frosty bath day.