The Russian bath is characterized by a combination of relatively low temperature (about 50-70o C) and high humidity (about 45-65%). Such conditions allow you to deeply warm the bones and muscles, get rid of many diseases and cleanse the skin. Regular visits to a Russian bathhouse can save you from the need to visit the gym: one visit to the steam room is equivalent in terms of calorie expenditure to a couple of hours of working on exercise machines. But not everyone can withstand such loads. The main thing is to know how to take a steam bath correctly. Ignoring the rules for preparing and visiting the steam room can cause harm to the body.
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General rules
Typically, a Russian bathhouse has at least two rooms: a steam room with a high temperature and a dressing room or washing room, where the temperature is much lower. In the steam room there is a stove on which stones are heated. As soon as they are heated, specially prepared herbal infusions are poured onto them.
But the main feature of the Russian bath is massage using a broom. Brooms are prepared from young shoots of different types of trees. They all have their purpose and action.
Types of brooms and their effects
The palm of popularity belongs to the oak and birch broom. Birch cleanses and soothes the skin, heals wounds. Oak broom has a bactericidal and anti-inflammatory effect, makes the skin elastic and toned. A broom made from juniper or fir needles is also used in the bathhouse. It can cure radiculitis and improve the condition of the nervous system.
There are many types of brooms; they are used not only for traditional massage, but also for aromatizing rooms and inhalations
Sometimes bird cherry is used, which has an anti-influenza effect. A walnut broom reduces varicose veins, heals small ulcers on the skin, and alleviates diabetes. Alder leaves adhere well to the skin, removing toxins from it, removing phlegm from the lungs during bronchitis and cough. Eucalyptus is a rather rare plant for our area, but a broom made from it will make the air in the bathhouse even more healing, make breathing much easier and improve your well-being. Brooms are also made from nettles. It is successfully used to treat high blood pressure and calm “disturbed” nerves, relieving pain in the joints and back.
To achieve maximum effect, brooms need to be properly prepared for the bath procedure: steamed. In addition, during use, it must be immersed in hot/warm water from time to time. And you need to work with a broom wisely: you can’t hit the body too hard, as you can burn or injure the skin. You need to lightly tap the broom on the skin, “stretching” the leaves a little.
Details about bath brooms
Always choose the fluffiest broom for your bath. The method of steaming it largely depends on the branches used.
Birch broom is one of the most popular brooms. Essential oils and tannins contained in birch leaves disinfect the air. The same effect is produced on the skin and respiratory organs.
The linden broom is very soft. It will help get rid of headaches and rashes.
Oak is known for its large amount of tannins. They are found in the bark, as well as in the branches and leaves that are used to make brooms. This bath tool will be useful for those with oily skin, as well as people suffering from sweating. A broom made from oak branches is heavier than a birch one, but it is stronger and retains its appearance during several visits to the bathhouse.
Eucalyptus broom releases bactericidal substances abundantly. They have a positive effect on both the skin and the respiratory system.
Bird cherry is very tender and has a pleasant aroma. It has a mild healing effect.
Coniferous brooms (fir, pine, juniper) help get rid of the effects of a cold. The essential oils contained in them have a calming effect. These brooms are hard and prickly. They are not recommended for use by people with sensitive and vulnerable skin.
A broom does not have to consist solely of one plant. You can use “bouquets” of tree branches and stems of wormwood and tansy in the bathhouse.
For steaming, birch and oak brooms are most often kept in a basin for about 20 minutes. The second option: quickly “bathe” the bath accessory in hot water, pack it in a plastic bag and let it lie in the steam room on the top shelf.
Bundles of coniferous branches need to be steamed with boiling water until soft. However, if you like a hard massage, you can only rinse the prickly broom without waiting for the needles to completely soften.
The most extreme broom
The most extreme brooms include nettle brooms. Only extreme visitors who are not afraid of pain will risk trying it.
Fresh stinging nettle leaves are used. The first reaction to them is very painful. However, after a while the pain goes away, and the person feels unprecedented lightness.
When and how long should you steam?
It has been experimentally established that the minimum time that you need to spend on bath procedures (if you want to achieve a healing effect) is 2 hours. There are different, often contradictory, opinions about when it is better to go to the bathhouse. Some bath admirers prefer the morning, while others prefer the evening procedure, ending with sleep.
Time in the steam room is an individual choice
But bathhouse experts are unanimous: bathhouses and bathhouse parties are completely different things and concepts. Going to a Russian steam room after having eaten or “warmed up” with a high-intensity drink is simply dangerous to health and life. Such trips often end in strokes.
Recommendations
At the beginning of the process, you should not climb higher. It is necessary to pre-warm the body in conditions of not very high temperatures, allowing the blood vessels to expand a little and start the process of sweating.
After completing the initial course of bath therapy, you can move on. In the second run, experienced users occupy the middle shelf in a prone position. This position reduces the load on the heart.
If it is impossible to position yourself horizontally, you can sit down on the shelves. In this case, it is much more useful to be on a shelf with legs. Standing in a steam room is generally harmful. When the air temperature difference in the area of the legs and head is 20 degrees, blood circulation worsens, and if you add to this the tension of the muscles and joints, the bath procedure will not bring any benefit. You can also get heatstroke.
What to take with you to the bathhouse
Prepare a decent-sized bag: you will need a lot of things. Required:
a bathrobe (it’s not for nothing that they call it that) or a large towel (also a bath towel);
- clean sheet;
- change of linen;
- head cap (woolen or special felt);
- regular towel;
- flip-flops or other rubber shoes;
- shower gel and shampoo;
- a hard mitten for rubbing the body;
- broom.
The broom is selected according to the state of the body and soul))
You can also take with you products to make first a scrub , and then a mask for the face and body , and herbal infusions to pour on the heater. a drink with you : herbs brewed in a thermos, tea or still mineral water.
How does steam work?
When the ambient temperature is above 36.6°, our body begins to actively secrete sweat, thus trying not to overheat the body. This feature is used in the bathhouse. The fact is that when sweat is released, harmful substances accumulated in the skin and subcutaneous fat are removed, thereby cleansing and healing the body.
The higher the ambient temperature, the more sweat is produced. At the same time, the pores open up. To prevent the skin (and the internal organs behind it) from overheating, blood circulation is activated, which is expressed in redness: its amount increases closer to the surface. This increase in blood circulation occurs in all internal organs. More blood brings more nutrients, improving the condition of the skin. At the same time, fluid with a huge range of microelements is released through the sweat glands.
Steam opens pores and activates blood circulation
That is why in the bath you need to drink, and drink a lot. There is no need to drink large amounts of liquid in one gulp. A few small sips, a break, and again. This way, the liquid is not excreted by the kidneys, but is distributed throughout the tissues and organs, restoring what was lost with sweat.
What, then, does diving into cold water give? Instant closing of pores. At the same time, the hot blood that was in the skin is squeezed into deeper layers by closing pores. Having received hot blood, these layers warm up. The next time you enter the steam room, they are included in the cleansing process. And this happens with each steam room cycle - cold water.
Naturally, you need to take rest breaks between cycles. During it you need to drink medicinal herbal infusions. Green tea is also healthy, but you need to be careful with it: a cup of strong drink contains more caffeine than good strong coffee. And since the loads in our steam room are already considerable, there is no need to unnecessarily load it.
Relaxation after the steam room: you can also go outside
By the way, it is very easy to explain the red or pink spots on the skin after visiting the steam room (the skin becomes marbled, with streaks or spots). It’s just that the pores closed differently in different areas. After a few hours the color will stabilize.
How to steam properly
The bathhouse is a place for relaxation, and everything should be done here leisurely. The first rule of good vaping is don't rush. Everything has its time. You shouldn’t immediately rush to the steam room upon arrival. The body has not yet warmed up and relaxed. Undress, steam the broom.
First, stand in a warm shower (do not wet your head), gradually increase the water temperature. Once warmed up, you can go into the steam room (putting a hat on your head).
You cannot enter the steam room without a hat.
First entry into the steam room
You need to start steaming from the lower shelves. Sit or lie down and warm up. From the second or third approach you will be able to climb higher, but for now don’t rush.
If you lie down, your legs should be positioned higher than your head. This makes it easier for the heart to work, and you will know that it is actively working by the increased heart rate. The duration of the first entry into the steam room is no more than 5 minutes. When you leave, be sure to take a warm shower. With sweat, many toxins that have accumulated in the body are eliminated. Leave them on the skin and they will be absorbed back.
After the shower, if you want, go to the dressing room, relax, drink hot tea with herbs.
Next visits to the steam room - work with a broom
Then you can use brooms. Now you need to pour specially brewed herbal infusions onto the hot stones several times. Hot steam will rise from the stones in powerful jets, so be careful. When you achieve the required temperature and humidity, you can start working with a broom.
Working with a broom in a bathhouse
It’s more convenient to steam together, taking turns whipping each other with a broom. “Single” use is also possible, although the back is then poorly worked.
First you need to lie with your back up. They begin to lightly pat the broom, moving from the legs to the shoulders. With each pass, slightly intensifying the blows.
With some brooms you need to “stretch” the leaves a little in the final stage (the last 2-3 passes). Usually they stretch with birch, oak or alder brooms, but this can only be done if there is no damage to the skin. The procedure is repeated by turning over on your back. Please note that you need to pat your stomach much lighter than your back.
When to stop entering the steam room and how to rest during breaks
Listen to your own feelings. As soon as you feel tired or it gets hot, it’s time to go out and rest. For almost any person, 10 minutes in the steam room is enough. You need to lie down in a cool washroom or dressing room, but not immediately after leaving the steam room. You need to walk around a little, taking deep breaths, then stand under a warm shower. Now you can lie down.
To maintain water balance and body temperature, you need to drink hot tea or herbs in small sips. The rest becomes longer the more visits you have already made. The duration of rest cannot be less than the time spent in the steam room.
After 3-4 visits to the steam room, you can rub yourself with a hard mitten, and before the last visit, you can apply a mask to your body (preferably homemade). In the steam room, wait for profuse sweat to appear, then rinse everything off under a warm shower.
Total visits to the steam room are 5-7. Less is no point, more is too much stress on the body.
Swimming in an ice hole after the steam room
Superstitions about the bannik
Bannik, like the brownie, is a good spirit. But it comes from evil spirits, which affects the character. Looks like an old man with huge claws and bath leaves instead of clothes. He was sometimes described as a naked man with thick body hair.
They cajoled the owner of the bathhouse so that he wouldn’t do anything dirty. He can hide things, spit boiling water or cold water. Fainting, fumes and fires were considered the work of the bathhouse. However, he himself rarely punishes negligent owners. More often this is done by the friends and relatives of the bathhouse - kikimores, devils and pawned dead people.
The sauna spirit adheres to the old principles and men should be the first to take a steam bath. If a woman enters first, the entity will send illnesses and other troubles. According to other superstitions, those coming after her will suffer. A woman was once considered an unclean creature, and the evil spirits washed off her remain in the bathhouse.
Drunk people are not allowed, the owner of the steam room does not like them and punishes them with poor health and inattention for a week. Alcohol in a steam room is a bad idea, even in small doses. This is detrimental to physical and energetic health.
Do not spit indoors, especially on stones - this insults the essence. In response, you can get spitting boiling water. In the bathhouse they do not shout, quarrel or use foul language; these are manifestations of disrespect.
Like a brownie, a bannik keeps order in the premises entrusted to him. Disturbance will be severely punished. Instead of giving the spirit treats, a new bar of soap is placed in the corner once a month. After each use of the bath, leave water and a broom in the basin. An offering of sugar will improve your health. Before lighting it, it is left in the corner, and after washing it is removed behind the threshold. After a day, sugar can be taken under any tree.
From midnight until dawn, the bathhouse belongs entirely to the bannik and other entities whom he invites to visit. It is dangerous to wash at night; you cannot spend the night in the bathhouse. Evil spirits love this room because of the lack of icons.
Don't worry about Orthodox holidays. Firstly, the church forbade it for a long time. You can’t work on a holiday, and in order to wash, you had to bring water from the well, water the yard, and light the stove. Secondly, on a holy day, evil spirits hide in a room without icons in order to avoid God’s wrath. Bathing for the New Year is an old tradition; you need to be clean in soul and body.
You cannot steam the bathhouse more than three times in a row, otherwise the bathhouse will suffocate. Men go first, women come second, then children are bathed. He is the fourth and doesn’t let anyone in after him. Therefore, after three visits, they do not enter the bathhouse, so as not to become a victim of an angry entity. In some regions they do not go to the third pair. The third one takes a steam bath, and the children wash together with the adults. Anyone who breaks the rule will be doused with boiling water or strangled.
A house is not built on the site of an old bathhouse. This is an unclean territory - guests of the bath spirit remember its location and can return at any time. And he himself does not leave his favorite place, he waits until he is again given the opportunity to enjoy the hot steam. Nothing is built on the site of a burnt bathhouse, not even a barn or a new bathhouse.
Baths are built away from the house, in the backyards. A black chicken is supposed to be buried under the threshold, and coins are to be buried in the foundation. This is a gift to the bath spirit.
In a new bathhouse, the first thing you need to do is leave a new bar of soap for the bathhouse, and only then heat it. After a month, as described above, this piece is replaced with a fresh one. Nobody should use it. Before heating, throw salt into the firebox. After the first wash in the new bathhouse, you need to leave a treat for the bathhouse - bread and salt.
The bathhouse is a sacred place of power, which in ancient times was available in every home. Sins are washed away in it, while beingware of the tricks of the bannik and evil spirits. To protect yourself from the latter, you should follow ancient signs and not quarrel with the bathhouse spirit.
Contrast procedures
After each entry into the steam room, the body requires cooling. For seasoned bathhouse regulars, even diving into an ice hole or swimming in the snow will be normal.
But if you are a beginner, you should not subject your body to much stress. It is quite enough for you to stand under a cool shower or plunge into a warm pool. Not icy and cold, but warm. After a few months, when your body and cardiovascular system become more trained and accustomed to heat/cold changes, you can try more contrasting sensations.
Rubbing with snow after the steam room
How to end a trip to the bathhouse
Every time you enter the steam room, listen to your own body. As soon as you feel dizzy or nauseous, feel “feeling” or feel lethargic, you need to take small steps, holding on to the walls, and leave the steam room. If you have friends nearby, ask them to help. In the coolness of the dressing room, come to your senses and relax. The trip to the bathhouse can be considered over. This time for sure. If the situation repeats, you should avoid the bath altogether and also undergo a medical examination.
After your last visit to the steam room, you need to sit and cool down. You should not dry yourself with a towel - sweating will only increase. After your body temperature and pulse have returned to normal, you can get dressed. Before, there is no point: everything will instantly become soaked in sweat.
It’s nice to relax in the coolness of the dressing room after the steam room
Who should not go to the bathhouse?
Unfortunately, not everyone will benefit from visiting a bathhouse. There are also contraindications. First of all, this is any purulent disease. Even a small pimple with a purulent head will become large and painful. Not to mention more serious processes. If there is purulent inflammation somewhere, you cannot warm yourself. This is clear. So many conditions and diseases immediately disappear. In addition, going to the bathhouse is contraindicated for people suffering from the following diseases:
- heart failure;
- tumor diseases;
- epilepsy;
- acute conditions in diseases of the respiratory tract (bronchitis, pneumonia, pneumonia in the acute stage);
You cannot take children under 4 years old to the steam room. There are also restrictions for older people. This procedure is also contraindicated for them. Doctors do not recommend visiting the steam room during pregnancy and breastfeeding, but many neglect these recommendations.
Expectant mothers ignore doctors' advice not to visit the steam room
Finally, watch a master class on steaming in Russian baths. A lot of useful information in this video.
Conclusion
A bathhouse is not only a way to have a good time, but also an excellent remedy for many diseases. If you are worried about whether you can take a steam bath if you have sinusitis or other diseases, you should consult your doctor - but in most cases the answer will be positive. At the same time, it is very important to take a steam bath correctly - to do this, you need to follow the recommendations set out in the text, as well as those shown in the video in this article.
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