The bathhouse is a good place for quality rest and healing of the body. It helps relieve fatigue and stress, cleanse the skin, relax muscles, improve blood circulation and eliminate toxins.
Even two centuries ago, the art of healing in a Russian bath was absorbed by Russian people, as they say, with mother’s milk, because it was part of everyday life. Many people saw visiting the steam room as a kind of ritual filled with sacred meaning.
Nowadays people come to the bathhouse to spend time supposedly with health benefits, without knowing the basic rules of visiting the steam room and bathhouse etiquette. For example, few people know how to heat a sauna, steam a broom, take a steam bath, and what to do in a steam room.
The steam room has a powerful therapeutic effect on the cardiac and respiratory systems, the musculoskeletal system, and provides an energy boost for the whole day.
Let's look at how to properly take a steam bath with maximum benefits for physical and mental health.
The benefits of steaming in a sauna for the body
For people in good health, a Russian bathhouse with a broom is recommended without fail. It helps strengthen blood vessels, joints and ligaments, improve immunity and relieve fatigue.
By following the rules and recommendations for visiting a steam room, people are less likely to suffer from colds and viral diseases, recover faster from injuries and tolerate stressful situations more easily.
A broom is the main attribute for carrying out procedures. It has a healing aroma, effectively affects the skin, improves blood circulation and cleanses pores of impurities.
The health benefits of bath procedures are as follows:
- Maintaining optimal temperature conditions up to 75 degrees with humidity from 40 to 60%. This promotes rapid relaxation and general detoxification of the body, strengthening bone tissue, improving blood circulation and lymph flow.
- Regular beneficial effects of steam can replace full-fledged fitness classes. So, 60 minutes of staying in a Russian bath is equal to 2 hours of exercise on exercise bikes.
- The bath helps stabilize blood pressure, improve the movement of blood and lymph, and normalize the functioning of the excretory system. In addition, the steam room allows you to get rid of constant headaches, improve the functioning of the respiratory system, strengthen joints and relieve pain syndromes in muscle tissue.
Where to go to steam and wash: types of baths
- Russian bath. As major experts in this field say, the Russian bath is considered the most beneficial for the body due to the average temperature and high humidity in the steam room. A typical Russian bathhouse is built entirely of wood and consists of two rooms: a steam room with a stove and a dressing room. Various infusions brewed from medicinal herbs are poured onto the hot stones. To enhance the healing effect of the Russian bath, brooms made from certain types of wood and various forms of massage are used.
- The Roman bath is the place most suitable for pleasure and communication. No wonder it consists of three main rooms, where each has its own purpose and temperature. In our understanding, you won’t be able to take a steam bath in such a bathhouse.
- According to the Turks themselves, you can take a proper steam bath in a Turkish bath called “hamam”. A standard Turkish bath has several rooms, the temperature in which increases by an average of 5 °C in each room. This sauna is distinguished by its low temperature, starting from 35 °C.
- The Irish bathhouse is a kind of hybrid of Russian and Roman bathhouses. From the Russian bath she got steam and humidity, and from the Roman bath she got the fact that steam enters the steam room from cracks in the floor. It is not difficult to steam in such a bath, since the main difference between the Irish bath and its prototypes is the very low temperature, about 55 °C.
- A Japanese bathhouse cannot even be called a bathhouse, or it can be, but with great stretch. In a typical Japanese bath there are no steam rooms, dressing rooms or pools with cool water, but there is a barrel of salt water (almost boiling water), in which the Japanese warm themselves and massage themselves with brushes. There is also a group version of this procedure, where several people warm up at once. Warm up - please, but it is simply impossible to steam in such a bathhouse.
- Sauna - more precisely, a Finnish bath. Thanks to the love of many for extreme temperatures, it has taken root in our country. Most sauna adherents say that you can only steam properly in it, bringing a broom into the procedure and watering the stove with herbal infusions. Although the main difference between a sauna and a Russian bath is the lack of humidity in the steam room. A traditional sauna consists of three rooms: a steam room, a room with a pool and a relaxation room.
What types of baths are there?
The most popular are Russian (small steam room and humid, not very hot air) and Finnish (small steam room, dry and hot air) bath, also Turkish, Roman (large rooms with a gradual increase in temperature from room to room and wet steam), Japanese (a large barrel of hot water for one or more people) and Irish (a mixture of Turkish and Roman baths).
They differ in size, air temperature, humidity (dry or wet steam), and the methods of behavior in them also differ accordingly. They have one thing in common - enjoying the process. Regardless of the type of steam room chosen, the general principle of action on the body is the same for everyone: good warming of the whole body, a beneficial effect on it, cleansing the pores.
Preparing for a visit to the bathhouse
Bath procedures are an art that requires careful preparation. To go to the steam room you should prepare:
- Terry towel or sheet.
- A hat or other headdress.
- Flip-flops or flip-flops with an anti-slip base.
- Changeable underwear.
- A woolen mitten or mitten.
- Personal hygiene products – soap, washcloth, shampoo, gel, pumice stone.
- Comb and brush for massage.
You should also choose bath brooms - for example, from birch or oak branches.
It is recommended to steam them 24 hours before visiting the bath in cold water, then wrap them in a damp cloth. This will preserve the unique aroma and elasticity of the ligaments. After entering the steam room, the brooms are thoroughly steamed on a heater. This will make them softer and more flavorful.
Equally important is preparing the body for the procedures. The last meal should be 60 minutes before visiting the bathhouse. You cannot be in the steam room on an empty stomach, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or after surgery on internal organs.
Leaving the sauna
It is best to end your visit to the steam room with a cool shower. But you need to take it correctly, as recommended by the rules for visiting baths and saunas: first put the right foot under the water, then the left. The stream of water should first hit the foot and gradually rise up to the thigh. After this, rinse your hands. Starting with the palms, smoothly move to the shoulders. You need to repeat this procedure three times and then get completely under the shower.
Warm green tea is very beneficial after a sauna. It helps replenish and normalize metabolism and water balance. It is recommended to apply a variety of useful masks to steamed skin; they easily penetrate into the deep layers of the skin and help cleanse.
Herbal infusions or essential oils poured over heated stones have a beneficial effect on the respiratory tract and create a cozy atmosphere. First, a few drops of oil must be dissolved in a small amount of water.
Effects of steam on the body
The high air temperature in the sauna and steam bath increases sweating and opening of pores, ensuring the active removal of accumulated toxins and increasing immunity.
The main thing that a Russian steam room has that a Finnish sauna lacks is light and clean steam, which has a beneficial effect on the organs of the respiratory system. Steam penetrates deeply into tissues, nourishes and cleanses cells.
To prevent possible overheating of the body, increased sweating is accompanied by accelerated blood circulation and redness of the skin. Blood actively saturates cells with oxygen and nutrients, improving the condition of the epidermis and internal organs. At the same time, excess fluid is removed from the body through the sweat glands, which experience extreme stress.
For this reason, it is important to maintain a drinking regime during bath procedures. The main rule is to drink large amounts of healthy liquid in small sips.
Contrast baths are no less useful than thermal procedures, as they provide rapid closing of pores. Simultaneous heating of the body and short-term cooling promotes effective cleansing of the superficial and deep layers of the epidermis.
Doctors' opinion
Staying in a sauna in the nude has a medical basis. Exposure to high temperatures on the body provokes intense sweating. Sweat not only removes excess fluids, but also protects the skin from excessive overheating (drops of sweat cool the body). If you have clothes on your body, sweat is instantly absorbed and does not cool the skin. Because of this, the body may overheat. In young sauna visitors with strong blood vessels, it can pass without consequences, but people with excess body weight and hypertension are at risk.
The Germans follow the recommendation to go naked to saunas (even public ones). Moreover, the first point of the rules that guests of a German sauna will see is: “Von der Kleidung verboten” (“No clothing allowed”). The democratic nature of the Germans is not entirely appropriate in a more conservative Russia. If you plan to go to the sauna with us, you should wear a more covered outfit than a hat and flip-flops.
Step-by-step process of steaming in a sauna
In order for steaming in a bathhouse to give a noticeable effect, proper preparation for the first session is required. An important step is a relaxing shower to prepare the body for subsequent thermal procedures.
First you need to rinse your body (your head remains dry) with warm water, gradually increasing the temperature to 50 degrees.
Important! When taking a shower, it is not recommended to rub your body with a washcloth or massage brush, or use gel or soap, which can lead to skin irritation.
Before visiting the steam room, just dip the hat in cool water, wring it out and put it on your head. This will provide reliable protection against overheating throughout the entire session.
First visit to the steam room
At this stage, the body is gradually prepared for thermal stress. Warming up the body at a low temperature leads to dilation of blood vessels, opening of pores and increased sweating.
It is recommended to start steaming in the sauna on the lower tier of the shelf in a sitting or lying position. Breathing is smooth and deep without tension, accompanied by gradual redness of the skin and rapid heartbeat.
Then you can move to the shelves higher, relax and breathe with your diaphragm.
The duration of the first approach should not exceed 8–10 minutes.
1.5 minutes before leaving the steam room, you need to sit down to prepare your cardiovascular system for a standing position. After the first visit, it is recommended to take a cool shower, drink warm tea or herbal decoction.
Second and subsequent visits
Next, you can actively use brooms after pre-heating on hot bath stones. The second visit is best done with a partner who will help you perform an effective warming massage with a broom.
One steamer in the bath takes a lying position, the second performs patting and rubbing with a broom from the feet to the neck and shoulder girdle, and then in the opposite direction. After spot warming up, light blows follow, which should not cause discomfort or pain. The massage ends with a warm compress: the ligament is heated with steam and applied alternately to individual parts of the body for 3–5 seconds.
After completing the procedure, you need to slowly rise and stay for 2-3 minutes to stabilize blood pressure and heart rate, after which you can slowly leave the steam room.
Each steamer decides for himself how long to steam in the steam room, but the recommended duration of the session should be from 8 to 20 minutes, the number of visits - from 3 to 6. Before each visit, you need to take a break for a quarter of an hour.
What to do during breaks
Rest between visits to the steam room is no less important than bath procedures. Experienced steamers use it for contrast and cosmetic procedures.
After leaving the steam room, you can swim in a font or pool, wipe yourself with snow or douse yourself with cold water from a tub.
Beginners should be careful with contrasting procedures for hardening; the best option for them is a cool shower and dry rubbing.
After completing water procedures, it is recommended to replenish the water balance in the body with a cup of tea, herbal decoction, berry juice or still water.
Relaxation is the best time for cosmetic procedures. After the steam room, it is recommended to use cleansers based on salt, honey and coffee grounds.
No less popular are anti-cellulite wraps with creams and lotions to increase blood circulation in tissues and break down fat deposits. A good effect is achieved through the use of anti-aging masks prepared with your own hands from natural ingredients.
The duration of rest should be equal to the time spent in the steam room.
Completion
The number of visits is determined by the health and physical well-being of the steamer. If you experience unpleasant and painful sensations - dizziness, nausea, lethargy and drowsiness - you must immediately leave the steam room. In this case, the bath procedures are considered completed.
After the final session, it is recommended to cool down by sitting for a few minutes in a cool waiting room or relaxation room to normalize body temperature and heart rate. For seasoned bathhouse attendants, completion of the procedures is accompanied by a warm shower, rubbing, and a cup of tea or juice.
Let's talk about brooms
Whisking a broom over the body of a steaming person is an old Russian massage tradition. Such movements enhance blood circulation, promote temperature contrast, increase sweating and accelerate metabolism in the human body.
A bath broom is an essential item!
Using a broom in a steam room helps open the pores of human skin and cleanse it of accumulated toxins and germs. When a broom is patted on a person's body, an antibacterial effect is created.
The fact is that broom leaves contain large quantities of volatile substances - phytoncides, which neutralize the negative effects of pathogens. It is also worth noting that in the process of light blows with a bath broom, essential oils get onto the skin. They speed up metabolism and slow down the aging process of the skin.
Experienced bathhouse attendants say that a broom made from fresh birch branches is considered the best. The price of such a product in specialized stores can be very high.
But you can do it yourself. Then you won’t have to pay at all.
Advice! If you use a dry bath broom, you need to know how to steam it correctly. Keep the broom in warm water for a while, and only then can you pour boiling water over it. Otherwise, the leaves on the branches may fall off.
Methods for using a broom in a bath
There are several ways to use a broom during bath procedures.
Can:
- fan, stroke, quilt and whip the skin;
- apply compresses to certain parts of the body;
- perform stretching or rubbing.
It is better to use these techniques in a single complex.
Regular bathing procedures are the key to good health
The fanning procedure involves lightly waving a broom without directly touching the human body. You need to walk along the body several times, starting from the feet and ending with the head, and wave the broom, which creates a pleasant hot wind.
In turn, stroking is a leisurely movement of a broom along the body from the heels to the neck and back. The procedure can also be performed several times and on both sides. And when the temperature in the steam room is not high, you can not tear the broom away from the person at all.
Patting with a bath broom must be done carefully, without causing pain to the person. At first, do not whip the body sharply. It’s better to lift the broom up and shake it well. This way it will warm up to the optimal temperature faster.
The next time you swing the bath broom, you need to try to bring the steam to the body. When the first drops of sweat appear on the body, the pats are intensified.
This procedure begins from the back. You can also add a green compress during this procedure.
Bath procedures strengthen the immune system
A green compress is another method of using a broom in a steam room. To carry it out, you need to wave a broom in the air, place it on your body, whipping another bunch of branches on top of it.
A steaming effect is created, which in its effect on the human body resembles a compress. It improves heat exchange, reduces discomfort and muscle soreness, stimulates sweating and warms up the skin thoroughly.
Compliance with safety regulations
In order to take a steam bath without harm to your own health, you must follow the important rules of steaming:
- It is better to visit the bathhouse in a good mood and well-being. You cannot overeat or be hungry, drink alcohol or take drugs.
- The first entry into the steam room requires preliminary preparation of the body for thermal procedures.
- Your stay in the steam room should not be long - from 2 to 6 visits, 10 minutes each. Overheating the body can lead to heatstroke.
- You can only be in the steam room with dry hair. It is better to protect your head with a bath cap or towel.
- Drinking plenty of water in the bathhouse is a necessity. The best choice is green tea, herbal infusion, natural juices, mineral water and fruit drinks.
- You cannot wear jewelry, accessories, or decorative cosmetics on your face in the steam room.
- After completing the bath procedures, proper cooling of the body is ensured - a warm shower, dry rubbing or dousing. If the steamer feels unwell, you should limit yourself to a short rest and a change of clothes.
Don't raise the temperature
It seems that the bannik is still female, because he cannot tolerate alcohol. Of course, you can increase the temperature in a bathhouse, but only the temperature. From those who liked to “knock over” in the bathhouse, and more than one at a time, the bathhouse, it was believed, could tear off the skin and pull it onto the ceiling. However, this superstition has quite understandable explanations. A drunk person can perform such “miracles” in a bathhouse: douse himself with boiling water, fall on hot coals, or even “pass out.” Then, of course, you can say that this is the work of the bannik, but such an explanation will not make the burns hurt any less.
Features of bath procedures for women
Healthy women are recommended to take a bath, but it is important to take into account some restrictions:
- Pregnancy.
- Menstruation.
- Lactation.
Wellness procedures help to establish the cycle and eliminate inflammatory processes in the organs of the genitourinary venous system. This is a wonderful prevention of specific female diseases, as well as diseases of the heart, lungs, musculoskeletal system and varicose veins.
In addition, each woman can choose the types of steaming that suit her, taking into account her own health and the ultimate goals of bathing leisure.
First entry into the steam room: rules and recommendations
The first entry into the steam room is the most important and possibly difficult, especially if we talk about the person who came to the bathhouse for the first time. Therefore, during the first run you need to be extremely careful and monitor your body’s reactions. If you feel unwell, you should immediately leave the steam room and rest for a while in a cooler room.
Women in the steam room
- At this stage, brooms are not yet used; a person simply enters the steam room and sits on the 1st or 2nd step, that is, where it is coolest. The previously prepared brooms are placed on the upper shelves. They should lie there for at least 5 minutes.
- After a few minutes, your body will respond: your heart rate will increase, your skin will begin to turn red, and you will begin to sweat.
- If your health allows, climb the next steps, however, overdoing it during the first approach is still not recommended.
- The total time that can and should be in the steam room at this stage is 5-10 minutes.
- Next, we leave the steam room and relax. Remember, you shouldn’t visit often. You need to rest after the steam room for as long as you stayed in it or even a little more.
Spending your rest time correctly is also important, however, more on that a little later.
Indications and contraindications for baths
Regular visits to a Russian bathhouse allow you to combat:
- Osteochondrosis and osteoporosis.
- Headache and migraine.
- Vegetative-vascular dystonia.
- Hypertension and hypotension.
- ARVI.
- Skin diseases.
- Diseases of the heart, respiratory and nervous systems.
There are diseases that are at risk when health procedures are prohibited:
- Oncology.
- Epilepsy.
- Heart and kidney failure.
- Acute respiratory diseases.
- Internal bleeding.
Pregnant women, elderly people and small children under 3 years of age are also prohibited from visiting the steam room.
To get a powerful rejuvenating and therapeutic effect, you need to know how to properly steam in a bathhouse. To do this, it is recommended to follow the basic rules of bath procedures and take into account the physical condition of the body.
Who is at risk from a jacuzzi?
In recent years, bath complexes have always had a jacuzzi - it is believed that after a bath it is good to relax under the massaging streams of water. But it turns out that this is not safe for everyone.
German scientists do not recommend Jacuzzis for people with kidney disease. They observed cases of internal bleeding in patients with glomerulonephritis. This is a serious disease in which the kidneys are gradually replaced by connective tissue, resulting in kidney failure. In a Jacuzzi, the water pressure is sometimes so powerful that it can cause injury to the kidneys damaged by the disease. German doctors are confident that powerful streams of water can also be dangerous for kidney stones. It is possible that such stones will “break loose” and cause renal colic or blockage of the ureters - these are classic complications of kidney stones.
People taking medications that make their blood thinner should also be careful. First of all, this does not apply to aspirin or Plavix, which act more mildly, but to warfarin. This drug often behaves unpredictably and may seriously increase the risk of bleeding. And against the backdrop of the powerful impact of water jets, the risk of their development is even higher.
But a hot tub also has beneficial effects. Daily half an hour in such a bath is recommended for patients with diabetes. Of course, if they do not have the contraindications listed above.
