For a Russian person, a steam room is a sacred place where you can improve your well-being, chat with old friends and drink a couple of glasses of intoxicating drinks in between visits. However, those who are not accustomed to high temperatures need to be careful at first and not follow the example of experienced like-minded people. That is why we have prepared a comprehensive guide on how to properly take a steam bath in a Russian sauna for your health.
As you know, the bathhouse has a complex preventive effect on the human body. She is visited to relieve symptoms of colds in the initial stages of the disease, emotional stress and restoration of physical condition.
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But despite all its advantages, some people are contraindicated from visiting the steam room, because it can cause a malfunction in their body.
Who should not visit the bathhouse?
If you have certain health problems and doubt the benefits of going to the bathhouse for yourself, read the following contraindications:
- Deviations in the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
- Problems with the kidneys and digestive system;
- Skin diseases or allergies;
- Body temperature above 37 degrees;
- The presence of malignant tumors;
- Frequent headaches.
Even if none of these points are close to you, but you still doubt the usefulness of going to the bathhouse, consult a doctor and decide together with him whether you should warm up or not.
What should you not do in the bath?
So, if you are alert and fresh and are already halfway to the steam room, we have a few more warnings for you that will help you avoid the unpleasant consequences of visiting the bathhouse.
First of all, there is no need to actively lather yourself in the shower before a bath, because soap can erase the protective layer of the skin, making it more sensitive. Taking a shower itself, of course, is not contraindicated, but you should not overdo it with gels, soaps and other cleaning products.
In addition, try not to get your hair wet when visiting the bathhouse. The thing is that with a wet head, heat transfer increases, which can ultimately lead to heat stroke. That is why it is customary to go to the bathhouse with a special cap that protects the head. By wearing it, you also prevent your hair from drying out.
There is no need to go to the steam room drunk or get drunk right in it. The thing is that alcohol additionally loads the heart, and due to active sweating, urination is reduced, which makes it difficult for the breakdown products of ethyl alcohol to leave the body. Thus, after drinking in the bathhouse, the hangover will be much stronger.
Well, you shouldn’t eat too much before going to the bathhouse, as this creates additional stress on the heart and other organs.
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.
What is the best time to steam?
In fact, everything here is quite individual, so there is no definite answer regarding seasonality and the time of going to the bathhouse. However, there is a widespread belief that the best time of year for a steam room is winter.
After all, in the frosty months, that same contrast of cold and warm temperatures is created that bath lovers love so much.
However, it is comfortable and no less useful to steam in the summer. Moreover, in the warm months, a person’s pores are already open, plus the work of the sweat glands increases, which ultimately has a beneficial effect on the heat exchange process. Therefore, some believe that steaming in the summer is especially pleasant and comfortable.
There are people who do not recognize the advantages of this or that season at all. For them, the bathhouse is nice both in summer and winter.
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Another common question that has no clear answer is: “What is the best time to visit the bathhouse?” It all depends on whether you are a morning person or a night owl. Some people like to take a good steam in the morning, thereby recharging themselves with energy and good mood for the whole day.
There are also followers of late bath sessions who note the beneficial effects of the bath on sleep. This is true - if you relax thoroughly in the bathhouse in the evening, your sleep will be especially sound and healthy.
Of course, there are those who go to the bathhouse both in the morning and in the evening. Usually these are the owners of bathhouses at their own dachas. Sometimes they are ready to spend the whole day in the steam room, which is quite extreme.
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The boy Denis with his mother and sister visited the washing block and washed with the women. Here he first experienced male pleasure.Denis woke up from rather sharp and strong pushes on his shoulder. Opening his eyes, he saw the dissatisfied face of his older sister Anya. “How long can you sleep,” she said reproachfully. “Mom woke you up an hour ago, and you went back to sleep.” Denis turned away from his sister, defiantly closed his eyes and began to snore. “Mom, he doesn’t listen to me,” Anka shouted lazily and deliberately loudly, turning towards the kitchen and, sitting down in an old leather chair, she picked up a book with a smart look. The mother entered the room, trying to change her facial expression from relatively tired to very stern. “Denis, you don’t have a father. Get up immediately. The sooner we leave, the fewer people we will find. Or do you want to wait in line? Of course, you can walk around unwashed for years. But Anya and I hate to look at you. Get up, you unwashed couch potato." Denis silently obeyed. Lately he hasn't had much of an argument with his mother. And when her father left for the North on a long-term business trip, she almost burst into tears. Today they had to go wash in the washing block, which had been equipped for two days at the school, where Denis was in the sixth grade, Anka in the tenth, and his mother taught physics. In the city, there has been no normal supply of water to residential buildings for three weeks now. And last week, washing units were opened in some institutions, which were provided with water on certain days. For school No. 47, such days were Saturday and Sunday. The washing block was intended only for school employees and their children. By decision of the school director, Saturday was declared a “women’s” day. At breakfast, devouring a cheese sandwich, Denis decided that they had disturbed him in vain. It is unlikely that a 12-year-old boy will be allowed to wash with women. His mother told him yesterday that he should try to show up at school early, when either no one would be there or they wouldn’t be too much of a quarrel. After finishing breakfast, they dressed warmly and took the tram to school. On the tram, Denis first looked at the houses and advertising stands running past, and then at his own shoes. Very quickly they found themselves at the school - a dull gray building standing on the corner of Lesnaya and Karetnaya streets. Having walked around the building, they entered the school yard and headed towards the washing unit, which was equipped at the school boiler room. Entering the block, Denis saw a plywood wall with a door and a small window, through which one could see the sly, wrinkled face of cloakroom attendant Ivan Lukich. This plywood partition was installed to separate the locker room and the washing block in general from the boiler room workers, who upon entering could immediately turn left and begin their work activities without interfering with those washing. “And Margarita Sergeevna and the children came to take a steam bath,” the cloakroom attendant addressed his mother in a polite hoarse voice. “And how old is your youngest, huh? Big kid." Denis looked at the piece of paper pasted by the window, which said in black and white that “Children of the opposite sex over 10 years old are not allowed to wash!” The mother, straightening her hair (Denis knew that this involuntary movement occurred in her when she was telling a lie), replied, “Yes, in a week she will turn 10.” Ivan Lukich bared his dense rows of iron teeth, “Well, once in a week, then come in,” and opened the door. They ended up in a locker room or a waiting room, you couldn’t tell right away. Lukich was sitting on a chair half-turn to the window, half-turn to the room. Next to him lay several yellowed newspapers and a pack of Belomor. There were two large benches in the room and about two dozen hooks were driven into the walls. Five or six of them already had things hanging on them. Denis was especially struck by the women's underwear of quite a respectable size on one of them. “Get comfortable Margarita Sergeevna, take off your clothes. If you don’t have soap or towels, then the management gave me a few spare ones,” Lukich said in a hoarse patter. Then he put on his glasses and began to read the newspaper with false interest, continuing to sit half-turned. Denis noticed how his mother and Anka looked at each other with displeasure. It was obvious that they were uncomfortable with the presence of this 70-year-old man. “Yes,” thought Denis, “well, the school gives. And they’ll put Aunt Lena, the cleaning lady, with the men.” Mother took off her coat. “Well, stand there and take off your clothes,” she joked to the children. Denis slowly took off his jacket. He still did not believe that he would now wash with his mother and sister. He tried to remember the last time his mother bathed him, and came to the conclusion that he was about seven years old then. After that, his father bathed him or took him to the bathhouse. Denis had never seen his mother naked. She usually wore a shirt or robe when she washed him, standing in a tin basin. He saw Anka naked a long time ago, about seven years ago, when his parents last bathed them together. She was nine years old then, he was five. “Why are you standing like an idol,” his mother abruptly interrupted the course of his memories. Denis turned around. His mother looked at him angrily, standing in an unbuttoned blouse and half-unbuttoned skirt. Anya, timidly looking towards the cloakroom attendant who was “immersed in reading,” took off her leggings from under her skirt. Denis quickly took off his sweater, T-shirt and unfastened his belt. He saw Lukich take his eyes off the newspaper for a moment, glance in Anka’s direction, and again plunge into reading. Denis sat down on the bench and began to unlace his shoes. He looked up. The mother was already standing in only a bra and woolen tights. She was a tall, slightly plump brunette, 36 years old, with sad brown eyes. She stood with her back to Denis and took out the hairpins from her neatly styled hair. Denis took off his trousers and, left in only his “family” panties, looked towards his sister. Anya caught his gaze, frowned, and blushed slightly. She sat opposite him in a bra and woolen panties. She was 16. She was as tall as her mother. Slightly overweight. Nice rounded shapes. The same as his mother's, jet black hair. Just a shorter haircut. Anya was quite an appetizing girl. And pleasant on the face. But she didn't love her body. The reason for this was freckles. Despite her black hair, scatterings of these golden, orange, and brownish hemp of various sizes were scattered all over her body. Shoulders, arms, back, chest and even legs fell victim to them. There were only a few of them on the face. And for this Anya was grateful to nature. “So there is soap, there are washcloths, there are towels,” the mother said, taking things out of her bag. “I wonder if there’s somewhere to hang a towel,” she asked loudly, as if to herself. “Unfortunately, no,” Lukich responded right then and there, tenaciously looking his mother up and down. “Leave it here. Here you will dry yourself. “They left everything here for you,” he pointed to the towels hanging on the hooks. And again he plunged into reading. “Okay, let’s leave it here,” the mother squeezed out in a displeased and embarrassed voice. “Well, sit there. Take off your underwear too.” And deciding to set an example, she turned her back to them and took off her bra. Denis looked at his mother’s white, slightly loose back, at the reddish marks from the bra. For the first time he saw the naked back of an adult woman in front of him. Margarita Sergeevna lowered her tights, revealing her pink cleft with curly hair for a split second, revealing her full white buttocks. Denis blushed slightly from excitement, excitement and shame combined. He could not take his eyes off the dark brown mole the size of a penny on his mother’s right buttock. The mother turned around, involuntarily covering her private area with washcloths, but exposing her magnificent breasts, strewn with many small moles, for everyone to see. “I told who,” she hissed so as not to attract unnecessary attention from Lukich. There was nothing to do. Denis took off his panties. “It’s both embarrassing and pleasant,” flashed through his head. He looked at Anka. She was already red as a lobster. But obeying, she stood up and shyly turned away from Denis. Slowly and hesitantly, she unclasped her bra and hung it on the hook. Then she quickly pulled off her panties. Denis saw her soft, well-fed, freckled body and smiled. Freckles were everywhere. Even on the butt. She turned around, trying not to look at Denis, took a washcloth from her mother, and covered with it the furry triangle on her pubic area, which Denis still managed to see. She was confused and was breathing quickly. This made the ripe melons of her breasts sway cutely. “Well, let’s go,” the mother said unnaturally cheerfully and headed towards the door to the washroom. Anya trotted after her. Denis completed the procession. Finally, he looked at Lukich. The old brat openly stared at the naked female bodies leaving. He winked meaningfully at Denis, bared his teeth unpleasantly, and spat. “Old goat,” Denis thought and entered the washroom. Closing the door behind him, Denis found himself surrounded by clouds of steam emanating from different ends of the small room. Right next to the door, boiling water flowed from a hot tap and crashed noisily on the cement. Not far away stood two medium-sized gangs. “Probably the last ones,” he thought and looked into the depths of the room. There, at a short distance from each other, five naked female figures oohed, aahed, groaned, soaped themselves, talked, doused themselves with hot water from the gangs and had not yet noticed the arrival of new people. At that moment when he was trying to examine and identify this naked, flushed female mass, he heard a voice that made him shudder. “Margarita for bringing the children.” Right next to him, with a basin in his hands, in which his mother gave birth, stood a small, fat, strong 50-year-old woman with saggy giant breasts and a belly the size of a small barrel. This was biologist Nadezhda Karpovna Kulish. “Well, Nadezhda Karpovna, they also need to wash themselves. “Otherwise, mine over there will soon have fleas,” the mother quickly babbled. Many young teachers were afraid of the biological scientist, since enough people had suffered from her black mouth. “Did you read the announcement at the entrance, Margarita?” Nadezhda Karpovna continued mockingly. “Denis is yours in the sixth grade, he’s taking botany from me now.” The mother looked confusedly at Denis, then at the biological scientist, and said with false cheerfulness: “Yes, he’s still small.” Nadezhda Karpov looked Denis up and down, slightly holding his gaze below the waist, and in an arrogant voice defuses the situation, “I’m kidding Ritochka. You really have it: small.” “What a viper,” Denis got angry. He was irritated by this red and sweaty fat woman with matted grayish-colorless hair, folds on her stomach, a double chin, and warts on her neck. At that moment, the biological scientist turned her back to Denis and began pouring boiling water into a basin, putting her huge ass on display for everyone to see, on which she could safely place the TV and not be afraid that it would fall. At this time, the mother handed over all the bath accessories to Anya and, taking both no-one’s gangs, began to wait for Nadezhda Karpovna to finish collecting water.
How to properly take a steam bath with a broom
So, we have come to the most important point of our guide, which reveals the basic rules for visiting the steam room.
The first entry into the steam room should be preparatory, because the body needs to adapt to the high temperature and not overheat. Usually it lasts no more than ten minutes and is always on the bottom shelf.
In addition, the temperature in the steam room itself should not be high. If this is a classic Russian bath, it is desirable that the thermometer mark is within 50-60 degrees.
The second approach should be more thorough. You can raise the temperature in the steam room to 80 degrees, move to the top shelf and lie on it for ten minutes, allowing your body to warm up properly.
During the third visit, you can already actively use brooms, without which some consider a visit to the bathhouse incomplete.
First of all, you should know that there are two types of brooms: one is used for massage, and the other is needed for inhalation.
Are contrast procedures necessary?
Traditional procedures during a visit to the steam room are dousing with cold water or cooling in a pool, and in winter - in an ice hole. This is an excellent way to harden. The temperature contrast helps strengthen blood vessels, train the lungs, and stimulate metabolic processes.
However, the body must be prepared gradually for such procedures, otherwise there may be a risk of hypothermia. It is better to start with a water temperature of at least + 20 degrees, gradually increase to + 12.
Experienced bathhouse attendants also risk diving into an ice hole, but such tests are only accessible to trained organisms.
The pouring time is no more than a minute. If chills appear or the skin acquires a bluish tint, the procedure should be stopped immediately. After the steam room, you can plunge into a pool with a water temperature of + 28 - + 30 degrees.
After finishing the steam bath, it is not recommended to swim in the pool or rub yourself with snow. You can cool your body only in between runs.
Doctor Sergei Elshansky gives the following advice: “You can take a contrast shower after the steam room, but an unprepared person needs to start with warm water, gradually lowering the temperature.”
Basic recommendations during a broom massage
Before you start a broom massage, you should follow a few recommendations so that the pleasant procedure does not turn into medieval torture.
To do this, it is worth remembering that the broom should always be wet during the massage. Thus, it must be periodically dipped in a bucket of water and moistened. If the broom is completely dry before the massage, it is usually steamed. To do this, place it in cold water for 10-20 minutes, and then in hot water for one or three minutes.
In addition, you should not wave a broom too intensely in the steam room if the temperature there exceeds 60 degrees, otherwise you can burn the person steaming.
Well, you shouldn’t jump up suddenly immediately after a massage with a broom. First you need to lie down for a while, rest and only then get up.
What types of brooms are there?
Usually people go to the bathhouse with birch brooms, which are an all-time classic. They are believed to help relieve tension and pain in weakened joints and muscles, clear the skin and strengthen the respiratory tract.
A linden broom will help induce profuse sweating. Massage with pine brooms has a general strengthening property and is a good prevention of radiculitis and osteochondrosis.
A maple broom is taken to disperse toxins, a rowan broom gives vigor and has a tonic effect, eucalyptus brooms help relieve cold symptoms, and an oak broom cleanses the skin well.
Be that as it may, diseases cannot be treated with brooms, and all of the above properties relate to the advice of traditional medicine. Therefore, you can choose any broom for yourself and calmly go to the steam room. The main thing is that it consists of natural ingredients.
Conclusion
Maximum benefit, minimum harm!
Only by carefully following these simple rules of the bath, after the measured implementation of all the prescribed measures, will you be able to feel indescribable lightness in your body, clarity in your head, lose a couple of years and gain more health!
Of course, here the power of the effect also depends on the quality of the building structure itself. Therefore, for those who want to thoroughly study all the intricacies of the Russian steam room, we recommend reading on our portal about how to install a sauna correctly. And in the video presented in this article you will find other interesting information on the topic raised today. Enjoy Your Bath!
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