9 tips on how to properly steam in a sauna

Why do people go to the sauna? By yourself, wash yourself, sit in the steam room. The sauna is a great way to sweat, improve the internal and external condition of the body, and feel a surge of strength. But this, so to speak, is the physical part of visiting the sauna. For many Russians, visiting a Finnish bathhouse has become a unique place of relaxation, healing, communication and even entertainment. And we consider it useful to remind you how to behave in a sauna and how to steam properly.

In every house?

So, the second name of the sauna is “Finnish bath”. Scientists believe that the Finns borrowed this method of washing from the Scythians. And they liked it so much that they even gave birth in the sauna and performed the last ablution of the deceased before sending him on his final journey - burying him.

In modern Finland there is a sauna in every second house or apartment. And there are more than 2 million public baths in Suomi. In Russia, saunas have acquired a broader concept - they are no longer just rooms with dry air and high temperatures, but entire complexes that include Jacuzzis, swimming pools, steam rooms of various types, relaxation rooms, and massage. Additional services are also provided: hookah, dance floor, karaoke, bar, satellite TV, Internet access, games.

Second approach, with a broom

Repeated entry may take longer – up to 15 minutes. And the temperature may be higher, so you need to be located on the second tier. After lying relaxed for 3-5 minutes and warming up as expected, a person is completely ready for massage procedures using a broom, and you can safely begin. We have already noted that giving yourself a massage is inconvenient and ineffective, so it is always good to have a smart partner nearby who understands a real Russian bathhouse. In the hands of an experienced steamer, a broom can work wonders. There is a lot to learn from such a specialist, and you will have to do it: after all, you need to repay the debt in the same coin, and it will be your turn to do a massage. Now let's try to figure out what, in fact, can and should be done with a broom, what manipulations?

Visiting rules

Visiting the sauna requires compliance with simple rules. You should enter the steam room with a sheet wrapped around your naked body to avoid skin contact with hot surfaces. Some people wear swimming trunks and swimsuits, but from a hygiene point of view this is not acceptable, and in Finland it is bad manners. If natural modesty or religion does not allow, then no one can forbid wrapping oneself in a sheet from head to toe or visiting the sauna on “one’s” day—women’s or men’s, or at hours when there are few visitors.

The steam room is hot - the temperature reaches 80-130 degrees, so you can’t stand: you need to sit or lie down. Inexperienced steamers do not necessarily have to settle down “under the ceiling” of the steam room. The first or intermediate level is suitable for them. It's better to start with the first one and gradually move higher.

Sitting in a sauna with your legs down is unacceptable. And this is explained by the fact that the temperature at the bottom of the room is lower than in its upper part, which means that the head and legs of the steamer will heat up unevenly, which threatens heat stroke. You need to sit down with your legs raised on the shelves so that they are at the same level as your butt, but at the same time keep them relaxed and bent. When taking a horizontal position, it is permissible for the legs to be slightly above the head, but not lower.

You need to breathe evenly, through your nose. You can cover it with your palm so that it doesn’t seem too hot. It is better not to talk in the sauna, but to “immerse yourself” in your feelings and relax. There is no need to make any rapid movements. There is no need to rise sharply from a lying position. You must first sit down, and after getting used to it a little, get up and go out.

The maximum amount of time that is recommended to stay in the sauna is 10 minutes. The heating temperature in the room matters. If it has reached 80° and this is the first “entry”, then after 5 minutes it is better to leave the sauna. At 100° you should sit down/lie down on a shelf for just 3 minutes and then go out to cool down. No one should lie on bare boards; shelves should be covered with a towel.

What is the effect of a sauna on the body's metabolic processes?

With hot air in a steam room, there is an effect on metabolic processes. He becomes faster after being placed in a new environment, but gradually the condition returns to normal. At the same time, oxygen consumption returns to normal levels, and the creation of carbon dioxide in excess of the norm continues for quite a long time after the completion of the warming up process.

Repeating bathing events will no longer have an impact on the processes responsible for exchange. This indicates that frequent visits to saunas and steam baths in order to get rid of excess body weight will not be effective in most cases.

To wash or not to wash?

Before visiting the sauna, take a shower. At the same time, it is not at all necessary to wash with soap, because this way the natural fatty film will protect the skin from drying out. It is not recommended to apply creams, otherwise they will clog the pores, and the purpose of the sauna is to allow the skin to “sweat” so that everything “unnecessary” comes out with sweat. You should also not get your hair wet before visiting the steam room, otherwise you may overheat and even faint. But it is better to wear a hat and slippers in the sauna.

After a sauna, many people want to cool off in a pool of cold water or take a shower to wash off the sweat. Experienced bath attendants recommend sitting or relaxing, lying in the relaxation room, and washing off the product of sweating after the very last visit to the steam room, and then only with water that is comfortable for the body. Scrubs, peeling and nourishing masks should be applied at the very end of the bath procedure.

By the way, in order to enhance the sweating process, you need to drink half an hour before the steam room, and also drink while resting. Drinks recommended for the sauna: herbal tea, mineral water or kvass. Alcohol and a sauna are incompatible concepts, since alcoholic drinks dilate blood vessels, and a drunk person may feel ill from the heat. For the same reason, you cannot have sex in a sauna. Increased blood circulation during sexual intercourse can lead to a heart attack.

Finnish sauna: experts recommend

Everyone knows that the Finnish sauna has a positive effect on the human body and its condition. Experienced specialists give some recommendations that will allow you to make the most of all the capabilities of the sauna and get pleasure and effect from it:

When it comes to the frequency of visiting a Finnish sauna, you should rely solely on your state of health. If a person feels great, then there are no restrictions. Regardless of the frequency of visits, it is important to remember about the skin and its hydration. To do this, you should use emollients and nourishing cream;
Thanks to the special temperature and humidity set in the sauna, the pores of the skin open and it is cleansed. To consolidate this effect, you can take a face mask. You don’t have to buy them; you can prepare it yourself from berries and vegetables. Such devices are especially effective and useful;
Do not eat heavy food or drink alcoholic beverages. This applies to the time before visiting the sauna, as well as after it. If you feel thirsty after bath procedures, this indicates that you need to restore your water-salt balance. It is better to take green tea or clean water;
You can use a broom in the sauna. If this product is made of birch or juniper, then a beneficial effect will be exerted on the skin;
If you conduct an aromatherapy session in a sauna, you can increase the effect of the procedure and stabilize your condition emotionally. You can drop a little decoction of beneficial plants or essential oil into the water that is poured on the stones. When you choose an aromatic substance, you should focus on the desired effect. For example, pine aromas can relieve fatigue, eucalyptus will improve breathing, and mint will improve your mood.

What not to do in the sauna and who should not use it

In the steam room it is strictly forbidden to:

Smoking;
Drink alcohol;
Have sex;
Water the glow stones unnecessarily;
Lie with your legs thrown up.

People should also not visit the sauna on an empty stomach, with cardiovascular disorders, cancer patients, epileptics, hypertensive patients, asthmatics, pregnant women, if there are complications, those with infectious diseases or severe headaches.

Positive aspects of visiting a sauna:

Removing waste and toxins from the body;
Calming effect on the nervous system;
Elimination of insomnia;
Relieving stress and internal tension;
Increasing the body's resistance to colds and external negative influences;
Improving blood circulation and breathing;
Strengthening the immune system.

By the way, regular visits to the sauna promote weight loss and rejuvenation. It has been noticed that up to 2 kg of fat is lost in one bath procedure. Intense sweating and cleansing of pores leads to elasticity of the skin. If there is no allergy, then in the steam room they use aromatic agents that have a beneficial effect on health: mint, pine needles, eucalyptus. They help cope with stress, improve your mood and feel a surge of strength. A visit to the sauna is a powerful “recharge” of the body and mind, which is why it is so loved in Finland and other European countries, including Russia.

Contraindications

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The steam room is dangerous for people with hypertension and other problems with the heart and blood vessels. Those who have severe chronic diseases should visit steam rooms with special caution: diabetes mellitus, kidney disease, a history of cancer, neurological pathologies. If you have health problems, visit the steam room only after consulting a doctor.

Contraindications are also considered inflammatory skin diseases, exacerbation of acne and rosacea, wounds and fresh scars. Refrain from visiting the steam room during the recovery period after aggressive cosmetic procedures that result in damage to the integrity of the skin: chemical peels, laser resurfacing, injections. If you plan to visit the steam room, check with your cosmetologist about the duration of the rehabilitation period in your case.

Massage techniques using a broom

First of all, learn how to work with two brooms. This massage technique is the most effective. Hands with brooms move alternately with the required intensity and impact force, while the brooms are directed not parallel, but crosswise. Thus, one area of the body receives a double blow. Using two brooms, stroke along the body and circular massage of individual areas, when the hands, squeezing the handles, describe circles in the opposite direction. Some techniques involve synchronous movement of the hands, for example, when pumping hot steam to heated areas of the body.

Let's try to describe all the known methods of manipulating a broom in a steam room:

Plowing or warming up. The broom captures the most heated steam from the ceiling and, with swinging movements, directs it to the body of the steamer, barely touching the skin. Warming usually begins with the feet, pushing hot steam towards them, and gradually moves along the legs, buttocks, lower back, back, and so on up to the neck-shoulder girdle;
Shaking. The broom is shaken vigorously several times under the ceiling of the steam room to heat it up and then the hot leaves are quickly and briefly (1-2 seconds) pressed against different parts of the body: feet, legs, lower back, shoulder blades, neck, shoulders;
Whiplash. Quite noticeable biting blows with a broom with an amplitude of up to 1 m. This technique is especially effective when working alternately with two brooms;
Compress. The bathhouse attendant lifts the broom up to warm it up, and then quickly applies it to the body of the steamer and presses it on top with his hand in a mitten for 4-5 seconds. An extremely effective method, especially for the prevention of radiculitis and osteochondrosis. They start, as always, with the feet. It is believed that warming up the feet triggers the acceleration of metabolism. Particular attention is paid to problem areas: lumbar region, spine, neck, shoulder joints, forearms;
Stroking. A well-heated broom with slight pressure is slowly passed along the entire body from the feet to the neck and this technique is repeated several times. Stroking is performed in the same way on the hands and even on the face;
Quilting. This technique consists of a combination of alternating stroking and whipping. Once you get used to it, this type of massage is also more convenient to perform with two brooms.

Possessing such a rich arsenal of various techniques, an experienced bathhouse attendant can not only improve your well-being, invigorate and lift your spirits, but also put a real barrier to the development of many diseases. And you, having adopted this skill, will also be able to bring a lot of pleasure and benefit to other people.

After the massage, do not rush to get up from the bench, lie down and rest for 2-3 minutes. Only then slowly, without making sudden movements, rise and leave the steam room. In the bathhouse, everything should be done slowly.

Let's add some flavor

The smells give the bathhouse a special atmosphere. They come from the heated shelves and walls of the steam room, which are lined with birch, linden, and pine. However, water served on stones can add a very special aroma. Vacationers often use the liquid left over from steaming brooms for these purposes.

You need to add water little by little (no more than 0.2 liters at a time) and to the hottest place. Then it will quickly evaporate, giving birth to light, soft and healthy vapor.

You can spray hot stones with:

kvass (it gives the smell of baked bread);
mint decoction (has a calming effect);
mustard with water (speeds up recovery from colds).