Bath – 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.
Now 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 steam 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.
People with good health A Russian bath with a broom is recommended without fail. It helps strengthen blood vessels, joints and ligaments, improve immunity and relieve fatigue.
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
- . 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 shapes massage.
- – this 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, it is possible to steam properly in. 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.
- You can’t even call it a bathhouse, or you can, but it’s a 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, . 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 swimming pool and a relaxation room.
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 sauna 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.
Effects of steam on the body
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.
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.
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.
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
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 separate parts 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 the font or pool, wipe yourself with snow or douse yourself cold water from the tub.
Beginners should be careful with contrasting procedures for hardening, the best option for them – a cool shower and dry rubbing.
Relaxation is 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.
Compliance with safety rules
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 with good mood and well-being. You can't overeat or be hungry, and you can't take drugs.
- The first entry into the steam room requires preliminary preparation body to 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. Optimal choice– green tea, herbal infusion, natural juices, mineral water and fruit drinks.
- In the steam room you cannot wear jewelry, accessories, decorative cosmetics on the face.
- After completing the bath procedures, proper cooling of the body is ensured - warm shower, dry rubbing or pouring. If the steamer feels unwell, you should limit yourself to a short rest and a change of clothes.
Features of bath procedures for women
- 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.
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.
- 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.
Video selection
The Russian bath is characterized by a combination of relatively low temperature (about 50-70 o 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 having to visit 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.
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 main feature Russian bath - massage with a broom. from young shoots different types 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 sciatica, improve the condition nervous system.
Sometimes bird cherry is used, which has an anti-flu 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 reach maximum effect, brooms need to be properly prepared for the bath procedure: . 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 skin with a broom, “stretching” the leaves a little.
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.
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);
You can also take with you products to make first, and then, and herbal infusions in order to pour them onto the heater. Take with you: herbs brewed in a thermos, tea or still mineral water.
How does steam work?
At a temperature environment 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. 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 happens to everyone 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.
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 heat 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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
What can be cured in a bath
It is no secret that the Russian bathhouse cures many diseases:
- pain in joints, muscles, back;
- vegetative-vascular dystonia, migraine;
- deviations in blood pressure (not during an exacerbation);
- kidney diseases;
- decreased skin tone;
- respiratory diseases.
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 can’t 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.
To have an idea of how to properly take a steam bath , It’s not enough to watch experienced steamers. Without experience, knowing how to do this is not so easy. To do this, you need to have at least some knowledge of the art of bathing. However, they are not so difficult to comprehend.
So, you make your first entry into the steam room. The brooms are already prepared, the leaves are steamed and give off the aroma of a birch grove. Firstly, you cannot rush headlong into the steam room and start furiously whipping yourself. Sit on the shelf and warm up for 4-5 minutes. You can take it, put it next to you and breathe in its aroma. Secondly, when you feel that your body has warmed up enough, you need to leave the steam room, sit for a couple of minutes and go to really steam.
How to properly steam with a broom in a Russian bath
It is best to do this together, taking turns soaring each other. One lies on the shelf, and the other floats. First, you need to lie on your stomach so that your partner thoroughly steams your back, lower back and legs. The pair procedure requires a lot of physical strength. When you are floating, you relax, and the effect is steam exposure you get the maximum.
Inveterate steamers always take two with them to the steam room. They soar according to a certain system: from legs to head and back. There is no need to use them as rods and whip them with all your might. Movements should be smooth, measured, deliberate and masterly. The art of soaring lies in the ability to bring as much heat as possible to the body of your partner and let him feel all the healing properties of hot steam. Lightly shaking the brooms, start from the heels, then slowly move along the legs, buttocks and back. The brooms hardly touch the body. The reverse movements from head to heels are just as smooth and measured, and on the sides they pump up the heat, acting like a fan. And so 4-5 times – that’s quite enough.
A competent steamer will always approach vaping creatively. If there is too much heat, it will slow down its movements, and if there is not enough heat, then, on the contrary, it will catch up with it. In this case, you need to take into account the wishes of your partner and, where necessary, steam more or less.
Having reached the head, you must act carefully. It’s good to take a short break, lift the broom up, “scoop up” a portion of the hottest steam and lower it onto your back or lower back. After such manipulations, the lying partner will experience a pleasant languor. He will begin to sweat profusely, which means that his body has thoroughly warmed up, and he can begin more intense activities. It is useful to quickly walk over the body with brooms, smearing the sweat with them. Then, just as quickly, waving brooms, spray it with hot air.
Now you can whip the body of your lying partner. Do not whip too hard, turning the broom over from time to time. Periodically lift it above your head and, after thoroughly warming it up, quickly lower it to your lower back, buttocks, back or legs. Hold the broom handle with one hand, and with the other, slamming it on top, press it to your body and rub it like a washcloth all over your body. This is useful for warming up human problem areas. For pain in the lumbar region, not only does it warm up, but also an effective healing massage.
After the body of the lying partner has warmed up and steamed sufficiently, he can turn over onto his back. Everything is repeated in the same order, but with less stress on the body. It is good to place a broom moistened in cold water on your chest from time to time.
How to properly finish steaming
After steaming, do not immediately run out of the steam room. Sit on the shelf for a while to workcirculatory systemreturned to normal. Slowly go down to the bottom shelf and rest for a couple more minutes. You may find it difficult. But you have to be patient a little - it’s good for the body.
A good steamer is a kind of master and professional. He doesn’t just wave brooms in the steam room, but approaches this process thoughtfully and creatively, taking care of his partner’s health. If the temperature has dropped, he will turn up the heat. When necessary, it will be reduced. If it's too hot, he'll moderate his energy and just lightly brush the broom over his body.
For those who came to the baths for the first time
1. Steam first, then wash.
2. It will be useful to take a warm shower (2-3 minutes) before the steam room.
3. Do not wet your head, but it is advisable to wet your hat with cold water.
4. Enter the steam room only in a hat, preferably felt and wide-brimmed, or make a turban from a towel.
5. Choose brooms that are shorter, fluffier and lighter - two are better.
6. Ordinary mittens are very helpful in protecting your palms from abrasions with brooms.
7. When you first enter the steam room, first warm up without a broom for 5-7 minutes. Then drink hot tea to improve warming from the inside.
8. Serve only boiling water; try to apply in small portions and only in the hottest place of the stove (the water in such a place will seem to “pop” or “explode”), this will make the steam dry, and therefore “light” or “soft”.
9. Relax after the steam room without cooling down, avoid drafts.
10. The duration of the bath procedure is determined by your condition, but you should not overuse the steam room.
11. A very good principle for a bath is gradualism and moderation.
12. If you are physically ready and decide to swim in the snow or plunge into a plunge pool with ice water. You came to the baths and have already entered the steam room a couple of times. Now you can try - first warm up thoroughly in the steam room, then with a bullet on the snow/water and again with a bullet in the steam room, steam thoroughly with brooms.
Unwritten laws (rules)
When meeting at the doors of the bathhouse (soap, steam room), those entering have priority, regardless of age.
At the request of the elderly, sick, or pregnant women, give up your seat and provide the necessary assistance: enter or remove from the washing room, steam room, bring water, etc.
It is strictly forbidden to bring any glass objects into the washing or steam room. It is prohibited to enter the steam room with soap or wash in it.
Smoking is prohibited in the bathhouse building.
Never refuse an elderly person’s request to steam them with a broom.
Do not use other people's objects: soap, scissors, washcloth, broom, pumice stone, comb, etc.
Do not bring sharp things into the soap compartment: razor blades, etc.
A person who feels unwell in the steam room or soap section should immediately be taken to the locker room and given assistance.
Do not engage in conflicting conversations, try to prevent quarrels.
You should not stay in the bathhouse for more than 2.5 hours.
How to use a sauna correctly
Take a steam bath - don't get burned,
give in - don’t fall down,
didn't fall off the shelf.
Those not initiated into the art of the bath procedure will be skeptical about the question: “Do you know how to use a bath?” Without hesitation, he will answer: “What’s so difficult here? First I’ll take a steam bath, and then I’ll wash myself in the shower - and I’m ready.” True bathhouse lovers will not say that.
The art of a bath procedure consists of many components: preparing optimal heat, creating the necessary air humidity and pleasant odors in the steam room, correctly selected and specially prepared broom and the ability to use it, timely use of contrasting influences and many other points on which your mood and health will depend .
Choosing a broom
For greater heat and pleasure, lovers of steam baths have long used various devices. For example, the Mexican Indians used fragrant tall herbs for this purpose, which they used to inject hot steam and then apply them to the body, thereby creating a heat compress. Ancient Slavic tribes used quilting on the body with branches of birch, maple, and oak. How widespread and valuable this custom was is shown by the fact that one tribe paid tribute to another with birch brooms.
Although the ancient Slavic custom of steaming with birch or oak brooms has its roots in distant times, it cannot be said that it entirely belongs to that past. On the contrary, now broom whipping is carried out scientifically and there is evidence of the benefits of its use. A broom doubles the effect of a bath. Therefore, a broom is an integral part of the bath procedure. It is no coincidence that old Russian sayings say: “In a bathhouse, a broom is the master,” “In a bathhouse, a broom is more valuable than money,” “A bathhouse without a broom is like a samovar without a pipe.”
Which broom do you prefer? You probably noticed that when buying it, some people prefer birch, while others prefer oak. There is often a debate about the superiority of one or another type of broom.
Birch broom.
An ancient riddle says: “There is a tree, the color is green, in this tree there are four lands: the first is for the sick for health, the second is a well for people, the third is light from darkness, and the fourth is for decrepit swaddling clothes.” What kind of tree is this? Of course, birch. Steam in a bathhouse with a birch broom, prepare medicine from buds and leaves - “for the health of the sick”; quench your thirst with birch sap - “a well for people”; to illuminate a home with a torch, to illuminate a stove with hot birch firewood - “light from darkness”; tying broken pots with birch bark, repairing baskets and baskets - “decrepit swaddling.” Yes, since time immemorial people have kept their love for this wonderful tree, our kind, white-trunked beauty.
Chemical analysis of birch leaves showed that they contain a lot of essential oil, tannins, vitamin C, provitamin A. The buds, sap and bark of birch have medicinal properties. That is why, from time immemorial, birch has been loved not only in Rus', but also in other countries.
Birch brooms were harvested in middle lane Russia in July. Most sauna lovers believe that the best fan is made from soft, flexible birch branches, which, after steaming, emit delicate aroma, it stays on the skin for up to 5-7 hours.
But not all types of birch are suitable for a broom. Only curly birch and silver birch subspecies are most suitable for a bath broom, as it is well preserved and has abundant foliage. If these types are not available, you can use white birch. Birch sap is a refreshing, tasty, healthy drink that quenches thirst well. Therefore, after a hot bath it is useful to drink a glass of cool birch sap.
Oak broom.
Few trees enjoy such love and honor among different nations like an oak. The Slavs, ancient Greeks, and Romans, even at the dawn of their history, worshiped this mighty tree, whose age often exceeded 1000-1500 years. They attributed miraculous properties to him, composed myths, legends, songs and epics about him. In Greece, an oak branch was an emblem of strength, power and nobility. Oak brooms were awarded to warriors who performed outstanding feats.
Like the Greeks and Romans, the Slavs also considered oak to be one of the holy trees.
But it was not just its longevity and majestic beauty that won the oak the love and gratitude of millions of people. The benefit brought by this giant to humanity is great.
Oak leaves, for example, contain large amounts of tannins. Oak decoction is used for certain skin diseases (weeping eczema), severe sweating of the feet. For many centuries, oak branches have been used in the bathhouse as a broom for deep warming and treatment.
A broom made from oak branches is durable: if they were prepared on time and stored skillfully, then it is enough for 2-3 baths. The leaves, even of a well-steamed broom, are always moderately dry, which makes the procedure easier and does not burn the body too much.
Oak brooms should be harvested in August.
Eucalyptus broom. This broom is most often used in the Caucasus. Its disadvantage is that its branches are too thin and flexible, and its leaves are long. It is very difficult to control such a broom while whipping in the steam room; you have to spend additional energy waving it. And in the bathhouse you need to conserve your strength. In addition, it is almost impossible to rub the body with a eucalyptus broom. Real steamers usually prefer a combination broom. For example, 3-4 branches of eucalyptus are added to birch or oak, or oak is combined with birch, or 2-3 branches of wormwood or currant are added to birch, etc.
Eucalyptus leaves contain from one to three percent essential oil, which is associated with the main medicinal properties. The best broom for a bath will be the one collected in August-September, and the most healing leaf for infusion is the one collected in late autumn, November-December. Eucalyptus infusion is used in the steam room as an antiseptic, as an inhalation for diseases of the larynx, trachea, and bronchi.
Eucalyptus oil contains various chemical substances, thanks to which it has antiseptic (disinfectant) and analgesic properties. This oil in combination with turpentine is recommended to be rubbed in after a bath procedure for those suffering from neuralgia, myositis (muscle inflammation), as well as for bruises, sprains and joint pain.
Nettle broom.
IN last years In cities you won’t see anyone steaming with a nettle broom. Many people just don’t know how to do it correctly.
Bath lovers spoke of the nettle-fragrant broom with great love. Those who are not experienced in the bath business will say: “How can you steam with stinging nettles? Sometimes you accidentally touch it with your hand, and it burns - you won’t find a place for four hours. And if you lash your body, you will get sick...” Yes, indeed, you can get sick, because when a person is burned by nettles, blisters appear on the skin. The general body temperature rises and other unpleasant sensations arise.
But if you prepare a nettle broom according to the rules, as experts do, then such a medicinal broom will take first place. Those who often have lower back pain, “aching” joints, tormented by rheumatism, etc. will be especially grateful to him.
A nettle broom is knitted small, before quilting it is placed in hot water for 1-2 minutes, and then in cold water for 3-4 minutes (the procedure is repeated 1-2 times), after which you can whip it.
If you want the nettle to “burn”, and such a broom is loved by older people whose skin is less sensitive, it is necessary to warm up such parts of the body as the lower back, shoulder blades, feet, then in this case the nettle broom is dipped in boiling water for 1-3 seconds , after which you can steam. But to do this, you must first go into the steam room and stay there for 5-7 minutes, or better if you also fast for 2-4 minutes with a birch or oak broom. By doing this you will prepare the skin for more strong impact, which is provided by nettle broom. They need to be quilted lightly, as if to specifically “sting” the skin, then it gives a greater effect.
Coniferous broom.
This broom is brewed for 10-15 minutes in boiling water, and as soon as it becomes soft, you can start steaming. But at the same time, we must not forget that the first time you use it, you shouldn’t steam it; you can injure the skin, and then there will be itching. You should steam with a pine broom when the skin is well warmed up and becomes elastic. It is not recommended to steam with pine needles for those who have very delicate skin.
In areas where birch and oak do not grow, many other broad-leaved species, such as maple, walnut, mountain ash, etc., can be used to make brooms. It is also good to steam with a laurel broom.
Steaming a broom.
If the broom is fresh, use it immediately. A steamed fresh broom becomes “soggy” and heavy. In addition, it quickly “heats up” and the skin cannot withstand the burning sensation.
A dry broom should be immersed in cold water for 15-20 minutes, and then in hot water for 1-3 minutes. A broom that is too dry should be steamed in boiling water for 10-15 minutes, or it should be moistened with cold water 10-15 hours before the bath and wrapped in a damp rag, or it can be lowered into a bucket of cold water. Such a broom is no longer brewed with boiling water before steaming. A broom prepared according to the indicated method will always be dry, fragrant, soft, the leaves will never fly off it and it is enough for 2-3 baths (if used correctly in the steam room and stored).
After the broom has steamed, the water (infusion) becomes dark and more like green tea. The infusion is diluted with boiling water and poured onto hot stones or poured onto the walls; it saturates the steam room with a pleasant aroma. It is useful to wash your hair with the same infusion at the end of the bath procedure; it strengthens the hair roots, and existing dandruff is reduced after 6-9 procedures.
Well, what if you don’t have time, and the broom is too dry, why don’t you leave the bathhouse without fasting? There is a cooking method for this case too. Take a basin of hot water, dip a broom in it and place it on the stones in the oven for 1-3 seconds. At the same time, rotate and shake the broom so that it does not burn, but steams evenly. Repeat 2-3 times. This procedure takes 1-2 minutes.
Procedures before the steam room
Before going to the steam room, you need to take care of a place where you can leave soap, brooms, etc. On the same bench you will have to rest after the steam room, as well as wash and massage. The bench should be chosen in a place where it is warm, there is plenty of air and there are no drafts. Hot water is poured over the bench until it is hot. Then boiling water is poured into one basin and brooms are lowered into it, and covered with the other.
It is especially important to prepare your body for meeting hot steam for those who do not immediately adapt to high temperatures, as well as for beginners, elderly people, patients with blood pressure disorders (if the steam room is not contraindicated for them) and vegetative-vascular neuroses. For such people, it is helpful to first take a hot shower or hot foot bath. After this, you can go to the steam room. How quickly we develop adaptive mechanisms to a high temperature steam room depends not only on its correct use, but also on the state of the body.
Academician V.P. Kaznacheev found that in response to various influences (including thermal procedures), people react differently. Some quickly achieve stability and tolerance of high temperatures, while others get used to it slowly. Therefore, you should not follow the example of others and rush to increase the time you spend in the steam room and increase the air temperature in it. Beginners should especially take this into account.
Before going to the steam room, you need to wash yourself in a warm shower (35-38 degrees) for 2-3 minutes, but do not wet your hair: this will make it easier to tolerate the high temperature in the steam room. It is not recommended to wash with soap before the steam room: it removes fat from the body, which protects the skin from burning during a visit to the steam room, especially if you are whipped with a broom. You should wash with soap after you finish steaming. After taking a shower, put on a hat, preferably with a large brim (it kind of creates a microclimate and protects the head from overheating), you can tie your head with a towel in the form of a turban. The hat can be wetted with cold water; this procedure reduces the heart rate and improves overall well-being.
When using hats (turbans, etc.), you also need to know a few simple ones, but very important rules. In no case should the cap squeeze the head; it was light and at the same time quite loose.
A tight cap can cause malaise, headaches, poor steam tolerance, etc.
The steam compartment should be moderately dry, well ventilated, and clean. If you entered the steam room and felt bad smell sweat, soggy leaves from brooms, don’t start steaming. Such a steam room must at least be ventilated.
The best time to visit the bathhouse is in the morning. Connoisseurs of sauna heat say: you need to go for a “first bath”. In a bathhouse where there is a pool, it is useful to swim for 15-20 minutes, but before visiting the steam room. We did not make a reservation: we recommend swimming, not swimming. After swimming, you should “feel” your muscles, they will “fill up” and be in good shape. Naturally, the heart rate should not increase too much.
Swimming is especially useful for people who have excess weight, leading a sedentary lifestyle, as well as for relaxation and stress relief after physical work, running, athletic gymnastics, etc. The water temperature in the pool should not be lower than 20 degrees. After swimming, take a shower (36-38 C) for 1-3 minutes. This will prepare the body and make it easier to tolerate the high temperature in the steam room.
After a short rest (and it is determined individually - from 10 to 20 minutes), you can go steam. Pour boiling water into a basin (with an aromatic infusion added to the water) and pour 100-200 ml onto the hot stones until the desired temperature is obtained (if you steam with a broom, moisten more) and air humidity. Know that pouring small portions of boiling water over the stones allows you to “make” the steam less humid. They say about this: “light”, “soft”. The secret here is simple: when water is added in large portions, it does not have time to completely evaporate (in addition, the stones cool down) and settles down with heavy water vapor. As a result, the steam burns, additionally loads the cardiovascular system, and the person feels tired. They say about such a pair: “raw”, “heavy”. Experts add water to the stones in small portions, trying to find the hottest place (when the water seems to explode with a loud bang, hitting the stones) in order to make the steam dry and not flood the stones.
In dry air baths (for example, saunas), where the air temperature is 90-120 degrees, excessive dryness irritates the nasopharyngeal mucosa. To moisturize, pour hot water over the walls and ceiling. In a dry bath, the broom leaves instantly curl, break and fall off. To prevent this from happening, take a basin of hot water into the steam room and periodically dip a broom into it.
How to make steam
From time immemorial, there have been traditions in Rus' that were borrowed by many peoples on how to prepare fragrant steam. When creating it, special recipes were used. This steam also had healing properties. For example, in the book “The True Path to Health and Life Extension - Russian Steam Bath,” published in Moscow in 1904, many infusions of medicinal herbs, balms and rubs are recommended for use in the bath. Making “tasty” steam is not easy; it requires a lot of practice or specialist advice. And many people even keep steam preparation a secret.
Before you start preparing aromatic steam, you need to make sure that at the average height of the steam room the temperature and humidity are quite suitable, that is, they do not burn or dry out the nasopharynx.
Now take boiling water and add various aromatic or medicinal substances, infusions, etc. Usually add (per 3 liters): 50 g of kvass or beer, or half a teaspoon of honey, or one piece of sawn sugar, or half a teaspoon of dry mustard (after thoroughly frying it), or 7-10 menthol or mint drops, or half a teaspoon of eucalyptus oil, or two tablespoons of the same infusion, or one teaspoon of instant coffee, or an infusion of fir needles, or an infusion of linden flowers, or fragrant tea, or mint infusion.
An infusion of chamomile, a wild plant with healing properties, is also useful.
A good therapeutic effect is obtained by adding pine extract to water - liquid or in the form of briquettes (previously diluted in boiling water). Both are sold in pharmacies or infused at home. Pouring the solution onto the stones fills the steam room with the aroma of pine needles, which effectively relieves fatigue after tiring physical or mental work.
The smell not only promotes a certain mood, but also has a healing effect. Let's say you are constantly bothered by a dry cough and endless colds. To harden the respiratory system, you need to buy the appropriate herbs at the pharmacy, for example, marshmallow, elecampane, etc. The prepared infusion does not have to be poured onto the stones; it can be sprayed on the walls, even if they are tiled. Aromatic substances, penetrating through the skin and upper respiratory tract, have a beneficial effect on the central nervous system and other organs.
Coniferous extract is recommended as a sedative for functional disorders central and peripheral nervous system, cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension (in the initial stages, i.e. when the doctor is not prohibited from visiting the bathhouse), as well as overwork.
Steam prepared with thyme infusion is also beneficial. If anyone has trouble sleeping, try going to the bathhouse at about 4-6 p.m. and steaming with thyme infusion. And you will see that your sleep has improved. The procedure must be repeated constantly until your condition stabilizes. Here I can’t help but want to remember the ancients again. For example, for a better night's sleep, instead of down pillows, the Slavs lay down on pillows stuffed with thyme grass. Previously, this could not be explained, but now everything has been solved. It turns out that the plant contains fragrant essential oil, which has a beneficial effect on the centers responsible for sleep. Such a bath increases the overall tone of the body, improves mood and performance.
It is no coincidence that in the old days they said: “Spicy smells and tastes naturally revive and approve the bodily feelings of the healthy and those possessed by illness.” In the Urals, infusions of kalufer, sweet clover and other aromatic herbs are added to the water. Often the herb is placed on shelves for scent. A steamed eucalyptus broom gives a particularly good effect. In the steam room, they press it to the face and breathe through their nose for 4-5 minutes.
The smells of some infusions stimulate human activity and create a certain mood. Medical scientists came to such conclusions a long time ago. Already today, Japanese physiologists have established that, for example, the smell of jasmine significantly stimulates brain activity. The scent of lavender also has a tonic effect.
But in general, the recommendations are as follows: tonic infusions and oils should be used in the morning, when you need to invigorate the body. In the evening, on the contrary, you need to use aromas that soothe and promote sound sleep.
About the benefits of sweating
So, the steam room is ready. You can also take a steam bath. However, do not rush to go to the very top shelf, because your body is not yet prepared for high temperatures. First, you need to warm up at a low air temperature in order to cause the necessary dilation of skin blood vessels and the onset of sweating. For this purpose, it is enough to visit the bottom (or middle shelf) of the paired compartment.
We already mentioned that people are different from each other individual characteristics: some begin to sweat (all other things being equal) at the 4th minute, and others at the 10-12th minute. Therefore, everyone, without exception, needs to go out to the soap compartment after 5-7 minutes in the steam room and sit. And the expected drops of sweat will appear in 3-5 minutes.
It is recommended for a beginner to enter the steam room once - lie down, i.e. in the comfort zone, for no more than 5 minutes. It is better to postpone whipping with a broom until next time. If you feel cheerful after the bath, then next time you can increase your visit to the steam room by 1 minute and gradually move on to 2-3 times a day, bringing the total amount of time in the steam room to 15-35 minutes (depending on age, well-being, temperature conditions in the steam room and other conditions). In general, the entire bath procedure should not take more than 2-3 hours, and in the steam room you can spend no more than 35 minutes, regardless of the number of visits. And here it is necessary to emphasize that the duration of the bath procedure is determined not by the clock, but by the person’s condition; everyone feels when they should leave the steam room. For experienced steamers, it is advisable to first lie down on the middle shelf so that the head and legs are at the same level. It’s even better if your legs are a little higher (in modern steam rooms there is a special slat-shaped footrest for this purpose). This position creates a natural outflow of blood and lymph from the underlying areas of the body, and thus facilitates the work of the heart. If it is not possible to lie down, you need to sit down, but so that your legs are at the same height as your body.
When standing, you put yourself at risk of heat stroke because the air temperature at head level is higher (15-20 C) compared to the body.
In order to evenly warm up all areas of the body, change position often, i.e. first lie on your side, then on your back, on the other side and on your stomach.
In the steam room you should always breathe through your nose: this cools the hot air, and humidifies the too dry air.
After warming up for 5-7 minutes, do not get up suddenly: you risk losing your balance for a moment. And although this phenomenon in itself is not dangerous, you can fall and get seriously hurt. A minute before leaving the steam room, if you were lying down, sit down to prepare your circulatory system for a standing position.
When leaving the steam room (this applies to everyone), you should not immediately go to bed to rest, you need to walk around for 2-3 minutes. In this case, it is useful to raise your hands up and take deep breaths, after which it is recommended to rinse under a warm shower. Do the same before entering the steam room again.
Before each subsequent visit to the steam room, you need to take a good rest for 15-20 minutes (5-7 minutes in the soap section, and then in the locker room, well covered with a sheet or wearing a robe). Both in the soap department and in the dressing room there should be no drafts, it is cold.
To maintain warmth and continue sweating, you can drink hot tea or other fortified drink. You should not drink in one gulp, but rather in small sips.
Depending on the condition and purpose, the steam room can be visited 3-4 times. After each subsequent session, rest in the soap room or dressing room should increase.
If you decide to take a steam bath with a broom, then this is done after the first or second session, when the body is ready for stronger temperature effects. Between visits to the steam room, contrasting procedures are taken. But for those who want to lose weight, it is important to remember that any cooling immediately reflexively stops sweating, and this interferes with further weight loss.
It is very useful to perform massage or self-massage in the bathhouse. This is done immediately after leaving the steam room. Before a massage, you should never cool down, even go into a cool room. You should not drink cold drinks either. Drink hot tea or milk slowly, in small sips and no more than a glass. The total massage time in the bath after the steam room is 25-35 minutes (up to 15 minutes are allotted for self-massage). Each massage technique is repeated 3-4 times. The procedure can be interrupted by visiting the steam room (for 3-5 minutes). If you are not tired, then it is useful to whip yourself with a broom all over your body.
After the massage (self-massage), take a warm shower (1-2 minutes) and begin washing. Before leaving the soap department, it would be a good idea to go into the steam room for 1-2 minutes, and then take a warm shower and go to the dressing room. You should not wear underwear if you are not cooled down and continue to sweat.
Before leaving the bathhouse, it is not recommended to swim in a cool pool, douse yourself with cold water, or wipe yourself with snow. These procedures are always interspersed with visits to the steam room. And before going outside, especially in winter, you need to rest a little in a cool room.
It should be remembered that the bath is a means of promoting health. Therefore, no “records” are inappropriate here. A record long stay in a steam room and a record high temperature are completely unjustified risk factors that can make a healthy person sick.
For those who find it difficult to withstand the bath load, you can adhere to this order of procedure. First, wash your hair, hands and feet. After this, rinse and rest in the soap compartment, if it is not stuffy. It is better to go to the dressing room and, covered with a sheet, sit for 7-10 minutes. Then wash yourself with hot water and go steam. In the steam room, choose the temperature that suits you and steam while sitting. Well, the best option is when you lie down and they float you. After this, after resting in the soap compartment, you can wash yourself.
in baths with high relative humidity (up to 90-100%), the temperature should not exceed 70 C (for elderly and weak people - 45-55 C). At a humidity of 30-40% the temperature can rise to 90 C, and at 5-15% - up to 110 C.
The described bath procedure technique concerns dry-air and damp baths. In the case when you steam without a broom, then, lying on the shelf, you need to turn around from time to time. This will help steam all parts of the body more evenly.
Don't expect a miracle by going to the bathhouse just once. If you use it regularly and correctly, you will soon notice that you have become more active at work, you are less tired and nervous, and if you skip the bath procedure, you will immediately feel, as they say, “out of place.”
Steam with a broom correctly
A broom in a bathhouse is not used for exotic purposes; with its help, a more effective effect on all organs and systems of the human body is achieved.
“Broom massage” increases blood circulation not only in the skin, but also in deep-lying tissues, which promotes better redistribution of blood, lymph and interstitial fluid throughout the body. As a result, sweating increases significantly, products that the body does not need are eliminated, and skin respiration increases. All this contributes to a more enhanced metabolism.
Any broom, no matter what you use in the steam room, releases medicinal substances - phytoncides, which have a bactericidal effect. In addition, the essential oils contained in the leaves and branches, when they get on the skin, improve its metabolism, increase its tone, and prevent premature aging and deterioration of the skin. After beating with a broom, the skin acquires a healthy color. It is no coincidence that in the old days people said: “The day you sweat, the day you don’t grow old.”
It’s better to steam together, taking turns whipping each other with a broom. The most rational body position for someone being hovered is lying on a shelf (bench). Firstly, temperature affects all parts of the body equally. Because even in the most comfortable steam rooms, the difference in air temperature at the level of the legs and head (if you steam while standing) is up to 20 C. This adversely affects heat regulation, and the head also overheats excessively, which is harmful.
Secondly, when lying down, better conditions are created for more complete relaxation of all parts of the body. But if it is not possible to lie down, it is better to steam in a sitting position, and your legs should not hang down, they should be raised to body level (i.e., placed on shelves, a bench). Studies have shown that in the supine position, the pulse is on average 8-10 beats/min slower, therefore, the load on the cardiovascular system is reduced. This is especially important for those who steam for the first time or after an illness (if the doctor has given permission to steam).
We have already said that the broom should be light, the handles should be thin, and carefully wrapped in a bandage or other soft cloth. If you do not follow this rule, then even the strongest and roughest hands will become covered with water calluses (which is why mittens are recommended). In addition, a light broom “works” both muscles and joints more thoroughly.
It is necessary to soar each other with a broom “according to science,” because you often see how one literally tortures the other with beatings.
First, choose shelves with a suitable air temperature for you and lie on your stomach with your arms extended along your body. Then the partner should use two brooms to lightly stroke from the feet to the head. In the opposite direction, one broom slides along one side, and the other along the other, then along the side parts of the pelvis, thighs and calf muscles to the feet - this happens 2-3 times. Next, you need to lift the brooms up, trying to capture hotter air with them, lower them to the lower back and press them with your hand for 1-3 seconds. The same movements are carried out in the area of the shoulder blades, on the knee joints. The whole complex is repeated 3-4 times. In this case, you should pay attention to the fact that the brooms do not move through the air, but always touch the body. If the air temperature in the steam room is too high and the skin cannot withstand the heat, the brooms should be moved slowly, without lifting them up. The burning sensation of the skin is eliminated with a broom, which is first dipped in cool water.
In baths, where the temperature and humidity are optimal, brooms should not be soaked in water, otherwise they will lose the ability to build up heat. In addition, they stick together and become heavy. A dry, light broom collects evaporated evaporation from the surface of the body well and evenly distributes the warmer air of the environment over it.
The air temperature in the steam room is set individually in each individual case. For example, in a dry-air (Finnish, Russian) bath the air temperature is in the range of 90-120 C, relative humidity is 10-25%, and in a damp bath - 50-70 C and humidity up to 100%. These are the optimal standards for whipping with a broom. But there are lovers for whom this is not enough. Increasing the effect of heat on the human body can be achieved by quickly moving brooms from one area of the body to another and periodically, either at the feet or at the head, raising them higher, as if pumping hotter air, which creates the necessary heat.
The next soaring technique is quilting, which is performed with quick quilting movements using the end part of a broom. First, it is done on the back with light “strokes” in all directions. Then - on the lower back, pelvis, hips, calf muscles and feet. This technique takes up to 1 minute. They finish by stroking it, but the movements are made much faster than initially. Duration - up to 1 minute.
Next, the partner lies on his back. All techniques are performed in the same sequence as lying on your stomach. Then they turn their backs up again. First, the first two techniques are repeated: stroking and whipping, which should not take more than 2 minutes.
Then they begin the main technique - whipping (it is stronger) in combination with a broom compress. They start from the back. The broom is lifted up (catching the hot steam) and lashed 2-3 times over the latissimus dorsi muscles, and then pressed with your hand - this will be the compress. The same is done on the lower back, gluteal muscles, outer surface thighs, legs, feet (excluding the popliteal fossa, where the skin is very sensitive). When it is necessary to warm up deeply knee-joint In order to increase its elasticity or restore impaired functions, a broom is placed on it, and the shin is bent with careful springy movements until the heel touches the pelvis.
The compress is especially useful for injuries, muscle pain (after large physical activity), radiculitis, myositis, muscle inflammation, gout and some other ailments.
After this, the brooms are placed on the lower back and at the same time spread apart: one broom is moved towards the head, and the other towards the feet. This technique is called “stretching” and is recommended for various pains in the sacrolumbar region. Stretching is done 4-6 times and ends with general stroking of the whole body.
If in the second (third) round they intend to steam with brooms, then the whole procedure is repeated, but for the first two steps (stroking, whipping) and total time are being reduced. at the end of the steaming, a rubbing technique is used, which is performed as follows: with one hand (usually the left) the broom is taken by the handle, and with the palm of the other, lightly pressing on the leafy part, they rub the back, lower back, pelvic area, etc. The torso can be rubbed in all directions, and the limbs along. Rubbing can be done with strokes or circular movements.
If after visiting the steam room you do not carry out a self-massage or massage session, then in this case you should more vigorously do a broom massage in the steam room (vigorous whipping and rubbing), especially in the back, lower back, chest and hips. If you visit the bathhouse together or three, then it is more effective to carry out a mutual massage. Then take a 1-2 minute warm shower and begin washing.
You can steam yourself too. If possible, you need to lie on your back and begin to hover first one leg, then the other, for which you stroke them in the direction from the foot up to the pelvis. The brooms should slide evenly over the front area of the legs, then along the back, 3-4 times. If the air temperature in the steam room is high, the brooms should be moved slowly and not removed from the body, so as not to increase the heat. At normal air temperature in the steam room, you can increase its influence by quickly moving the brooms from one
- The procedure is not tricky. It is worth noting that here, too, there are certain rules and traditions. Moreover, failure to comply with them can lead to damage to the body. Not everyone knows how to steam properly. The art of the bath procedure is composed of several parameters. This includes the correct approach to contrasting actions, the selection of pleasant aromas in the steam room, the preparation of optimal humidity and temperature, and a well-chosen broom.
Before visiting the steam room (steam room), you should properly steam the broom. To do this, it should be placed in a bowl of hot water. At this time, you can make your first entry into the steam room. In this case, you must first take a warm shower for 2-3 minutes. Remember: before going to the steam room you should not wet your hair. When visiting the steam room, you need to take a special bath cap with you. The most suitable hat in this case is made of felt.
You should warm up in the steam room, starting from the lower shelves. The temperature there is much lower than at the top. After this you can go higher. IN in this case It is advisable if the legs are located slightly higher than the head. This position ensures the natural outflow of lymph and blood from the underlying parts of the body. Thus, it helps ease the work of the heart. After you have sweated, you can go to the rest room (dressing room).
When entering the steam room again, you must take a steamed broom with you. Water should be splashed onto the stones in small portions. Thus, the steam room will be filled with aromatic dry heat. At the same time, hot water will not allow the stones to cool quickly.
It is worth noting that it is better to steam together. The fact is that being alone is simply inconvenient. The one who takes a steam bath lies on his stomach and relaxes, enjoying this procedure. The steamer first blows hot air with a broom. After this, it lashes the body with light blows, slowly intensifying the blow. Next, the body is rubbed with a broom. Please note: the rubbing procedure cannot be carried out with all brooms. After this, all actions are repeated, turning the person soaring onto his back.
Finish the soaring procedure according to your feelings. If a person is already quite hot and tired, he should go to the rest room. Usually, average duration The procedure takes about 10 minutes. After the steam room, you need to lie down in a cool room.
Choosing a bath broom
A bath broom is an integral attribute of a Russian bath. Ancestors have used it since time immemorial. Bath brooms were not created to flog yourself with them like rods. With their help, steam is injected, the skin is warmed up and a kind of massage is performed. Each broom has its own healing properties.
Eucalyptus broom combines a variety of healing microelements. It perfectly relieves pain, helping with joint pain, muscle inflammation, bruises, sprains, etc. In addition, such a broom is considered excellent.
The oak broom is very popular. It's much stronger. Due to its properties, an oak broom is necessary for people with a variety of skin diseases. Its leaves contain large amounts of tannins and essential oils.
Juniper broom is used by thrill seekers. He is very rough and prickly. The juniper broom is pre-steamed for 20-30 minutes. It is worth remembering that with tangential movement it can leave abrasions and scratches. Juniper broom is known for its bactericidal properties.