Bathhouse is a necessary element healthy life. This word refers to specially equipped establishments for washing and exposure to high temperatures, in combination with water, steam, and hot air. Or the entire set of procedures performed there.
In the vast territory of Russia, baths have their own differences. There you can not only wash yourself, but also improve your health, relax, and rejuvenate. In cold weather you can warm up in the bathhouse, and in the dry summer season you can enjoy the moist heat. To get the maximum positive effect, you need to know that several modes of ablutions can be beneficial for your health.
Even in one bathhouse you can create various conditions and get a different result. This will depend on many factors: temperature, humidity, time spent in the steam room, the method of obtaining contrasting sensations, the use of oils, brooms, and so on.
Types of bath establishments
How to properly steam in a sauna for health will depend on its modification. The characteristics of a particular organism are also important. The bathhouse, in its various modifications, existed for many centuries among different nations. The Italians called it thermae, in the Country rising sun- ofuro. The Egyptians also understood the importance of bathing, indulging in this procedure 6 times a day. The most popular varieties are Russian baths, Turkish hammam and sauna.
Oriental bath (hammam)
Their characteristics are directly related to their native climate. In dry and hot conditions, this type of bath has acquired comfortable parameters. The air temperature in it rises no higher than 45-55 degrees. High humidity (up to 100%) makes the air enveloping. It is this that has the main effect on the body in the hammam.
Healthy? In the hammam, the sequence of actions should be as follows: after being on the heated marble sunbeds and completely relaxing, the body is rubbed with a hard mitten. When the pores have opened, the body must be covered with a significant layer of foam. This can be done with a washcloth. This massage ends with a bath in warm water and immersion in the coolness of the pool. After rubbing, it is possible to apply medicinal cosmetics and conduct a full massage. The hammam stimulates blood circulation and metabolism. A special feature of this type of steam treatment is the active use of oils. And the gradual addition of washcloths leads to effective peeling.
Sauna
The Finnish version of the bathhouse is the antipode of the hammam: at high temperatures (up to 100°), the moisture content in the air is low (up to 25%). The effect on the body occurs with dry, hot heat. Such difficult conditions require knowledge of how to take a steam bath for the benefit of your health. Splashing water on hot stones is strictly prohibited. In this case, there is a high probability of receiving thermal burns.
Immersion in cold water alternates with warming up in the sauna. This mode is a contrast exercise for the cardiovascular system. Brooms are not used. When you lie or sit in a sauna, complete heating occurs in a dry and sterile atmosphere. After the procedures, massage treatments can be performed.
Russian bath
It combines the high temperature of a sauna and the steam of a hammam. There are many options for its design. In a classic Russian bath, the temperature reaches 50-60°. In combination with humidity, deep tissue heating occurs, which significantly provides a therapeutic effect. A special feature of the Russian version is the use of bath brooms. This includes massage, moving layers of air, and releasing essential oils. When changing the heat of a steam room to or plunging into a body of water, several healing factors simultaneously affect the body. To get the full effect, everything must be correct: the bath itself, the steam room, and the brooms. For example, when built correctly, stones can heat up to 350 degrees. It is this temperature that will allow you to produce light, weightless steam.
Who needs a bath
The bathhouse became popular not as a place for ablutions, but as a complex of health-improving activities. The unique effect of high temperatures along with steam, massage and essential oils on the body occurs in several ways:
- Temperature changes that occur in contrast mode train the cardiovascular system with regular visits to the steam room. This increases resistance to stress and hypothermia. Therefore, the bath is recommended for frequently ill people and patients with dystonia.
- When exposed to elevated temperatures and steam, waste products are released from the sweat glands. Dead epithelial cells are removed. With regular visits to the steam room, the excretory function of the skin is normalized. For patients with decreased turgor and disruption of the sweat and sebaceous glands, a bath will be indispensable.
- Temperature fluctuations increase the production of immunoglobulins that resist infectious agents entering the body. Studies have established a connection between regularly visiting the bathhouse and reducing the number of cases colds. For those who are sick often and for a long time, the effect of the bath will be most noticeable.
- Increasing sweating not only reduces the amount of waste, but also reduces weight. The restoration of the rate of metabolic processes is due to the normalization of body weight, sometimes significant. For obese patients, after consultation with a specialist, the bathhouse will provide an invaluable service.
- Deep relaxation and warming bring significant benefits for diseases of the musculoskeletal system, especially after injury and stress.
This can be achieved if you know how to take a steam bath with health benefits. To achieve a significant impact on health, both the characteristics of a particular bath and the regime of procedures are important. The choice of a broom, the use of essential oils and decoctions of medicinal herbs are also important.
Contraindications
Despite positive influence on health, there is a list of conditions in which a bath can be harmful:
Hyperthermia.
Acute period of any disease.
Oncological pathology.
Endocrine disorders.
Pustular skin diseases.
How to take a steam bath for health benefits
Knowing about the healing effect of the bathhouse, many people go there not only to swim, but also to improve their health. Having decided to use this method, you need to understand how to properly steam in a bathhouse. For health, you need to follow some recommendations. They can be divided into several stages:
- Preparatory.
- Visit to the bathhouse.
- Rules of behavior after visiting the steam room.
Preparatory stage
Preparations for visiting the bathhouse begin in advance. It is better to get a doctor's recommendations before using a steam room, especially if you have chronic diseases.
You need to bring the following items with you:
- Slippers. If you plan to visit the steam room in them, then rubber and leather models are prohibited to prevent burns and slipping. If they are intended to be in the pool area, then wet materials should be excluded.
- Cap. It is better to use hats made of natural fabrics or felt ones with brims.
- Broom. It is selected depending on the purpose of the procedures.
- Bed sheet. It is better to steam without clothes. If this is not possible, it is better to wrap yourself in a cotton towel.
- Soap and towel. When visiting the steam room, warming occurs with the release of sweat. The hygienic procedure requires the use of soap or shower gels after the bath.
- Cosmetics and scrubs. Allows for complete peeling and improves the quality of the skin.
- Eating before the steam room should occur 2-3 hours before and not be excessive. Alcoholic drinks and hookah are excluded.
- If there is an exacerbation of chronic diseases or significant complaints occur (increase in temperature, blood pressure, etc.), the trip to the bathhouse should be rescheduled.
Visit to the bathhouse
Regular visits to the bathhouse are recommended, on average once a week. In this case, removing toxins, training the cardiovascular system and stimulating the immune system will be optimal. What is the best way to take a steam bath for your health? There are several recommendations. Some sources say that being in a steam room is a significant load on the body, comparable to exercise, but has a tonic effect. Hence, it is better to take it in the morning hours. Other experts recommend visiting the steam room in the evening. They argue that deep relaxation in the steam room requires subsequent rest and sleep. Who's right? What is the best way to take a steam bath? For health benefits, you need to use the mode that is right for you: tonic or relaxing. How to achieve this will depend on the initial data of the bathhouse visitor.
Rules of conduct in the steam room
Before entering the steam room, you must remove glasses, watches, jewelry, contact lenses, and clean your face of makeup. Take off your clothes or wrap yourself in a cotton sheet. Be sure to use a cap.
What is the best way to take a steam bath for your health? There are recommendations that you should follow while in the doubles department. They are very simple and easy to implement:
- Do not enter the steam room wearing synthetic clothing.
- Inhale and exhale through the nose. This type of breathing not only provides maximum impact on the upper respiratory tract, but also ensures the flow of optimally humidified air to the lungs.
- When sitting on a shelf, you must use a towel or other natural material. This is due to the high temperature in the bath.
- It is necessary to take the optimal position. It is not recommended to stand in the steam room, but what is the correct way? For health reasons, it is recommended to take a steam bath in a Russian bath while sitting or lying down. It is especially effective to be positioned horizontally. This ensures uniform heating of all body tissues.
- The total time spent in the bath should be at least 2-2.2 hours. It includes staying in the steam room, shower, and pool.
- You need to steam in an individual mode. The first entry into the steam room takes about 5 minutes. If you don’t know how to steam in a sauna correctly, for your health it’s better to rely on how you feel.
- In the steam room you need to move slowly. First, you need to sit on a lounger, sit for a while, then stand up (without sudden movements) and only then go out into a cool room.
Choosing a broom for a bath
The main bath attribute in a bathhouse is a broom. Their diversity requires an understanding of the situation in which each of them must be applied. Brooms must be prepared in the summer, preferably in July, in dry weather. The branches are cleaned in the handle area carefully. Light, fluffy tufts are formed, which are immediately tied with woolen thread and then dried. In this case, you must avoid exposure to sunlight. Dry specimens should be stored in a ventilated area with low humidity.
The most favorite broom in Russia is considered to be a birch broom. It is easy to use and has significant healing effects. The anti-inflammatory and wound-healing effects of the leaves of this tree have long been known. It is actively used for skin diseases, including pustular ones. enhances the diaphoretic effect of the steam room. Its essential oils affect the respiratory system and increase mucus discharge. Signs of a quality broom are the preservation of most of the leaves on the branches. They should be smooth, without mucus. This broom can be used twice.
If you harvest oak branches in August or September, they will be as good as birch in a steam room. They pump and redistribute steam perfectly and are convenient to use. Tannins from the bark increase skin tone.
A eucalyptus broom is also often used. It has an antiseptic effect. In a steam room, with its use you can achieve the effect of steam-moist inhalation. It is important to remember that you need to breathe through your nose. In this case, the upper respiratory tract will be treated with essential oils, and air of the required temperature and humidity will enter the lungs. It is better to harvest eucalyptus brooms in August. Due to the small leaf area, they are recommended to be combined with birch and oak. This preserves the therapeutic effect and reduces the energy consumption of the bathhouse attendant for steaming.
Using a broom
How to steam in a sauna for health? With a broom, this is clear to everyone! After brewing a dry broom with boiling water for 10-15 minutes or soaking it for 10-14 hours in cold water, it is ready to use. You need to steam like this:
- First you need to push the air along the sides of the body. After 4-5 series of movements of the broom from the heels to the top of the head and back, sweat will appear. This will be the signal to move on to the next stage.
- Lower hot air from the upper layers onto the body of the steamer. He is grabbed by a broom and falls flat on his legs and back.
- Light rubbing. It is carried out with a broom from the feet to the head and back. Patting is easy. Inexperienced bathhouse attendants need to remember that this is not spanking, but rubbing.
What to do after the bath
In the bathhouse, several cycles of “steam room-shower or pool” take 2-3 hours. During breaks, you can drink herbal tea, avoiding diuretics. Then you can apply scrubs. After which you need to wash, dry, rub in cosmetics. After drying completely and body temperature decreasing, you can go outside.
What do you need in a sauna other than steam?
It is easier to achieve a good effect by combining several therapeutic factors and understanding how to properly steam in a sauna for your health. With honey, essential oils, a broom and cosmetic creams, you can support the restoration of the cardiovascular, respiratory, musculoskeletal, nervous systems and skin. Having chosen the desired combination of steam mode, type of broom, tea, additional products, you need to use them regularly. Only in this case will the bath have a lasting healing effect.
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 can’t 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 stop 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.
The steam bath procedure is a whole science.
Basic rules for a steamer:
Take your time, the greatest pleasure from a bathhouse is when you can leisurely go in several times
to the steam room with short rest intervals,
At the end - a long rest;
Avoid vaping when in poor condition, unhealthy;
Do not go to the bathhouse immediately after eating, especially if you are drunk;
Remove all jewelry, watches, glasses;
Do not smoke and move less;
Do not water the stones during the first pass and do not overdo it with a ladle afterwards;
If contrast brings pleasure, take a shower between visits to the steam room
take a dip in cold water or roll in the snow;
A short rest is more important than contrast;
Climb onto shelves closer to the ceiling to warm up more, and go down to
cool down;
Cool down after the bath for at least 20 minutes, during which time take a shower;
Do not dry yourself with a towel; the air will dry out your skin while you cool down.
- You can take a steam bath no less than an hour or two after eating. You should not drink a lot of liquid and under no circumstances drink alcoholic beverages, but you should not go to the bathhouse hungry. After severe and prolonged physical activity you need to rest first. You can go to the bathhouse immediately after intense mental work.
- There should be no fuss in the bathhouse. If you do not establish an atmosphere of leisurely, complete relaxation in the steam room, nervous system If you don’t rest, you won’t get the desired effect from the visit.
- A birch or oak broom is first steamed in a basin of hot water, which is good for washing your hair. Then in the shower or washing room they rinse with warm water, and it is strictly forbidden to wet your hair, much less wash it with soap.
- Before you start steaming, you need to take a shower, dry yourself with a towel, then enter the steam room. The shelf can be very hot, so take a towel or saddle with you. The towel is spread on the shelf and lies down. raising your feet on a stand above your head. The optimal time to stay in the steam room at a temperature of 90 ° C and a humidity of 10% is 10 minutes, followed by a rest in the dressing room for 10 minutes. After 2-3 visits they accept cold shower or swim in a pool of cold water. After this, they rest in the dressing room lying down.
- Don't rush to start steaming. If the heat can be adjusted so that when the steam door is closed the temperature is about 60 ° C, then sit relaxed for 3-4 minutes. Then, opening the door, gradually increase the temperature over 10-20 minutes. Since the temperature in the steam room is not the same at different levels, you can first sit or lie on the lower bench, then rise higher. It is better to lie down, since in this case the whole body evenly receives the same amount of heat. The legs are placed on a stand. After you have sweated enough, you should leave the steam room, rinse with warm water and rest for 5 minutes.
- On your second visit to the steam room, take a broom. To increase the heat, in a well-heated bath you need to splash hot water on the stones in small portions of 0.2-0.3 liters. In a well-heated and dry bath, the temperature from water splashed onto the stones does not increase, only the steam content increases. When the humidity is too high, the air becomes heavy and breathing becomes difficult, so you need to maintain the ratio of humidity and temperature: at a temperature of 60-80 ° C, the humidity should be 20-40%.
- The wet broom is lifted up and held for some time at the ceiling of the steam room. The body is whipped with a broom to warm it up and increase blood circulation. When leaving the steam room to relax, take a broom with you, as it withers quickly. If the broom is dry, dip it in water. But it should not be excessively humid, as the splashes will over-humidify the air. To avoid burning your hands, wear woolen mittens. The head is covered with a dry hat or woolen cap.
- It's better to steam together. The one being hovered lies on his stomach, relaxed. The broom acts as a fan, supplying hot air to the soles of the feet, then proceeds to upper parts body, back, until the body warms up and the first drops of sweat appear. Then you need to roll over onto your back and repeat the procedure. During the second pass, you can lightly whip the body, measuring the blows with the temperature: the higher the temperature, the weaker the blow. After steaming, you should not rush to leave the steam room, you need to go downstairs and sit for a while. Then take a warm shower and cool down.
- In the steam room you need to breathe with your mouth open. The number of visits to the steam room and the duration of stay on the shelf depend on how you feel, normally - two or three visits lasting up to 10 minutes with an interval of 10 minutes to rest in the dressing room, preferably lying down. If you feel lethargic, have difficulty breathing, feel dizzy, or have a rapid heartbeat, you should immediately stop steaming and go to the dressing room.
- The time for wielding a broom on the shelf during the last approach should be significantly shorter than during the initial one - no more than 5 minutes. In this case, it is necessary to warm up the body properly, especially if the steamer is going to swim in the cold water of the pool, roll in the snow or plunge into an ice hole. With a well-warmed body, there is no danger of catching a cold, no matter how cold it is. Particularly sudden movements should be avoided in the pool: swimming should be calm. A pleasant feeling is also achieved from cooling in the cold air, but you should not abuse this so as not to catch a cold. The cooling procedure should be short.
- After cooling in the snow or in cold water, you need to take a shower and dry off in the dressing room. You should not dry yourself with a towel, as this will again cause sweat; only dry your hair and face. There is no need to get dressed until the sweating stops. After cooling, you should rest lying on the waiting room bench for 10-15 minutes.
- After the bath you feel thirsty. You can quench it with kvass, lemonade, mineral water, juices or fruits. It is useful to drink strong tea. You should beware of very cold drinks, cold beer, milk. Strong alcoholic drinks and saunas are incompatible.
- For those who want to reset overweight, you should refrain from drinking liquids for 2 hours after the bath.
Features of steaming in a sauna:
- Steaming in a sauna and bathing procedure have a number of features. In the sauna, the temperature is higher than in the Russian bath: you can happily be on a shelf at 100-110 ° C, when the humidity does not exceed 10%. In the sauna, intense sweating begins later than in the Russian bath, so the duration of stay can be extended to 15 min.
- The following conditions must be met in a Finnish sauna. Limit or eliminate the water supply to the heater. Increasing the temperature in the steam room is achieved by heating dry air with hot stones and an electric heater, and not by splashing water on them. When water hits the stones, it causes a tingling or burning sensation on the skin caused by steam in the air. Humidity cannot be reduced quickly, so you need to leave the steam room.
- To increase body heating, you should climb to the top shelf. The temperature in a well-heated sauna increases by 20 °C for every 50 cm.
- A broom should be excluded from the sauna bath procedure. In the steam room it is necessary to ensure natural air exchange. To ensure low humidity and air change, a ventilation hole with a valve is installed in the wall near the stove, through which fresh air enters the room.
- In a sauna, where the temperature reaches 90-120 °C, and the stove does not have stones, excessive dryness irritates the nasopharyngeal mucosa. To humidify the air, in such a bathhouse, lightly pour hot water over the walls and ceiling. There are also difficulties with the broom - at this temperature, its leaves instantly curl and fall off. Therefore, it is better to take a basin of hot water with you to the steam room and rinse the broom in it often.
“Worry - don’t get burned, give in - don’t get burned, don’t fall off the shelf.”
It seems clear. However, not everything is so simple. Especially for a beginner, you need to remember that you can’t joke with a steam room. Here everything must be done very carefully and gradually. Remember that a steam bath is a remedy, and like medicine, this remedy must be taken wisely, not in heavy doses.
When going to the sauna, take the following items with you:
Change of underwear, broom, sheet, terry towel or a robe, soap or shampoo, nail scissors, pumice stone for the soles of the feet, a washcloth, a comb, a massage brush, mittens (preferably woolen) to hold the broom, slippers. For women, a small terry towel is required, on which you will have to sit in the steam room.
They are gradually preparing to meet the hot steam. Beginners, elderly people and bath lovers with high blood pressure (unless, of course, the steam room is contraindicated for them) and neuroses should first take a hot shower for 2-3 minutes or a hot foot bath. For the rest, it’s enough to just rinse under a warm shower, but don’t get your head wet - this will make it easier to tolerate the high temperature in the steam room. You should not wash with soap before the steam room, since in this case fat is removed from the surface of the skin, which protects it from burning in the steam room, especially if you are whipped with a broom. It is necessary to wash with soap after completing the steam procedure.
After a shower, the head is tied with a towel in the form of a turban. This headdress must be constantly moistened with cold water in the steam room so that the head does not overheat. Let us point out here the particular harm of rubber caps, which are used by some bathhouse “specialists”. A tight cap squeezes the head and compresses the blood vessels, and wearing it leads at a minimum to headaches, ailments, and dizziness.
Upon entering the steam room, you should not immediately climb onto the shelf. First you need to sit below for 5-7 minutes or, in extreme cases, lie down on the middle shelf. The body must first warm up at a relatively low temperature. Heating will cause the necessary dilation of blood vessels, and sweating will begin. A beginner can limit himself to this approach; it’s better for him to put the broom aside until next time. To evenly warm up all parts of the body, experienced steamers usually lie on the middle shelf, turning from side to side. This makes the heart work easier.
After the first warm-up (after 5-7 minutes), you should leave the steam room and rest. At the same time, when rising from the shelf, do not stand up abruptly - you may lose your balance. And after leaving the steam room, you should not lie down immediately, it is better to walk for 2-3 minutes.
You need to rest for 15-20 minutes between entering the steam room. First, 5-7 minutes in the soap department, then in the locker room. While relaxing, it’s a good idea to drink a cup of freshly brewed strong tea, a glass of kvass, juice or mineral water in small sips.
After resting, you can go take a steam bath.
But first, they create an optimal atmosphere for themselves in terms of temperature and humidity in the steam room. To do this, pour boiling water onto hot stones in small portions (100-200 ml).
If you steam with a broom, the humidity should be higher. Watering the stones with small portions of water allows you to make the steam less humid, “light” or “soft”.
This is where the expression “enjoy your steam” comes from. And if water is added in large portions, then it settles down with heavy steam, the steam burns the skin, the cardiovascular system is overloaded and the steamer begins to feel tired. Such a bunk is called “raw”, “heavy”.
How to properly take a steam bath in a Russian bath for a beginner? Taking a steam bath with a broom, what could be easier? In fact, it is a whole ritual. A person taking a steam bath can improve his health if he follows all the rules of bath traditions correctly, but he can also harm his health.
- Before going to the bathhouse, you don’t need to eat enough, but there’s no need to starve either.
- 1 hour before taking bath procedures, it is necessary to better open the pores.
- It is strictly forbidden to drink alcoholic beverages so as not to harm your health.
How to properly steam with a broom in a Russian bath
Features of the Russian bath for beginners
The washing department is a preliminary stage bath ritual. Before entering the steam room, you must take a warm shower without using soap or gel. Since using them we will wash away the lipid layer that acts as a barrier and high temperatures will dry out the skin, which is undesirable for us.
Also, do not get your hair wet so as not to get heatstroke in the steam room. A mandatory attribute on the head should be a hat; it can be knitted, woolen or linen.
Getting used to high temperatures - first pass
How to take a steam bath with a broom? You need to enter the steam room with a broom for steaming and you can steam several times from 3 to 7 times, but this applies to ordinary bathhouse attendants. For beginners, three times is enough.
The Russian bath is considered the most humid, as it warms up to high temperatures (60 degrees C and above) with 100 percent humidity. Because of this, the pulse reaches 200 beats per minute, and you should not stay in the steam room for more than 5-7 minutes.
You need to start steaming from the bottom shelf of the steam room. Lie down on it, relax and you will feel how your skin turns red and after a while beads of sweat appear, which means the beginning of the process of adaptation to high temperatures.
Russian bath with a broom - bath ritual
Having adapted to high temperatures, you can rise to a higher shelf, and the duration of your stay will increase to 10-15 minutes. During this time, you can not only sweat, but also feel the benefits of a broom massage.
How to properly take a steam bath in a Russian sauna for a beginner? It is impossible to do without a broom. They can be birch or oak - fresh ones can be used immediately, after rinsing them first. Immerse the brooms in warm water for 10-20 minutes, then steam in a steam room for 2-3 minutes.
Broom quilting begins while lying on your stomach; naturally, you need a partner for this - this way the procedure will be more effective. After which he begins to perform a complex of broom massage.
Basic actions of a broom massage:
- Plowing– swinging movements towards the soaring person.
- Shaking – shaking under the ceiling of the steam room and briefly pressing hot branches to the lower back, feet and shoulder blades.
- Whiplash – biting blows of a broom on the skin.
- Stroking – slow stroking along the body.
- Quilting – alternate stroking and whipping blows on the body with a broom.
- Compress – lowering the broom onto the body of the steamer with firm pressure for 4-5 seconds.
Don’t rush to get up from the shelf right away, you need to wait a little and then smoothly get up and leave the steam room.
Third and subsequent visits
A visit to a Russian bath includes 5-7 visits to the steam room. With each pass, the soaring temperature and duration may increase. The maximum duration of stay in the steam room is 20-25 minutes. Each time you need to monitor your condition so as not to overdo it and harm yourself.
What to do between visits to the steam room
How to steam in a Russian sauna for health? The time between entering the steam room is time for rest, which lasts no less than the steaming process.
If you have recently started visiting the bathhouse, then you should not jump into the pool or immediately after the steam room. And you need to start gradually hardening yourself, gradually cooling the water - take a contrast shower.
During construction, the inside of the bathhouse was lined with “bathroom” wood species, such as birch, pine, linden, and oak. When the bathhouse is lit, they begin to release medicinal oils and resins. In Rus', everyone went to the bathhouse together, from young to old.
After a Russian bath, especially in winter, many people ran out and plunged into the ice hole; it turns out that such a bath burns up to 1000 calories.
How to properly take a steam bath in a Russian sauna without harming your health? After a good steam room, a person who correctly performs all bath procedures loses up to 2 kg in weight per visit.
Be healthy! I will be glad to see you again on the pages of my website.
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-> How to properly take a steam bath in a Russian bath.
By the term “correctly” I mean such an organization of the vaping process that will allow us to cleanse our body both outside and inside, without causing harm to your body.
In this short article I want to talk about how avid steamers in Belarus steam.
For village residents, where the bathhouse is the main means of hygiene, it is typical that there is no reverence or reverence for the bathhouse. Well, the bathhouse and the bathhouse... We went, took a steam bath, washed ourselves, and drank a glass after the bathhouse. Everything is as always.
And no one wonders why they steam this way and not otherwise. That’s just how fathers and grandfathers were soaring...
A unique feature of the Russian Bath is that it cleanses not only from the outside, but also from the inside. But in order to cleanse our body as effectively as possible, and not cause harm to ourselves, we must follow some rules.
They are simple and logical.
The first rule when taking bath procedures is the rule of gradualness. The increase in loads occurs gradually. The body gets used to it, mobilizes and can withstand extreme stress without compromising health and well-being.
The second rule is the rule of reasonable sufficiency. You need to steam exactly as much as necessary for cleansing and maintaining good health. If you feel even a slight discomfort, the vaping process must be stopped immediately. In the steam room, your cardiovascular system operates at its maximum. And malaise is her message that enough is enough, it’s time to rest!
Remember, the steam room is not a place for competition!
Third rule - rational use body strength. Before the bath and during the process, do not deprive your body of strength with rich food, alcohol or drinking large amounts of water. If you want to thoroughly steam not only the skin, but also the joints and internal tissues, then you will need strength.
I will tell you about the dangers of alcohol in a bathhouse at the end of the article.
So let's begin.
We came to the bathhouse. We take with us clean linen, a towel, a flannel or woolen hat, shampoo, soap, and a washcloth. Avid steamers also have mittens. If the bathhouse is public, then you also need rubber slippers and a small mat on which you will sit on the shelf and in the rest room.
First entry into the steam room.
We undress and go to the steam room. Some people moisturize their skin in the shower before the steam room. It is not advisable to wet your head, since wet hair conducts heat well and contributes to overheating of the brain, which is fraught with consequences. Dizziness and even fainting are its symptoms.
First entry into the steam room without a broom. We just sit on the shelf and warm ourselves. During the first session, the skin pores open and sweating begins. The body “tunes” to the extreme steam room - blood vessels dilate, blood rushes to the skin, and the metabolic rate increases. The first approach is short, no more than 10 minutes.
After washing off the sweat, rest for 5–10 minutes. The load during the first run is insignificant, so the rest may not be long.
Second entry into the steam room.
We begin to steam with a broom. To the fullest. We splash hot water on the stones (we call this “to give steam” or “to give in to the spirit”). We raise the humidity to the maximum, but so that it can be tolerated.
During the steaming process, the temperature in the steam room of the Russian Bath changes slightly. It is always somewhere around 60 degrees. “Hotness” in the steam room of the Russian bath is achieved not by temperature, but by humidity - steam. By splashing water on the heater, we increase the humidity. Moreover, at a temperature of 60 degrees, you can create a regime that even the most avid steamer can hardly withstand.
I have seen more than once how sauna (dry air bath) lovers, unable to bear it, jumped out of the steam room. And at the same time, they flatly refused to believe that the temperature in the steam room was “only” 60 degrees. According to their experience, the sensations are the same as at 130-150 degrees in a sauna. But 60 degrees is good for the body, and 130 is absolutely harmful.
I talk about the impact of temperature on the human body in the subsection Three Pillars of the Russian Bath.
So, we entered the steam room for the second time. Since we gave in to the couple “from the heart,” we begin the soaring from the feet. Our legs are less sensitive to the burning steam and while we steam our legs, our body gets used to the heat of the steam room and will accept the procedure much more easily.
The process of soaring with a broom is that the broom is lowered onto each area of the body several times. Having steamed one, we move on to the next one. Our task is to go through the entire body. The movements are smooth, the broom barely touches the body. We whip ourselves, but not too much. Using a broom, we scoop up hot air and lower it onto the body.
In order to serve yourself, you need to learn how to steam with a broom “with both hands.” Right hand soars left side and vice versa. It’s not difficult to learn this; 3-4 workouts are enough.
Having steamed the legs, we move on to the body. If there is a lot of steam and it’s hot in the steam room, then hit each part of the body with a broom once or twice and immediately move on to the next one so as not to burn the skin.
When the whole body is steamed and the skin is “burning”, you can leave the steam room.
Further development of the process is possible in two ways.
First: wash off the sweat and rest in the rest room (dressing room).
The second is for experienced steamers. Immediately after the steam room we shower ourselves ice water, or jumping into an ice hole, or swinging in the snow.
In order to avoid hypothermia, the time spent in snow or debris should not exceed 10 seconds. Only the skin is cooled.
Immediately after this, return to the steam room. Since the skin has lost sensitivity for some time, we can give in more steam. And again, starting from the feet, we steam every part of our body with a broom. This is where mittens will come in very handy, since the sensitivity of the skin on your hands will quickly be restored and waving a broom will burn it. We steam until the sensitivity of the skin throughout the body is restored and it begins to “burn.”
Our second method of soaring is called “doublet”. Its advantage is that short time Not only the skin is steamed, but also the internal tissues. There is no need to sit in the steam room long time or increase the number of visits (high load on the heart).
If you steam thoroughly after a cold extreme, then you won’t get any cold from it. I answer for my words, since my children began to steam this way when they were ten years old (my eldest daughter is already 30). And I never even had a runny nose after such a procedure.
We steam with a “doublet” once. All other approaches are single.
After the second visit, we wash ourselves under warm shower and rest. You can rest for a long time, 10-20 minutes. You can drink water or tea. If you go to the steam room again, drink a little. Excessive liquid drinking is an additional burden on the heart.
Third and subsequent visits.
After the second entry and rest, you can make several more single entries into the steam room. We usually go once or twice.
Everyone, from their own experience, should find for themselves such a number of visits to the steam room that after the bath they feel a surge, and not a loss of strength.
Washing.
After finishing the steaming procedure, we wash ourselves. I highly recommend rubbing your entire body with a soapy, prickly washcloth. A hard washcloth will remove all dead skin particles and massage it thoroughly.
Without a massage with a washcloth, the effect of the bath will be incomplete!
After washing, some people go into the steam room one more time. But this is wrong, since the remnants of soap and shampoos irritate the skin.
Well that's it!
We dry ourselves with a towel and dress warmly. Remember that even a short walk along a cold street naked after a bath can cause a serious illness!
In the bathhouse, your body has expended a lot of energy, it is in a relaxed state and is easily vulnerable. Therefore, you need to spend at least an hour after the bath in a warm room or warmly dressed.
Drafts are especially dangerous!
Separately, I would like to dwell on the incompatibility of a full-fledged steam room and alcohol.
Alcohol (including beer) dilates already dilated blood vessels. The load on the heart increases many times over, and the body’s ability to withstand the extremes of the steam room decreases sharply. A person who has consumed alcohol is not able to fully steam; we say: “can’t hold steam.”
The author has more than once witnessed and participated in “drunken parties without pants.” After the libations, no one can really take a steam bath, everyone just warms up and waves brooms for the sake of decency. There is little benefit from such soaring. Much more harm and extra stress on the heart.
Therefore, if you want to have a good steam and get the maximum benefit from the sauna, give up alcohol (and beer) before the sauna and during the visit to the steam room!
In Belarus, our ancestors did not particularly abuse alcohol: after the bath they took a glass or two and went to rest.
I will say more, if you do not drink alcohol at all, either before or after the bath, then you will understand what a thrill bath procedures bring. When you feel pleasant fatigue all over your body, when you breathe easily and deeply, when your head is freed from all worries and worries, when you sleep like a baby, and the next morning you feel well rested, full of strength and energy...
I’ll probably end on this positive note...