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 the Russian bath can save you from having to visit gym: one visit to the steam room is equivalent in terms of calorie costs to a couple of hours of work on simulators. But not everyone can withstand such loads.
Typically, a Russian bath 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. All of them have their purpose and effect.
Types of brooms and their impact
The popularity palm belongs to oak and birch brooms. Birch cleanses and soothes the skin, heals wounds. Oak broom has a bactericidal and anti-inflammatory effect, makes the skin supple and toned. Use in the bath and a broom made of juniper or fir needles. It can cure sciatica, improve the condition of the nervous system.
Bird cherry is sometimes used, which has an anti-influenza effect. Walnut broom reduces varicose manifestations, heals small ulcers on the skin, alleviates the condition of diabetes. Alder leaves adhere well to the skin, removing toxins from it, removing sputum from the lungs with bronchitis and coughing. Eucalyptus is a rather rare plant for our places, but a broom made from it will make the air in the bathhouse even more healing, make breathing much easier and improve well-being. They also make brooms from nettles. It has been successfully used in the treatment high blood pressure and soothing "disordered" nerves, relieving pain in the joints and back.
To achieve maximum effect, brooms must 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 hard, you can burn or injure the skin. It is necessary to lightly tap the broom on the skin, slightly “stretching” the leaves.
When and how long to 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. About when it is better to go to the bath, opinions are different, often opposite. Some of the bath lovers prefer the morning, some for the evening procedure, ending with sleep.
Time in the steam room - an individual choice
But bath experts are unanimous: bath and bath parties- completely different things and concepts. Going to the Russian steam room after having eaten or “warmed up” with a drink with degrees is simply dangerous for 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 food with you to make first, and then, and infusions of herbs in order to pour them onto the heater. They take with them: herbs brewed in a thermos, tea or mineral water without gas.
How steam works
At a temperature environment above 36.6 ° our body begins to actively sweat, thus trying not to overheat the body. This feature is used in the bath. The fact is that when sweat is released, accumulated in the skin and subcutaneous fat harmful substances, thereby cleansing and healing the body.
The higher the ambient temperature, the more sweat is released. This opens up the pores. So that the skin (and behind it the internal organs) does not overheat, blood circulation is activated, this is expressed in redness: its amount increases closer to the surface. Such an increase in blood circulation occurs with all internal organs. More blood brings more nutrients, improving the condition of the skin. At the same time, through the sweat glands, a liquid with a huge set of trace elements is released.
That is why in the bath you need to drink, and drink a lot. No need to drink in one gulp a large number of liquids. A few small sips, a break, and again. So the liquid is not excreted by the kidneys, but is distributed to the tissues and organs, restoring what has gone with sweat.
What, then, gives diving into cold water? Instant closing of pores. At the same time, the hot blood that was in the skin is squeezed out by closing pores into the deeper layers. Having received hot blood, these layers warm up. The next time you enter the steam room, they are included in the cleansing process. And this happens with each cycle of the steam room - cold water.
Naturally, between cycles you need to take breaks for rest. During it, you need to drink healing infusions of herbs. Green tea is also useful, 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 overload it unnecessarily.
Very easily, by the way, red or pink spots on the skin after visiting the steam room are explained (the skin becomes marbled, with stains or stains). It's just that the pores closed differently in different areas. After a few hours, the color will stabilize.
How to steam
The bath is a place for relaxation, and everything needs to be done here slowly. The first rule of good vaping is don't rush. Everything has its time. You should not immediately run to the steam room upon arrival. The body has not yet warmed up and relaxed. Undress, put on a broom.
First, stand under a warm shower (do not wet your head), gradually increase the temperature of the water. Having warmed up, you can go into the steam room (putting a hat on your head).
First entry to the steam room
You need to start steaming from the lower shelves. Sit or lie down, warm up. From the second or third approach, it will be possible to rise higher, but for now, do not rush.
If you lie down, your feet should be above your head. This makes it easier for the heart to work, and you will know that it is actively working by an increased pulse. The duration of the first entry into the steam room is no more than 5 minutes. Be sure to take a warm shower when you leave. With sweat, many toxins that have accumulated in the body are removed. Leave them on the skin and they will be absorbed back.
After a shower, if you want, go to the dressing room, relax, drink hot tea with herbs.
The following visits to the steam room - work with a broom
Then you can already use brooms. Now you need to splash out specially brewed infusions of herbs on hot stones several times. Hot steam will rise from the stones in powerful jets, so be careful. When you reach the required temperature and humidity, you can start working with a broom.
It is more convenient to bathe together, taking turns whipping each other with a broom. “Single” use is also possible, although the back is then poorly worked out.
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 strengthening 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 be done only if there are no damages on the skin. The procedure is repeated, turning over on the back. Keep in mind that you need to pat on the stomach much easier than on the back.
When to complete entry into the steam room and how to relax during breaks
Listen to your own feelings. As soon as you feel tired, or it becomes hot, it's time to go out and rest. For almost any person, 10 minutes in the steam room is enough. In a cool washing room or dressing room, you need to lie down, but not immediately after leaving the steam room. You need to walk around a bit, taking deep breaths with full breasts, then stand under a warm shower. Now you can lay 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 there have already been. 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 entry, you can apply a mask to the body (better home cooking). In the steam room, wait for the appearance of profuse sweat, then rinse everything off under a warm shower.
Total visits to the steam room 5-7. Less - it makes no sense, more - too much stress on the body.
contrast procedures
After each entry into the steam room, the body requires cooling. For seasoned bath regulars, even dipping into an ice hole or swimming in the snow will be normal.
But if you are a beginner, you should not expose the body severe stress. It is 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, as your body and circulatory system become more trained and accustomed to heat/cold swings, you will be able to experience more contrasting sensations.
How to end a trip to the bath
Every time you enter a steam room, listen to your own body. As soon as you feel dizzy or nauseous, it becomes "ill" or lethargy appears, you need to take small steps, holding on to the walls, to 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 rest. The trip to the bath can be considered over. This time for sure. If the situation repeats, the bath should be abandoned altogether, as well as undergo a medical examination.
After the last visit to the steam room, you need to sit and cool down. Drying with a towel is not worth it - sweating will only intensify. After the body temperature and pulse have returned to normal, you can get dressed. Before, there is no point: everything will be instantly saturated with sweat.
What can be cured in the bath
It is no secret that the Russian bath cures many diseases:
- pain in joints, muscles, back;
- vegetative-vascular dystonia, migraine;
- deviations in blood pressure (not during an exacerbation);
- kidney disease;
- reduced skin tone;
- respiratory diseases.
Who should not go to the bath
Unfortunately, not everyone will benefit from visiting the bathhouse. There are also contraindications. First of all, it is any purulent disease. Even a small pimple with a purulent head will become large and sore. 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);
Do not take children under 4 years old to the steam room. There are also restrictions for the elderly. This procedure is also contraindicated for them. Doctors do not recommend visiting the steam room during pregnancy and lactation, but many neglect these recommendations.
Expectant mothers ignore doctors' advice not to go to the steam room
Finally, watch a master class on soaring in Russian baths. So many useful information in this video.
In order for bath procedures to improve health and prolong youth, you need to bathe correctly - wisely
STEAM BATH! HOW TO STEAM CORRECTLY?
Advice how to steam properly- In the steam room, sit correctly: keep your back straight, stretch your legs, so the body can more easily endure the heat; - In the steam room, be sure to wear a felt hat on your head
A woman gets younger after a bath. Wrinkles are smoothed, the skin becomes elastic and smooth, the complexion improves. Harmful slags and toxins are released from the body. Improves metabolism. If you want to get the maximum effect from the Russian bath - follow these recommendations.
By all rules:
1. Eat 3-4 hours before the bath.
On an empty stomach or immediately after eating, do not go to the steam room. You may faint.
2. Rinse in advance under a warm shower. Only without soap, it removes the fat that protects the skin. Wipe dry. All. The body is ready for high temperatures!
3. Do not sit in the steam room all the way. The best option is short and frequent visits of 5-8 minutes with breaks of 10-15 minutes. Prolonged stay in the steam room can cause insomnia, irritability, headaches, pressure surges.
4. Steam lying down. Stretch out on a shelf, ask a friend to “walk” on you with a broom - from neck to heels. In a horizontal position, the muscles relax better, and the "steam" is distributed evenly throughout the body.
What else?
In the first 2-3 calls, you should not immediately bathe with a broom. Sit back and just warm up. Wipe the body with a hard washcloth, and then apply a scrub. So you immediately clean the pores, and perspiration will improve.
. Add 2-3 drops of pine oil to a bucket of hot water and give it to the stones - steam with essential oils will strengthen the immune system.
. No alcohol in the bath! Brew healing tea in a thermos - 1 tsp. tea leaves, 1/2 tsp. dry St. John's wort, chamomile, linden, mint and black currant. Lemon slice, 2 tbsp. l. honey and a handful of cranberries. Pour 2 liters of boiling water. Insist 30 min. Drink hot tea. A decoction of herbs will energize and restore moisture loss.
. After the bath, do a massage. The efficiency of it will double!
. Steamed? Go to bed soon. Without have a nice rest from visiting the bath will not be of any use.
You should know it!
Do not visit the bath during menstruation - the heat can cause bleeding. If you suffer from chronic diseases, have heart problems, or have an inflammatory process in the body, consult a doctor before going to the bathhouse.
RUSSIAN BATH
RUSSIAN BATH DEVICE (FEATURES)
High humidity (85-95%) and temperature around 70-95°C. The source of heat in the Russian bath is a stove-heater, which is periodically doused with water to control the microclimate. You can add aromatic oils, herbal decoctions, as well as beer, kvass, diluted honey. Evaporating, the liquid with additives will saturate the air with useful vapors.
RUSSIAN BATH RULES (PROCESS)
As an aperitif, a warm shower without soap. On the first run, it is better to steam on the shelves closer to the heater and no longer than 10 minutes. After - rinse with lukewarm or cool water and relax while drinking herbal tea with honey. On the second visit to the steam room, you can take a broom with you, which will provide an excellent massage and anti-cellulite effect. In total, you need to make at least three integrated approaches: steam room + rinsing + tea and rest. The final stage is a shower with soap, scrub and contrast rinsing. Some extreme people like to dive into the hole or wallow in the snow. The method is wonderful, but only for the trained.
IMPACT
Body temperature slightly rises (by 1-2 tenths of a degree), blood circulation accelerates, pores open, toxins are actively removed. Bones and joints warm up, muscles relax and become more elastic. Nervous tension, insomnia disappear, mood improves, a feeling of lightness appears.
EQUIPMENT - ALL FOR SAUNA
Broom, felt or wool hat or towel turban (to protect the head from overheating), bath or cotton sheet, flip flops, scrub, honey, massage oil and moisturizing lotion.
bathing is not more than 1-2 times a week. Otherwise, the beneficial effect will be reduced.
IN THE STEAM ROOM YOU SHOULD FORGET ABOUT ALCOHOL AND FOOD. IF YOU REALLY LIKE, YOU CAN HAVE SOMETHING LIGHT (AND NOT VERY SALT) IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE PROCEDURE.
FINNISH BATH
PECULIARITIES
Dry heat at a high temperature of 90-110°C and low humidity (10-25%). Thanks to this combination, moisture actively evaporates from the surface of the skin, which protects it from overheating. The wood from which the sauna is made enhances useful influence on the body. In a sauna, unlike a bath, they do not pour water on the heater - this can lead to steam burns.
PROCESS
Before the steam room, you should take a shower and dry yourself well. Hair must remain dry. In the sauna itself, it is better to talk less. The first entry should last no more than 8-10 minutes, after - a cool shower, and immediately - hot. During the break, refresh tea with honey, kvass, water or herbal infusions. Subsequent visits can last up to 15 minutes. After the final one, you need to take a shower, do a body peeling and wash your hair.
IMPACT
The work of sweat glands is stimulated and toxins are removed. Also, the Finnish bath is good for muscles and skin.
EQUIPMENT - ALL FOR SAUNA
Towel or sheet, head cap, slippers. Body and face masks, which can be done in between visits, and moisturizing lotions (both for the body and for the face) are applied after the entire procedure is completed.
sauna helps to cope with weather sensitivity. For this, it is worth bathing once a week.
Both in the Russian and in the Finnish bath, you should take a shower before the steam room!!!
If you need advice on what is more effective from sweat protection and what means to use for a lasting manicure, you can read the articles and How to make a long-lived manicure, or maybe you have decided to make a radical change in your life, then read Positive Thinking and Sports - Health where secrets are revealed happy life!
And its views, as well as determining that right for you, I offer a small "washing" educational program about the most popular national steam rooms and how to properly behave in them.
Because, unfortunately, often we only think we know, instead of actually knowing.
Bath tolerance different people depends on their psychological mood, general health, individual features bath habits.
Therefore, the duration of stay in the bath and the order of procedures taken cannot be the same for everyone, but there are general provisions.
Russian bath
Let's start with the popular Russian bath. In a wet (or Russian) bath, the temperature should not exceed 60 degrees at 70-90% humidity.To determine these indicators, each bath must be equipped with a hygrometer.
Before entering the steam room, rinse yourself in the shower (women, wash off your makeup!). But in no case do not wet your head, so as not to cause it to overheat in the steam room.
After easy wash, before entering the bath shelves, you need to dry yourself with a towel, because the moisture on the body prevents sweating. Yes, and do not forget that the bath is not a social event. All jewelry should be left in the locker room.
First run
Entering the steam room, do not rush to climb onto the topmost and hottest shelves, as your skin, respiratory and cardiovascular systems are not yet prepared for high temperatures. How to do it? There are many options and methods.
You obviously paid attention to how athletes prepare for the start: first, they thoroughly stretch their muscles with light jogging, then they rub their joints.
This introductory part is called a warm-up, its purpose is to prepare the various organs and systems of the body in such a way that the upcoming work is done better and with less effort, and the risk of injury is minimized, if not zero.
"Warm-up" in the bath has a similar purpose. Preliminary heating of the body at a relatively low air temperature, as a rule, causes the necessary expansion of the vessels of the skin, "turns on" sweating. When this stage is completed, you can start steaming directly.
Some bathers have an opinion that the first entry into the steam room should be regulated by a certain number of drops of sweat that rolled down from the nose.
But based on this, some people will have to sit in anticipation of such drops for 15-18 minutes, which can lead to overheating. Some begin to sweat (under equal conditions) in the third minute, others need 8-10 minutes for this.
In addition, on the basis of long-term observations, it was found that if people agreed in advance to go to the bathhouse, i.e. psychologically prepared themselves, and a benevolent company gathered, then the mechanisms of perspiration begin to act faster.
Sophisticated vapers are best first lie down on the middle shelf, to head and legs were on the same level. It is even better that the legs are slightly higher than the torso and head (in modern steam rooms, special footboards in the form of rails are installed on the shelves).
This arrangement facilitates the work of the heart.. If the conditions of the bath do not allow you to bathe lying down, then you should sit without hanging your legs from the bench, but keep them on the bench itself. The position of the body in the steam room is unphysiological if the legs are lowered down.
A Standing up puts you at risk for heat stroke., because the air temperature at the level of the head is 10-20 ° higher than at the level of the body, and even more so the legs; in addition, your muscles and joints are in a tense position, which should not be allowed.
In order to evenly warm all parts of the body, it is necessary after a while change posture- first lie on your side, then on your back, on the other side and on your stomach, alternately exposing one or another part of the body to the hot steam. And further: in the steam room, you should always breathe through your nose.
During nasal breathing, hot air passing through the nasopharynx is cooled, and too dry air is moistened.
After warming up for 5-7 minutes, do not get up sharply on your feet - you risk momentarily lose balance and even consciousness.
A minute before leaving the steam room, sit down if you were lying down to prepare the circulatory system for a standing position. It is interesting, by the way, to note that when steaming lying down and with brooms, such phenomena are not observed.
If you are not afraid of the cold, then after the steam room you can pour a basin with ice water or, after rinsing in a warm shower, dive for a few seconds into a cold pool.
Hardening manipulations will improve metabolism, strengthen the body as a whole and stimulate nervous system. A contrasting change in temperature stimulates metabolism, which means it helps to reduce weight if there are problems with its excess.
The main thing is not to overcool. Blue lips and goose bumps signal you that you are a little overzealous.
How to check your temper?
There is a simple test by the German doctor Kestner. Apply a piece of ice 2-3 cm thick to the skin of the forearm for 10 seconds. Remove the ice and watch for changes in skin color.If redness occurs 1-2 seconds after removing the plate and disappears almost immediately: congratulations, you are a hardened person!
If the redness did not appear immediately, but after half a minute or later, and lasted much longer than 2 seconds, you are not yet hardened enough to dive into icy water or jump into the snow.
But if you regularly train your blood vessels with a bath, then after a while your skin will react differently to this simple test.
A prerequisite is to go to the rest room after a 5-7-minute stay in the steam room and relax for 7-10 minutes. You can take a dip in the pool first.
If you want to continue to sweat very much after the exit - lower your legs into the pelvis warm water - sweat will flow in a stream.
A thick wave of fragrant steam seems to envelop the body with a hot compress, providing, in addition to warming, the effect of inhalation of the respiratory tract with essential oils.
Along the way, the nasopharynx is cleared, the bronchi expand, which improves breathing, and, consequently, increases oxygen consumption. At the moment of giving steam, it is better to lie down. The effect in this case will be greater, and the load on the heart is less.
People who dream of losing weight should especially take this into account, since Much more fluid is lost lying down than sitting or standing.
Before each subsequent visit to the steam room (and there can be from 3 to 6 of them, depending on the state of the body and the goal), you need to rest for 15-20 minutes. After each subsequent visit, the rest time should increase.
No wonder the sages said: "A person must rest before he gets tired, and not only after he gets tired."
Take a steam bath with a broom!
If you decide to take a steam bath with a broom, then this is best done during the second or third call. Trained people steam up to 3 times. Between visits to the steam room, contrast procedures are taken.
The whole bath procedure should not take more than 3-3.5 hours, and in the steam room total you can stay no more than 40-50 minutes, regardless of the number of visits.
It must be firmly remembered that the duration of the bathing procedure and especially being in the steam room is determined not by the clock, as is often done, but by the state of health: each person should feel when he should stop bathing.
Even in the bath, you really want to drink - under the influence of heat and humidity, some minerals, in particular calcium, potassium, and sodium salts, are “washed out” of the body with sweat.
Many, of course, solve this problem with beer. But to me personally, this option does not seem optimal. It is much better to quench your thirst with natural juices - at the same time, the loss of these substances is replenished.
But if you approach the matter with all responsibility, then no best drink for a bath than fresh hot herbal tea. It's a simple matter - brew at home and bring in a thermos, and the pleasures are the sea. Yes and benefit
And since ancient times, a "miraculous" drink has been used in folk medicine - a mixture of juices of carrots, radishes and beets with the addition of a small amount of honey.
And, of course, the final touch of the procedure - exfoliating and nourishing the skin, as well as hair masks. Usually they “peel” the skin on the last visit to the steam room or after it. Then various masks are applied.
Finnish sauna
In addition to the Russian bath common with us and (we also consider it “ours” in the old fashioned way). The heat of the sauna is easier to bear due to the low humidity of the air (10-20%).At the same time, a person sweats heavily and actively, but the sweat instantly evaporates from the surface of the body, cooling it. “It is impossible to mix these two crafts” - Russian and Finnish baths. In the Finnish bath, they don’t “give in” - that is, they don’t splash water on the heater, this can lead to a burn of the skin overheated by steam.
They sit in the sauna, sweat, warm up. At the same time, a felt cap or a thick woolen cap should be put on the head to protect the brain from overheating. And make sure your hair is dry. before entering the steam head, in no case should you wet.
First run- warm-up, for 3-4 minutes, then for a couple of minutes in a pool with cool water (up to 18 ° C), a little rest - and the second run for 8-10 minutes (how long you can stand it). The body is red-hot, and already cold water (10-12 ° C) is perceived as heavenly coolness.
Then rest And repeated visits- how much and for how much - according to your desire and well-being.
Despite the fact that from time immemorial the bath has enjoyed the reputation of the best medicine among the people, it, like any drug, requires compliance with certain mandatory rules.
- It is desirable to go to the bath in a good mood, not hungry (but not on a full stomach) and, God forbid, drunk!
An important general requirement is the principle of gradualness. Soaring should be preceded by a kind of warm-up, preparing the body and especially the blood vessels for entering the steam room.
The time spent in the steam room should not be too long (3-5 visits for 8-10 minutes each). Overheating is not allowed.
You should not wet your head - dry hair protects the head from overheating better.
To drink in the bath you need only ordinary or herbal tea, juices, mineral water, infusion of kombucha.
In the centuries-old Russian culture, bathing art has always occupied one of the important places since it was from here that people drew strength and health. At a time when it was unfashionable to wash in civilized Europe, and the smell of an unclean body was masked by various aromas, in Rus' it was an unchanging tradition to visit a bathhouse with a steam room once a week.
Today, alas, few people know how to properly steam in a bath for health, not only physical, but also spiritual, but good procedures carried out in a steam room can cleanse the body of accumulated toxins, balance state of mind because everything in the human body is interconnected.
The bath contributes to the cure of any disease, provided correct use medicinal herbs and compliance with the temperature required for this in the steam room. It restores blood circulation, the functionality of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, relieves stress and physical fatigue, cleanses and rejuvenates the body.
In order for bath procedures to be useful and effective, you need to know how to carry them out correctly, since in some cases a bath can even harm the human body.
The bath will not become effective if the procedures are taken hastily. An atmosphere of calm and unhurriedness should reign in its premises, so for this event you need to allocate unlimited time, which will allow you not only to take a good steam bath, but also to relax after the main procedures.
It is believed that it is best to take a steam bath in the first half of the day, when the body, not tired of everyday activities, is still full of strength and can easily withstand the increased load on the heart from high temperatures.
In order for the event to take place in comfortable conditions, the following accessories must be present in the bath:
- A bucket with a scoop is a wooden container, usually made of oak, which has a dense wood structure and almost does not absorb moisture. In addition, oak has a number of properties that have a beneficial effect on the overall health of the body, so this wood always occupies a “privileged” position in the bath. Not only accessories are made from it, but also used for interior decoration.
- Broom. This accessory, which is mandatory for the Russian bath, is selected depending on the result that you would like to get. It is worth learning more about brooms, so more detailed information will be presented below.
- Felt cap for the steam room - it is necessary to protect the head from overheating, since the hot air in the steam room rises up and is approximately at the level of human growth. Overheating of the head is especially dangerous for people who are sensitive to increased pressure.
- Two terry towels - one for wiping and the other for laying on the bench.
- Bathrobe or sheet for wrapping after procedures.
- Rubber slippers with non-slip soles that are not afraid of water. They are especially necessary if the hike is carried out in a public bath - for hygienic reasons.
- Natural washcloths or woolen mittens and massage brushes to help cleanse the skin and open the pores.
- Soap accessories.
For a healing effect, depending on the disease, various oils are taken into the bath, made from natural raw materials of medicinal herbs and fruits. They are added to hot pebbles of the heater, mixed with water. The aroma of these substances fills the space of the room, and has an amazing effect on the state of those taking bath procedures.
One of the main accessories of the steam room are brooms, the harvesting process of which has its own secrets. Raw materials for them are cut off in a certain period of time and dried in a special way. Branches are used for brooms various trees and herbs - each of them has a certain effect on the human body. Some heal the skin and relieve spasms, others, due to the content of resinous substances, are able to disinfect the air in the steam room, bringing relief from colds and bronchitis of various kinds.
Any bath broom, when it is steamed, releases phytoncides, which are detrimental to bacteria. Essential oils found in plants help to activate metabolic processes in the body and preventing the aging of the skin, so the use of this accessory in the steam room is a must.
Birch broom
Birch branches are the most popular for making bath brooms. This can be explained not only by the usefulness of the properties of this tree, but also by its availability, since birch can be found in almost every region of Russia.
The most popular in our area are birch brooms.
Birch branches are flexible, and its leaves are porous and moderately wide. After drying, they are well kept on the branches, steamed well, taking on a fresh look and aroma. During steaming, the leaves perfectly adhere to the body and absorb the sweat that comes out from the heat, cleansing the pores. It should be noted that the cleansing properties of a birch broom are much higher than those of eucalyptus or oak. First, a dry broom is used, since its leaves, devoid of cellular fluid, collect sweat well, and then the branches are dipped in hot water and continue to massage the body.
In addition to cleansing actions, birch broom helps to relieve painful rheumatic pains in the joints and spine.
Birch branches are harvested in dry weather, starting in June. Branches are cut 500 ÷ 600 mm long from trees growing in lowlands or on the banks of water bodies. However, if there are none, branches from birch groves that grow on terrain with any terrain will also do.
oak broom
The oak version of the bath broom is also considered traditional, since oak leaves contain substances that, under the influence of steam, can lower blood pressure and relieve inflammation from the skin.
Oak broom - great alternative birch
Properly harvested branches hold the leaves well after they are dried, so during bathing procedures they do not fly off and do not stick to the body. It is good to bring steam on the body with an oak broom - this property is used by those who want to thoroughly warm up and steam.
Harvesting of oak brooms is carried out from June to August. Branches are cut from trees located in dense oak forests. A guideline for choosing a good oak tree is the large-leaved burdock growing next to it.
Linden broom
Linden has long been used in Rus' for the treatment and prevention of various respiratory diseases. Its fragrant color, which has the smell of honey, spreads from trees for tens of meters in spring. At this time, not only the color of linden is collected for brewing decoctions, but also thin branches 500 ÷ 600 mm long are cut off for imposing brooms.
If it was not possible to prepare a bath accessory at this time, then this can be done throughout the summer period. True, the branches will not be so fragrant, but they will not lose their main useful properties and will help in the prevention of colds, relieve headaches, cleanse the skin and relieve inflammation from it.
Eucalyptus broom
Eucalyptus has a tart, persistent aroma and has also been used for a long time to treat various diseases. The narrow leaves of eucalyptus have an oblong shape and a bright green color that does not fade after drying and high temperatures. This is due to the fact that they contain a large amount of essential oils in their composition.
The eucalyptus broom we have for the most part is exotic
It should be noted that not every person is able to withstand the fumes that a whole bouquet eucalyptus branches, so experienced attendants are advised to add only one or two branches to a birch, linden or oak broom. In addition, the branches of this plant are quite thin and not elastic, so they are not very effective for massage, and together with others they will make an excellent combination.
Eucalyptus grows only in areas where winter temperatures rarely fall below 8 ÷ 10 degrees, and in Russia it can only be found on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. Therefore, a bath broom made of eucalyptus branches can be considered a kind of "luxury".
If you really want to try a steam room with the aroma of eucalyptus, but you couldn’t find a broom from it, then you can try to make a thick decoction of its leaves, which are purchased dry in a pharmacy package.
juniper broom
Juniper branches are used in the bath to treat rheumatism and the respiratory system. They have a wonderful aroma of resin and have a bactericidal effect. Most often they are used for flooring on the benches of the steam room, since they are quite chopping, and not every bath lover can withstand a massage from them. However, they say that after tasting the touch of juniper during a light massage or lying on its branches, you want to repeat this feeling again.
Since this shrub is evergreen, it can be cut at any time of the year, but it is best to use its young shoots that appear in mid-summer. They are not as hard and prickly as they become by the winter.
Coniferous brooms (spruce, fir, cedar)
Brooms from coniferous branches can cure various ailments. Having a large number of various resins and vitamins in their needles, they perfectly disinfect and lighten the air in the steam room, making it healing. For example, fir helps relieve rheumatoid pain, while spruce and cedar help get rid of respiratory diseases that have arisen for various reasons.
They are often laid on benches in the steam room and lie down on them. Under the influence of temperature, the needles release essential oils, which, penetrating through the opened pores, produce a therapeutic effect on the internal organs and directly on the skin, nourishing it.
It is impossible to harvest coniferous brooms for the future, because when dried, the needles become stiff and fall off the branches, especially since when they are dried, they lose their medicinal properties. Therefore, such brooms are cut immediately before going to the steam room.
Nettle broom
Not many people know how useful a broom made from nettle branches, which is harvested before the grass blooms, in the middle of summer. Even with a light touch on the skin with a nettle broom, the effect of a deep skin massage with a slight tingling and the appearance of a pleasant blush on it is obtained. Nettle normalizes blood circulation, strengthens the walls of blood vessels, massaging, rejuvenates the skin, making it elastic.
Wormwood broom
A wormwood broom is unlikely to help massage, so it is often added to the middle of more flexible branches and dried together, or used for flooring on a bench. Wormwood has a beneficial effect on the treatment of the gallbladder, stomach, liver, helps with rheumatism. At high temperatures, the herb begins to release substances that open the pores, so that the skin is able to breathe, absorbing the beneficial substances contained in wormwood, and these are organic acids, essential oils and tannins.
Grass is harvested after it has faded, at which time its stems have already grown stronger, but have not coarsened and have relative flexibility. After that, they collect it in bouquets, bandage it and dry it.
Rowan, currant and cherry broom
If it was not possible to find the brooms for the steam room mentioned above, then a bouquet of branches of such shrubs and trees as cherry, currant or mountain ash will do. These plants have a huge vitamin potential and a wonderful aroma, which manifests itself when leaves and branches of plants enter a room heated to high temperatures. Branches of cherry, currant and mountain ash are quite flexible, and they are good for light massage of the steamed body, which has a beneficial effect on the skin. Fragrant vapors, penetrating into the respiratory organs, carry out a preventive effect and prevent the occurrence of colds.
After using a mountain ash broom, a person has increased efficiency due to a surge of strength. Therefore, if a trip to the bath was carried out in the first half of the day, and rowan branches were used in the steam room, the person who took the procedures would not be too relaxed, but on the contrary, he would receive a charge of vivacity for the rest of the day.
So that any of the dried brooms does not lose its aroma, it is first dipped in cold water to saturate with moisture, and then quickly transferred to the hot pebbles of the heater. When heated, the leaves will begin to give aroma to the steam room.
Having removed the broom from the stones, it is necessary to remove the leaves remaining on them, otherwise, when dried, they will begin to burn and smoke, spoiling the fresh bath atmosphere.
When using a broom in a steam room, you need to take into account one important point- its handle should be wrapped in a soft cloth or, when using it, a mitten should be put on the hand, which will protect the palms from the appearance of corns.
How to steam properly?
Steaming correctly is a whole science
You need to bathe in the bath correctly so as not to harm your health through negligence or ignorance, since not every person's body is able to withstand high temperatures without negative consequences.
For example, for a beginner who decides to start healing with the help of bath procedures, for the first time, one entry into the steam room is enough for 3 ÷ 5 minutes, which must be spent lying on the bottom shelf.
Those who have experience in the art of taking a good steam bath can make 3 ÷ 4 visits, and for seasoned bath lovers, it is ideal to visit the steam room at least 6 ÷ 7 times with breaks for rest, during which a cool shower is taken.
- Before entering the steam room, you must definitely wash well under a warm shower using a washcloth, but without soap. If you have to bathe in a dry sauna, then you need to carefully wipe the skin.
In the event that it is cool in the shower and the body has not warmed up enough, it is recommended to warm the legs by lowering them into a basin with very warm water, and then gradually warm it up by adding hot water. After the body is prepared, you can go to the steam room.
If it’s hot outside, then when you go in for a steam bath, you shouldn’t immediately go up to the top shelf - you need to let your body adapt. To do this, it is best to sit on the bottom or lie down on the middle shelf. The recommended room temperature at the first entry should be no more than 60 degrees.
- When entering the steam room for the first time, you must definitely wear a felt hat on your head and take a towel with you.
The first run should last about 3 ÷ 5 minutes, and it is better to spend this time lying down on the shelf, on the stomach or on the back, substituting a special wooden headrest under the head.
In the supine state, the body warms up evenly, and quickly adapts to high temperatures.
When sweat appears on the skin, you need to leave the steam room and immediately get under the shower with cool water for 7 ÷ 10 seconds. If you have the opportunity to jump into the pool, do not deny yourself this pleasure. You can, of course, just sit for 5 ÷ 7 minutes in the dressing room and cool down a bit.
- For the second run, which can last 2-3 minutes longer, you need to spread a towel or dry herbs on a shelf, prepare a broom and fill the tub with warm water or a decoction of medicinal plants.
- If a fresh, freshly cut broom is taken into the steam room, it can only be rinsed in water, and the healing bouquet will be ready for use.
- A dry broom should be soaked and left for a while, until it becomes soft and a pleasant aroma comes from it.
- If the procedure takes place in a room with wet steam, then the broom is placed in advance on the topmost shelf - after a while it will steam itself out, and it can be used.
- Having pulled the broom out of the water, it is placed on the stove for a few seconds. It quickly heats up to the right temperature and enhances its flavor.
- Further, with a bouquet of medicinal plants, you need to pump heated air to the body, and not whip yourself with it right away, as many do. This process is carried out with smooth movements, by analogy with a fan. They start fanning and pressing the broom from the feet, passing along the feet and calves, rising to the buttocks and back, along the torso, shoulders and arms, and then descend back.
- After the body gets used to this procedure, they move on to more intense actions - the body can be lightly whipped, while the foliage should stick to the skin, so the broom is periodically dipped into the water.
- Carrying out this process, lying on a shelf, you need to constantly turn, changing position in order to reduce the load on the heart, relax the muscles and ligaments. In addition, the shelf itself made of smooth bars will become a kind of massager for the whole body.
- Of course, it is better if the partner conducts the pressing and massage procedures with a broom, as he will have more opportunities, without missing a single area, to process the entire body.
- After finishing the massage, you can not get up abruptly. You need to lie quietly on the bench and relax, then sit down to normalize blood circulation and pressure, and only then you can go under a cool shower.
- Returning to the steam room, the heat in it must be increased by splashing a decoction of herbs or water on the hot pebbles of the heater - this will require 150 ÷ 300 grams of liquid. At the same time, the temperature in the steam room should not rise much, only the air is moistened and the amount of steam is added. Do not pour too much water on the stonesbecause when high humidity occurs, the air becomes heavier and it will be much more difficult to breathe.
Therefore, the room must maintain the desired ratio of humidity and temperature. 25 ÷ 40% and 65 ÷ 80 °C are considered optimal.
To control the heating process and the level of humidity, you need to purchase a special device for the steam room - a thermohygrometer.
- After completing all the procedures, it is necessary to wash well with warm water and soap in order to wash off all the sweat separated during soaring. Then rub yourself well with a towel, put on a terry dressing gown, warm slippers and rest for 15 ÷ 25 minutes, drinking a hot herbal decoction. In this case, sweating should continue.
- After steaming in a bathrobe with a hot drink, you should again take a shower and rub yourself dry, then wrap yourself in a towel and rest for 25 ÷ 35 minutes.
Bath drinks are tea or medicinal decoctions, and not beer or stronger alcohol!
Every time you enter the steam room, you need to stay in it until it warms up completely and sweat appears, as well as reddening of the skin. The time of all visits should be no more than 45 minutes, each of them lasts 3 ÷ 10 minutes. If we count all the soaring procedures, taking into account rest, cooling down and taking a shower, then in total a “quality” trip to the bathhouse will take two to three hours.
If such an event gave good results, and the state of health after it improved significantly, then the next time the time spent in the steam room and the number of visits can be gradually increased.
We must not forget that those who first decided to visit the steam room, and people old age the time spent in the steam room must be increased very carefully, with each entry - literally by one minute.
What should be considered when going to the steam room?
In the absence of contraindications for visiting the steam room, you still need to follow certain rules, because if you ignore them, you can even harm an absolutely healthy body.
- When going to the bath, you need to calculate the time so that one and a half ÷ two hours pass after eating, that is, the stomach should not be full, but it cannot be empty either.
- Before going to the steam room and during the procedures, it is strictly forbidden to drink alcoholic beverages.
- If a heavy physical labor, then before entering the bath, you need to rest for 35 ÷ 40 minutes.
- It is forbidden to visit the bath, having an elevated body temperature.
- It is undesirable to bathe before going to bed, after a heavy labor day, as the bath increases the load on the heart.
- Before entering the steam room, you can not take a shower with soap and wet your head.
- In a heated room, especially for beginners, you can enter only by putting on a bath hat.
- You should not visit the steam room in frustrated feelings or mental stress, as this condition also puts a strain on the heart and raises blood pressure.
Russian banya is a traditional exquisite pleasure. It cleanses the body, has a beneficial effect on every cell of the body, cheers up, gives joy, peace. "WITH light steam!" - they say to a person who has visited a bathhouse. To make the steam light and absolute pleasure, take a fragrant broom with you to the steam room!
What is useful Russian bath with a broom
A broom in the bath is not a toy, but a powerful therapeutic tool. It will help you relax every muscle, ligament, cell of the body. The broom cleanses the skin, stimulates the nerve endings that are responsible for the functioning of internal organs. It exudes a healing aroma, acts on the respiratory system like a balm, removes dust, and neutralizes the effects of smog. A steam room with a broom perfectly strengthens the nervous system, relieves stress and makes a person emotionally invulnerable.
How to steam in the bath for health
A person with good health is always shown a bath. Her regular visit strengthens blood vessels, removes salts, improves immunity. Children and adults, young and old, who know how to properly bathe in a bath with a broom and enjoy it, are less likely to get colds and tolerate viral infections more easily. The habit of "warming the bones" will have a positive effect on the duration and quality of life of steam lovers.
What about people who cannot boast of good health? Not all chronic diseases prevent this pleasure. On the contrary, visiting the bath alleviates the condition of the patient with certain diseases. Important Rule: during the period of exacerbation, you can’t even think about a bath and a broom! To start healing with steam and high temperatures, wait for remission. Ailments in which the Russian bath will benefit:
- bronchial and lung problems (bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis, chronic pneumonia, frequent colds);
- diseases of the supporting apparatus (rheumatism, gout, polyarthritis);
- some diseases of the genitourinary system (cystitis, nephritis, certain gynecological problems);
- skin diseases (acne, furunculosis, eczema);
- phlebeurysm;
- allergic reactions;
- some metabolic diseases (bath is indicated for those who want to lose weight).
How to determine whether a bath will bring you benefit or harm? The first thing you should do before visiting a steam room is to discuss this with your doctor. If there are no 100% contraindications, the doctor can tell you when, how much and how to bathe in a Russian bath with your diagnosis and well-being. Even healthy, but untrained people, it is better to start with small, gentle thermal loads. Come into the steam room for a while, place yourself on the lower shelves, find an experienced attendant who knows how to choose the right broom and work with it.
How to bathe in a bath with a broom
Bathing is not an easy process. If you randomly whip branches over the body, you can not even dream of an effect. The bath attendant needs knowledge, skills, skills. The specialist knows how to soar with a broom in the bath: he feels the force of the blow, the broom in his hands works wonders. Do you want to do without a bath attendant? Familiarize yourself with the technique of broom massage in the steam room.
When the steam rises, it fills the entire space of the steam room. Brooms capture heat and descend to the body. The steam warms up, the leaves are massaged, the person heals, experiences bliss. Dry branches should be soaked in boiling water before work, fresh ones should be poured over with warm water. Take a broom with each hand and feel how this simple device captures the steam, transfers it to the body.
Massage begins with warming up the feet, it stimulates the metabolism, "accelerates" the warming of the whole body. After that, you need to walk with a broom along the body, wrapping it in steam and lightly touching the skin. You can use different methods:
- alternating whippings (brooms alternately rise up to warm up and fall on a short time on the massaged part of the body);
- poultices-compresses (a broom heated at the top is lowered onto the back, shoulders, buttocks, legs and pressed by the attendant's hand for a few seconds to release heat);
- bilateral whippings (with the right and left hands synchronously pump warm steam to the body);
- stroking with hot brooms for relaxation;
- whipping with soft circular motions.
In the course of the massage, its intensity increases, the contact of the broom with the skin increases, the movements of the attendant become less gentle. Only without fanaticism! important individual approach and a sense of proportion. A massage worthy of a stern Siberian man will differ from the one that a girl or a child needs. Cold water will fix the beneficial effect of steam: a cool pool, an ice hole, a snowdrift, or at least a bucket of icy water in the form of dousing. After that, go to wash with warm water at a comfortable temperature.
Soaring in the bath with different brooms
Going to the bath is not only to wash. Get acquainted with various brooms, their properties and features. Experiment with scents and combinations of different plants. You can learn how to properly bathe in a bath with a broom and create your own perfect bath miracle! Traditionally, whisks are used in the Russian bath:
- birch;
- oak;
- lime;
- maple;
- juniper;
- fir;
- eucalyptus;
- currant;
- combined.
Each of them has an individual structure, a bright smell, special properties. So, it is believed that birch broom cleanses the bronchi and facilitates breathing, juniper is ideal for rheumatism, linden soothes, relieves headaches. Eucalyptus has a healing smell: to enjoy it, it is not necessary to knit a broom from pure eucalyptus, add a branch to any one you like. Combine the branches to your taste, the best whisk is the one that you like.
How to steam in the bath for a woman
For healthy women bath procedures are useful. Some caution must be exercised during pregnancy, critical days if they are accompanied by pain during lactation. If bathing days have become a tradition in your family, do not deny yourself the pleasure. Nothing prevents a pregnant or lactating woman from bathing, relaxing, communicating, and visiting the steam room for a short time, carefully listening to the signals of her body.
Video: how to steam
