The history of the bath goes back to ancient times. So, the Egyptians already about 6 thousand years ago attached great importance to the cleanliness of the body and used baths everywhere. Egyptian priests washed themselves four times during the day: twice during the day and twice at night. Because everywhere there were beautiful arranged baths available to everyone. Adherence to the bath and massage, moderation in food allowed the Egyptians to maintain a slender figure and helped to successfully fight premature aging. Egyptian doctors of that time were considered the best in the world, and their art in the treatment of various diseases almost did not do without water procedures, that is, without a bath.
For 1.5 thousand years BC, the bath was widely used for hygienic and therapeutic purposes in India.
IN Ancient Greece baths first appeared among the Spartans. They represented a round room with a stone open hearth in the center.
Baths were especially popular among the ancient Romans. The cult of the bath literally existed here. Even greeting at a meeting, the Romans instead of greeting asked: "How are you sweating?" The Romans simply could not imagine life without a bath. “Bath, love and joy, we are together until old age,” such an inscription has survived to this day on the wall of one ancient building.
In the bath, the Romans not only washed, but also talked, drew, read poetry, sang, and arranged feasts. At the baths there were massage rooms, areas for physical exercises and sports, libraries. Wealthy Romans visited the bath twice a day.
Both private and public Roman baths (terms) were distinguished by exceptional luxury - precious marble pools, silver and gold washstands. By the end of the 1st century BC e. 150 public baths were built in Rome.
It is curious to note that the rooms for sweating were warmed up in the same way as in modern Russian baths and Finnish saunas: in the corner there was a brazier, on a bronze grate there were stones over hot coals. There were also rooms with dry and wet steam.
IN Ancient Rome baths were also valued as a remedy for many diseases. In particular, the outstanding Roman physician Asclepiades (128-56 BC) was even nicknamed "bather" for his commitment to bath hydrotherapy. Asklepiad believed that cleanliness of the body, moderate gymnastics, sweating in the bath, massage, diet and walks in the fresh air were necessary to cure the patient. "The most important thing," Asclepiad argued, "is to capture the patient's attention, destroy his blues, restore healthy ideas and an optimistic attitude towards life." It was the bath that created such sensations in the patient.
The steam bath in Rus' (soap, movnya, mov, vlaznya) was already known among the Slavs in the 5th-6th centuries. Everyone used the bath: both princes and noble people and common people. In addition to its purely functional purpose, the bathhouse played an important role in various rituals. For example, a bath was considered necessary on the eve of the wedding and on the next day of the wedding, and visiting the bath was accompanied by a special ceremony.
Many foreign travelers wrote about Russian baths. Olearius (German scientist 1603-1671), who traveled to Muscovy and Persia in 1633-1639, wrote that the Russians firmly adhere to the custom of washing in a bathhouse ... and therefore in all cities and villages they have many public and private baths. Olearius, by the way, mentions that the Russians came to the conclusion that False Dmitry was a stranger because he did not like baths. “Russians,” Olearii reports, “can endure intense heat, from which they turn everything red and become exhausted to the point that they are no longer able to stay in the bathhouse, they run out naked into the street, both men and women, and pour cold water over In winter, running out of the bathhouse into the yard, they roll in the snow, rub their body with it, as if with soap, and then go back to the bathhouse.
The construction of baths was allowed to anyone who had enough land. The decree of 1649 ordered "soap houses to be built in vegetable gardens and in hollow places not close to the mansion." Home baths were heated only once a week, on Saturdays, and therefore Saturdays were considered bathing days and even government offices did not work on them. Usually, whole families bathed in home baths at the same time, men and women steamed together. However, in public ("commercial") baths, people of all ages and sex also steamed and washed together, however, women on one side, men on the other. And only in 1743, by a Senate decree, it was forbidden for men to wash together with women in "commercial" baths and for males over 7 years old to enter the women's bath, and female gender the same age - respectively in the male.
As written in an ancient treatise, washing gives ten benefits: clarity of mind, freshness, vigor, health, strength, beauty, youth, purity, pleasant skin color and attention. beautiful women. Note that the one who understands the steam bath, goes to the bathhouse not so much to wash, but to warm up and sweat.
Warming up leads to a beneficial change in the functional state of the organs and systems of the body, increased metabolism, promotes the development of protective and compensatory mechanisms. This is explained by the beneficial effects of heat and sweat on the cardiovascular, respiratory, thermoregulatory and endocrine systems in most people. Bath soothes nervous system, restores vigor, increases mental abilities.
Look at what the Portuguese Sanchez wrote about the Russian steam bath back in 1778, the doctor of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna (this treatise can be found in Moscow in the Lenin Library): "I do not hope that such a doctor would be found who would not recognize it as useful a steam bath. Everyone clearly sees how happy society would be if it had an easy, harmless and so effective way that it could not only maintain health, but heal or tame diseases that happen so often. For my part, only one Russian bath properly prepared, I consider it capable of bringing such a great good to a person. the costs of the buildings being constructed, turned into Russian baths, for the benefit of society. And at the end of his life, having left Russia, Sanchez contributed to the opening of Russian steam baths in all the capitals of Europe.
The basics of building a Russian bath
Building a real Russian bath is a difficult task.
A wooden building, heated by a powerful stove of high and long heating, is an object of increased fire hazard. Therefore, the bath must be built, observing all the necessary conditions and rules. Only in order to fold the stove-heater that meets all safety requirements during operation, it is necessary to install eight various fire cuts, the so-called. retreats and other structural elements.
The bath should be located at a distance of no closer than 15 m from other buildings. In case of fire, it is necessary to have a pond or a barrel of water next to the bathhouse, and a fire extinguisher inside the bathhouse. According to the degree of ensuring the reliability of power supply, the Russian bath belongs to the 2nd category. Cable entry into the bath should be carried out in an asbestos-cement pipe laid with a slope from the bath. Air input - insulated wires into the dressing room or corridor. Installation of switches in the washing department or steam room is not allowed.
To build a bath, you can use any resinous and non-resinous tree, except for rotting, for example, birch. All trees breathe, and when heated in a steam room, they emit pleasant aromatic odors. It is necessary to build a bathhouse from dry, seasoned wood, at least 22 cm thick. A bathhouse built from freshly sawn wood shrinks more and heats up longer. Tow for a log house, timber should be natural without any impregnation. Otherwise, it will be impossible to get rid of unpleasant odors.
Shelves in the steam room and benches in the washing department should be made of thick boards with a gap of 6-8 mm so that dirt does not accumulate between them. Instead of nails, wooden dowels (thorns) with a diameter of 10-12 mm are used. The upper shelf is located at a distance of 110 cm from the ceiling and 5-7 cm above the stone filling in the stove. If the shelves are placed below the backfill, the steam will be used irrationally.
Bath ventilation has great importance to protect it from moisture. To ventilate the steam room and, if necessary, release excess steam near the ceiling of the steam room, you need an vent 13x13 cm. In addition to the vent under the ceiling, you can also use a heater for ventilation. After the end of the bathing procedures, the blower and furnace doors, as well as the window for the exit of steam from the heater, are left open. Through a pipe that has not yet cooled down with an open valve, intensive ventilation of the steam room and washing takes place. In winter, it takes an hour or two, in summer - without a break, until the next bath.
In order for the heat from the heater to enter all the rooms of the bath, in the partitions above the doorways, near the ceiling, openings of 400-600 cm2 with closing doors are arranged. Streams of warm air will evenly flow into all rooms.
The ceiling of the steam room should be thickened, with a mandatory vapor barrier made of foil or other odorless moisture-proof material.
All Russian baths were traditionally built with a blank floor. For better heat retention, the floors in the steam room must be laid on the ground, on a layer of clay with a vapor barrier (if the floors are wooden). When ventilating the underground through ventilation windows in the basement, the wind "walks" under the steam room. Drains for water under the floor of the steam room are not made. When arranging drains under the floors of the washing compartment, it is necessary to install a water seal, otherwise in the summer from the drain pit will come unpleasant odors and also cold in winter. The choice of a place for the removal of untreated wastewater from the bath must be agreed with the local sanitary service. For better drainage, the bath is built on a higher place.
The window in the steam room is located on the western side 60-80 cm below the ceiling. With this arrangement, daylight is used more and steam losses through window leaks are reduced.
The height of the doorway in the steam room should be no more than 150 cm, and the height of the threshold should be as high as possible - up to 30 cm. With such a device, when the door is opened, steam will not come out from under the lintel of the doorway, and cold, on the contrary, will not enter the steam room through the threshold. The door opens towards the washing compartment. All sauna doors open towards the exit. The door to the steam room is made of non-resinous boards 60 mm thick.
In the room where the stove firebox goes, ventilation is provided with a natural impulse for three air exchanges per 1 hour of firing. Given the small size of the dressing room, where the furnace door of the heater goes, during the furnace, it is necessary to slightly open the window or door to allow additional air to enter. If these requirements are not met, combustion in the heater will be weak.
The attic room of the bath must be insulated. To do this, nail the rafters from below the rafters, and fill the voids between the rafters and the roof with insulation. Gables are insulated in the same way.
Bath construction
There are several types of baths. Depending on the source of heat and the method of obtaining steam, Roman, Arabic, Turkish, Russian baths, Finnish saunas, as well as Japanese sento and furo are distinguished.
No matter how good and unusual foreign baths are, our own (Russian) bath is closer to the body. Climatically and historically.
Location selection
The ideal place for building a bath is on the shore of a reservoir, at some distance from the water, in order to avoid spring flooding.
It is necessary to provide for the possibility of draining contaminated water, so it is better to build a bathhouse on an elevated place (for minimal deepening of the sewer tray).
If the bath is conceived in the old Russian traditions with a firebox in black, it should be located away from the house and outbuildings (no closer than 10-12 meters).
The ground defines the foundation
The method of laying the foundation depends on the structure of the soil, the depth of its freezing and the level ground water. If the soil is dry and immovable, the foundation is erected as follows. Having removed the vegetative layer of the soil, they mark the outer contour of the bath in accordance with its size, then outline the inner one, stepping back from the outer one by 1 m.
In the corners and intersections of the outer and inner walls, large natural stones are laid. Then, along the perimeter of the bath, stones are laid close to each other, the lower crowns are mounted on them. They are recommended to be pre-treated with an antiseptic and coated with resin. After that, the gaps between the stones are filled with crumpled clay.
If the soil is wet, soft, with an uneven surface, the foundation is laid below the freezing level of the soil by 15-20 cm. The construction of a bath is a laborious process, most often columnar foundations made of brick, rubble stone, concrete, wooden pillars (“chairs”) are used for it. If the dimensions of the bath are small, then it is enough to install pillars at all corners of the structure and at the junction of the outer walls and partitions.
Wood, stone, brick: tradition or durability
Traditionally, baths are built from wooden log cabins. Logs and boards for the lower crowns of the log house, ceiling and floor mats are recommended to use pine or larch. For the upper crowns of the log house, starting from the fourth, as well as for wall and ceiling cladding, you can take lumber made from white spruce or linden.
The salary of the log house (lower crown) is covered with two layers of roofing felt or roofing material and poured with mortar. A wooden log cabin of a bath can be made in several ways: in a bowl, in an oblo, in a paw, in an end tongue. After the walls are ready, they must be caulked with hemp, tow or dry moss. About a year later, when the bath walls settle down, they will be caulked again.
The walls of the bath can be made of brick or stone, which are stronger and more durable. But compared to wooden walls, brick walls retain heat worse, so it is recommended to sheathe them with wood. Most suitable view masonry for the construction of a bath is a well. At a small distance from each other, two walls are laid out in half a brick, and the space between them is filled with heat-insulating material.
There are options
The bath usually consists of three separate rooms: a steam room, a washing room, and a dressing room. If the area under the bath is small, you can combine a steam room with a washing room, but in this case it is more difficult to maintain the temperature and humidity at the right level.
Heat and steam - in the hands of the stove-maker
They make heat in the Russian bath. To make heat means to take it out of the oven. The right stove is a good bath. That is why the laying of the stove-heater must be entrusted to an experienced stove-maker.
In the bath project, it is best to lay such a design of a wood-burning stove, in which the firebox and blower are not in the steam room, but in the dressing room.
The foundation for the furnace must be arranged separately from the foundations of the walls of the bath, the gap between them must be at least 3-5 cm to ensure free settlement relative to each other.
Closed or open?
Kamenka are open and closed. At open stones stacked in a pile over the firebox - the heater heats up quickly. However, it also cools down quickly.
In a Russian bath, a furnace is usually installed with a closed heater, in which the stones lie inside the furnace behind the door.
Unclear? This is what should be avoided when building a bath.
Windows and doors - guarding the heat
During the construction of the bath, door and window openings are made small in order to reduce heat loss. For the same purpose, it is necessary to make a high threshold at the door - 25-30 cm from the floor.
The ceiling must be warm, the floor must be leaky
In the bath, the highest temperature is kept at the level of the ceiling. A poorly insulated ceiling will not allow you to maintain the real temperature in the steam room for a long time. Therefore, the ceiling is insulated either with modern basalt and mineral heaters, or with traditional backfilling with a layer of earth, peat, sawdust.
The floors are laid after the drain system is laid. To drain wastewater, a pipe is connected to a pit filled with crushed stone or gravel.
The floors in the bath can be made of wood, not leaking or leaking. In the first case, tongue-and-groove boards are tightly laid on logs with a slope towards the drain hole.
With leaking floors, the boards are fixed with a small gap through which the used water will leave.
For some reason, many underestimate the civilization of the Russian people, believing that their entire history, upon closer examination, turns out to be a real chronicle of savagery and backwardness. How wrong they are, these skeptics! In fact, the Russian bath is perhaps the oldest, since its occurrence dates back to approximately the same period as the very birth of the Slavic tribe! There was also no written language as such, but we already see in the oral folk art mention of the bath and its healing power. Indeed, in the bathing procedure, the two most powerful natural elements, fire and water, seem to merge together. The ancient Slavs, as you know, were pagans in their beliefs and worshiped a variety of gods. And the most "strong", therefore, the most revered were the god of the sun and fire and the goddess of rain and water. By combining these two forces during the bathing procedure, the ancient Slavs, as it were, attracted them to their side and thus took over part of their power.
The pagan holiday of Ivan Kupala, by the way, is also rooted in the depths of ancient Slavic beliefs. Jumping over the fire, our distant ancestors tried to "burn" evil and disease, cleanse their souls. And night swimming in a river or lake personified unity with mother nature and familiarization with her vitality. In almost all epics and tales, we can notice echoes of ancient beliefs in the healing and cleansing power of water. Our ancestors knew that health is associated with cleanliness. The legends about “dead” and “living” water that arose from such “vague guesses” tell that pure “living” water has healing power. The bath was considered the custodian of "living" water and health, since it, as it were, strengthened and directed vital energy person in the right direction.
The bath was first considered a symbol of overcoming all the evil that can surround a person in earthly life, and in more late time she became the personification of friendliness and home. In Russian fairy tales, Ivanushka demands that Baba Yaga first steam him in a bathhouse, feed him, give him drink and put him to bed, and then conduct inquiries. These notions of hospitality have been preserved in the villages up to the present day, and now the guest who knocks on the door will first of all be offered to take a steam bath, and then they will be offered a table and a bed.
Bath in the life of a Russian person has always played so important role that in the ancient chronicles of the 10th-12th centuries, which tell about the customs of the "Russians", very often we find references to "soaps". The baths were called "soaps", "movers", "movies", "vlaznys" and "moves". Even in an agreement with Byzantium (refers to 907), the Russians specifically stipulated that the Russian ambassadors who arrived in Constantinople would “create mov” whenever they wanted. Baths are mentioned both in the Tale of Bygone Years (945) and in the charter of the Kiev Caves Monastery (966). In those ancient times, the monks of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra were very knowledgeable in matters of medicine, since they had the opportunity to read the works of ancient Greek physicians, and it was Greek medicine that first drew attention to the benefits of a steam bath.
In an effort to verify the information received, the monks began to build baths and observe the healing effect that they produced on the sick and "suffering". When medicinal properties baths were fully confirmed, at the baths they began to arrange something like hospitals, and such baths were already called "institutions for the incapacitated." These were probably the very first clinics in Rus'.
The Russian banya cannot be compared with either European or Asian baths. The Russian bath, unlike them, has a much stronger effect of its heat. An indispensable attribute of the Russian bath - a birch broom - whips overheated bodies with all its might. It seems that this is not a bath, but torture.
This is what foreigners who got into a real Russian bath thought at all times. In the steam room, under the blows of brooms, it seemed to them that "their death has come and is on the threshold." But after the sauna, foreigners noted that they feel great. Amazing, thrills associated with the Russian bath, remain forever in the memory of strangers. The fame of the Russian bath-healer has spread throughout the world.
In many foreign books travelers from antiquity and today share their impressions of Russia. Is it possible to understand the Russian character without having been in a Russian bath?
Russian baths with their healing power won the love of many people outside our country. Fans of Russian baths build them both in France and in America. Once in Canada, our compatriot can take his soul to the Sandunovsky baths. They were built in the style of the Sandunovsky baths in Moscow. The attractive power and healing ability of Russian baths are generally recognized.
In one of the ancient Arabic manuscripts, the memory of a traveler who visited Rus' and took a steam bath was preserved. From this source it became known how our ancestors arranged baths: “... They built wooden house, small in size. It had only one small window, which was located closer to the ceiling. All the cracks between the logs were caulked with tree resin mixed with forest moss. In one of the corners of the hut there is a fiery hearth lined with stones. Also in the bath there was a large barrel of water. When the hearth flares up, the stones are sprinkled with water, and the door and window are clogged.
The Russian bath amazed the imagination of foreigners who were accustomed to baths with warm water. Therefore, the Russians, who, after a scalding bathhouse, dived into the hole, were seen by strangers as heroes.
The device of the baths did not undergo any changes for a long time, it has remained so to this day. The idea remains the same, but its implementation has changed.
Initially, the baths were a small wooden hut, cut down from solid logs. They tried to put bathhouses near water bodies so as not to experience difficulties with water. The internal structure of the bath is as follows: about a third of the entire room is occupied by a stove-heater. A fire is kindled below, which heats the stones laid on top, and also heats the bathhouse. When the stones are hot, the fire is extinguished, the pipe is closed with a damper and steamed, pouring water on the stones to form steam. Soar, climbing the shelves (emphasis on the second syllable), which are something like a ladder with four or five wide steps. The higher a person climbs onto the shelves, the hotter and “more vigorous” the steam. On the last shelf, almost under the ceiling, only the most hardy and strong bathers risk taking a steam bath, who do not care about 100-degree heat.
This is the so-called white bath. At first it was built only from logs, but then brick baths appeared. We find the first mention of a brick bath in the annals of 1090, and it was built in the city of Pereyaslavl.
Black bath
If there is a white bath, then, of course, there must be a black bath, as attentive readers will say - and they will be absolutely right! There was a bath. At first, even before the appearance of white baths, the Russian people for centuries drowned bathhouses in black. Now there are few real experts on such a bath, but this idea does not fade away. A fairly widespread misconception is that steaming in black means suffocating from soot and burning in a small room near an open stove. Among those who think so, there is not a single person on own experience having experienced what a black bath is.
There is no need to be afraid that steaming in black will soon stop altogether. Throughout Russia there are many places where the preference is given to the original Russian tradition. Baths in the villages of the Middle Urals, Western Siberia and other places were built in accordance with the precepts of ancestors who knew a lot about a real bath. They say: "The black bath will wash white."
So what is the difference between a black bath and a white one? Only in the method of space heating. After all, the house itself (both for a white and a black bath) was built in the same way and was very small. It had only two small rooms with rather low ceilings. The height of the ceiling corresponded to the height of an adult man. The small size of the bath allowed it to be heated properly. The main difference between the bath, which is heated in a black way, from all the others is the absence of a chimney.
The door to the bath was made very strong, without cracks. In order for it to close tightly and prevent a draft from walking, a wooden step was made in front of the door. The first room of this house-bath is called the dressing room. It was equipped with maximum comfort. There was a bench and a clothes hanger in the dressing room.
The dressing room is much smaller in size than the bath itself, from which it was separated by a thin wooden partition. Such a partition was preferred to be made of linden or pine. A door was made in the partition, which closed tightly, thereby preventing the penetration of smoke and steam into the dressing room.
In one of the corners of the bath there was a furnace, on which lay large round boulders. Next to the stove was a tub with a large supply of water. There was one small window in the bath, and it was located above the stove. Thus, the bathhouse could be ventilated as needed.
As already mentioned, the stove in the black bath was without a chimney, so the smoke and soot came directly into the steam room. Naturally, after the first attempt to heat the bathhouse in this way, the walls and ceiling of the steam room became sooty, and this soot was completely unremovable. It was for this black color of the walls and ceiling that the bath began to be called black.
After the bath is heated, all windows and doors are opened so that the smoke comes out and the air in the steam room becomes fresher. Of course, no one began to bathe until all the smoke was gone, otherwise one could easily burn out in such a bath. After airing the bathhouse, it must be prepared so that you can bathe in it. To do this, the bath is “steamed”: they are carried out with a special scraper along the walls, the excess soot is washed off by dousing the walls with hot water from the gang, and only after these manipulations they “give steam” by splashing water on the heater. This is the way to bathe and got the name "black". It is the most ancient and originates, figuratively speaking, in the Russian oven.
After all, long before the baths appeared, the Russians steamed in stoves. How did it happen? Quite uncomplicated, but nevertheless very witty. The absolutely remarkable property of the Russian stove was used to keep heat long after food was cooked or bread was baked. Having removed soot and ash from the furnace, they tried to wash the walls, lay straw on the pallet, put a tub of water there and put a broom. Then help was needed: the one who steamed first sat on a shovel or even on an ordinary board, and the assistant carefully pushed him into the vent. The stove damper closed tightly, and the person began to steam. Sprinkling water on the walls of the oven, they got an absolutely wonderful fragrant steam with the smell of freshly baked bread.
When the steamer wanted to get out of the stove, he knocked on the shutter, and he was taken out of the stove in the same way as he was placed there. In general, this process was very reminiscent of baking bread: like a loaf, they “put” a person in the oven, and when he was “browned” from the heat, they quickly took them out. Having steamed up, a person doused himself with cold water, and if there was a river nearby, he ran and plunged into the river. Most likely, bathing with hot water was not very common, much more often they simply steamed, alternating this with cold douches.
But the head was washed very strangely (in modern view). Wood ash was first used to wash hair! Or rather, not the ash itself, but the so-called lye, which was made from the ash. Only then did they begin to wash their hair with an egg, it is this ancient method that has survived to this day. And now, many beauties, wanting to give beauty and shine to their hair, wash them with an egg in the old fashioned way. Is this not the best confirmation of the wisdom of our ancestors, when a modern person deliberately refuses fashionable patented cosmetics, preferring to them folk remedies, tested for centuries!
If we want to trace the whole "path" of the development of the Russian bath, then it will be like this: first - a Russian stove, in which they could take a steam bath after cooking and baking bread. Then the cramped stove mouth "expanded" to the size of a dugout, which was heated in black. Kamenka as such has not yet appeared, instead of it in the center of the dugout a pile of stones was piled up, on which water was splashed. The smoke came out not only through the inlet of the dugout, but also through the cracks in the roof. Then the cramped and low dugout "grew up", becoming a small house, half dug into the ground. Such black baths were heated by stoves and they already had a separate heater and several regiments. And only after that, the Russians began to equip their black baths with chimneys so that the smoke would not accumulate in the steam room, but would go outside. This is how white baths appeared - first wooden, and then stone.
But with the advent of the white bath, the black bath did not give up its positions - they began to exist simultaneously. To this day, in many villages you can find baths that are heated both in white and in black. The Russians have always been very democratic and therefore tried to take into account the interests of all the inhabitants of a village, village or city, building baths of two types. After all, there are still people who like the bath, heated in black, much more. They argue that the steam in a black bath is more fragrant and useful than in a white one, because only in a bath heated in the old way, a special, some ancient feeling of home comfort and warmth is preserved.
Probably, it was these feelings experienced by the primitive hunters who returned from the hunt: all the hardships are behind and finally you can relax and unwind, enjoying peace. A modern man, whom civilization has saved from the harsh need to fight wild animals and the elements for its existence, sometimes it is simply necessary to feel like an ancient hunter and warrior capable of heavy physical labor. After all, to be honest, our male contemporaries have become more pampered compared to their courageous ancestors. And the black bath with its primitive sensations, apparently, awakens in them some kind of generic, genetic memory, which, as it were, returns them to those harsh times. And it's so great! Having briefly felt like a warrior, a man tries to keep this feeling in himself: when he knows that a lot depends on his courage and determination, he behaves in a completely different way. He really becomes more courageous, some special calm dignity appears in him, that brutality that is gradually lost in our refined, civilized society. That's for sure. Proven in practice!
In fact, this, of course, is not a scientific theory - about genetic memory, which is “wakened up” by a hot Russian bathhouse, melted in a black way. But something is really happening with them (with men, in a sense), because they come out of the Russian bathhouse in some other way! If you want to check it out, go to some remote village where the old black bathhouse is still preserved. It is guaranteed that your civilized companion, whose most "bloodthirsty" act was butchering the meat fillet you bought in the supermarket, after visiting the black bath, will express an ardent desire to go hunting. You will simply be amazed to the core by the changes that have taken place. And besides, after such a bath, something happens to the body: it becomes more obedient, flexibility and grace appear almost animalistic, and the whole body becomes ten years younger! Marvelous! But the doctors found scientific explanation The "life-giving" properties of the black bath: it turns out that the smoke contains special antiseptic substances that destroy pathogenic bacteria and microbes. That is why the black bath is so useful.
Of course, now not everyone has such an opportunity - to experience the effect of the black bath, and not everyone can withstand it. What a sin to hide, out of habit in a black bath and get burned for a short time, especially if a person has never bathed at all before! But anyone can bathe in a white bathhouse: it is both pleasant and no less useful.
The primordial Russian white bath from the outside looked unattractive. The wooden hut stood half rooted into the ground. This prevented the winds from blowing through the bath, thereby quickly cooling it. In addition, such a “mundane” location of the bath was very convenient for the correct placement of the stove and chimney. In contrast to the black bath, a chimney rose above this one.
The bathhouse was divided into two parts. The dressing room (smaller part) was traditionally arranged simply, but taking into account the needs. Directly bath, or steam room, occupied most. Its main attraction was a stove with a chimney.
The stove - the heart of the bath - had several levels. The lowest level was a small recess - a blower. Above it was a stove. Chimneys stretched from the oven in the wall. And on the stove was a layer of stones. A tub of water next to the stove made it possible to add steam as needed. This design of the furnace provided good "draught" during combustion, as well as ventilation for the bath room.
Very often, for this reason, the steam rooms in the white bath were without windows. The air in such a bath is always saturated with oxygen. It is no less hot than in a bath, which is heated in a black way, but not so burning and tart. In a white bath, combustion products are practically not felt in the air, and only the aromas of wood, a broom and medicinal decoctions dominate.
There is no doubt that without a bath, which is heated in a white way, those who experience breathing difficulties due to any illness cannot do without it. Pure fragrant steam of such a bath has a cleansing effect on the lungs. Breathing in an aromatic bath is like inhalation. Such baths became the prototypes of modern baths, which inherited their healing power from traditional Russian baths.
The original meaning of the bath is to take care of the cleanliness of the human body, and the effect of the bath procedure begins with the skin.
At various peoples there are bathing traditions. And although the means used for cleansing largely coincide, there are practically no analogues of the Russian steam bath. But if in pre-revolutionary Russia workers were entitled to a special salary supplement for visiting a bathhouse, then at present the prices in bathhouses are such that not everyone can afford them. In the bathroom, it is only possible to warm the body superficially and wash off the dirt from the skin.
IN Ancient Rus' there was such a method of cleansing from ailments and ailments as heating on the stove, followed by washing the body.
As a child, I had to go through this procedure. I spent the whole night lying on the heated stove, and in the morning my whole body was relaxed; it felt as if all the muscles had moved away from the bones. After washing with sentences and a glass of herbal infusion, I felt completely healthy. Modern science explains this phenomenon by heating in the infrared range emitted by a heated furnace.
Currently, there are special booths with infrared emitters installed in them. After 20 minutes of being in a booth at a relatively low temperature, profuse sweating begins. By the end of the first hour of stay (with breaks for rest), sweating increases significantly, as warming up reaches the deep structures of the body. There is a certain therapeutic meaning in this, however, unlike the Russian steam bath, not only sweating occurs here, but also the evaporation of sweat. In general, cleansing becomes a purely mechanical action, not a ritual one.
There are other variations of this ritual. For example, in the spring certain time the following procedure was carried out: a person warmed up deeply in a steam room, then rode naked in the melted snow on the river. After that, he was completely wrapped in straw mats and again carried to the steam room for heating. The activation of the organism took place on a very high level: so in ancient times many diseases were healed, including female infertility.
Spirit is the aggregate information of all internal systems of a human body or a specific object, radiated into the external space and telling in a wave code about the functional state of the human body or a specific object, about the degree of its readiness for interaction with the external environment. This information links physical body a person with his thin (wave) body responsible for the formation of all the physical structures of the body.
In large families in Rus', a steam bath was specially built, where they washed and steamed not just in dry heat, but in steam. It consisted of one room, in the center of which a special incandescent furnace with cobblestones (heater) was erected, which was heated "blackly". Also there was a shelf with steps and a headboard, on which they bathe; benches around the walls, on which they wash; vats with hot and cold water or taps for this in the wall; bowls for washing and okat, bast (bast) for soap, brooms (oak or birch) for parkas. With a decent bath, there was also a dressing room, where they undressed, rested, washed down the bath with kvass, etc.
Earlier in Rus' they said "Remember the Sabbath day: go to the bathhouse." “Fast on Wednesdays, go to the bathhouse on Saturdays, all in due time.” The bath will wash away all sins. "The bath will wash away, the gang will rinse." "Like water off a duck's back," they say, dousing it with water. "Water off the goose, thinness on you." "Get sick underground (with water), health on you." "Broom in the bath, sir." "A broom in the bath is the boss for everyone." In Rus', the place where the bathhouse stood was considered unclean: it was believed that building a hut on it was not good. According to legend, a bannik (bainik) settled in the bath - a kind of evil spirit, brownie. Steam temporarily survived him, but in an unheated bath he settled firmly. Especially the bannik does not like women in childbirth, who, however, because of the tightness in the hut, are always taken to the bathhouse; but they cannot be left there alone. It was impossible for one person to enter an unheated bathhouse after midnight.
RUSSIAN BATH CURRENTLY
In urban baths, the steam room is a large space that can accommodate from 10 to 20 people. The wooden platform on the upper level has stepped shelves on which to soar. In the steam room itself, a window was necessarily made to the street for air ventilation. The incandescent furnace (heater) is lined with bricks on the outside, which enhances thermal radiation in the infrared range, which contributes to deeper heating. In "sweating rooms", as saunas used to be called, such heating does not occur.
He was engaged in the Choi school, practiced Raja yoga, worked at VNIIFK, since 1980 he has been teaching yoga, fitness running, and karate.
Currently, it is known that the stones laid in the sauna stove are heated to a temperature of about 700 degrees. When the bath is heated well, the heat warms the body deeply. The transfer of heat from the stove is enhanced by water vapor, which is formed in the air after hot water is splashed onto hot stones. Throw water into the oven in small portions. This has its own meaning, since steam can be made dry so as not to burn the body, and vice versa, wet and burning.
Why was Saturday considered a bath day? Yes, because on Sunday a person went to church for spiritual cleansing. The bathing procedure was necessarily performed by the bride and groom on the wedding day, as well as by all people before the accomplishment of great deeds.
Russian steam bath is able to compensate for the lack of physical activity in a week. There is a purification from toxins, the trophism (nutrition) of the muscles, tendons and ligaments of the joints, both external and intra-articular, improves. All joints are worked out; especially effective impact goes on a back. "Broom moxibustion" is a special procedure that is similar to moxibustion in Chinese medicine. Only here the heating goes deeper and reaches the autochthonous muscles (deep muscles that connect the spinal column and chest). It is the residual deformity (spastic) in these muscles that creates problems in the ligaments of the spinal column. For deeper heating of the back, hot bags of coarse sand or salt were often used, applied to the spine along its entire length. The person was laid on a couch or bench and covered with a blanket; this procedure was already performed by another specialist. At the end, the person was given a special infusion of herbs to drink. As a result of all actions, a cumulative effect of amazing power was achieved, which was not available to official medicine.
Such is the general beneficial effect of the Russian steam bath on the human body. However, it certainly requires adaptation, some training. It is recommended to visit the Russian bath regularly, once a week.
In the steam room, you should not talk, let alone swear and poison jokes. This is where the cleansing ritual takes place. After deep warming with a broom, a cold bath follows (to expel small spirits), and at the end of soaring, immersion in cold water, and always with the head. Three times immersion in water with the appropriate pronunciation led to the expulsion of the main evil spirit. After that, it was necessary to go back into the steam room and stay in it until it warmed up a little.
Imagine two small pools (2x2x2 m.) side by side. The water temperature in one pool is 11 degrees, while in the other it is so hot that you can’t put your hand down. Once, after vaping, I happened to go through the following procedure: plunge for 6 seconds in cold water, and then quickly plunge headlong into hot water, also for 6 seconds. I didn't even feel the temperature of the water. When I got out of the hot pool, the feeling was indescribable: as if thousands of needles were piercing the entire surface of my body (apparently, this is the state of “expelling the main evil spirit”). There is something to think about here.
In this article, only an attempt is made to consider the spirit of the Russian bath, to highlight some important points taken from my memory and the memory of people from whom I learned the art of the Russian steam bath. I am grateful to all my mentors, but especially to the "professor", from whom I learned how to cook a steam room in the Koptev baths. For, thanks to this knowledge, I was able, albeit very poorly, to describe the Spirit of the Russian steam bath, which is able to purify the Spirit of man.
Russian bath in black
The bath has always been and is for a Russian person not just a place where you can take hygiene procedures and cleanse your body of pollution, but a special, almost sacred structure, where cleansing takes place not only on a physical, but also on a spiritual level. After all, it is not for nothing that those who visited the bathhouse, describing their own feelings, say:
How he was born again into the world, rejuvenated by 10 years and cleansed his body and soul.
The concept of the Russian bath, the history of appearance
The Russian bath is a specially equipped room, which is designed for taking water hygiene and thermal procedures in order to prevent and improve the whole body.
Today it is difficult to judge what prompted ancient man on the idea of creating a bath. Perhaps these were accidental drops that fell on a red-hot home and created small clubs of steam. Perhaps this discovery was made intentionally, and the person immediately appreciated the power of steam. But the fact that the culture of steam baths has been known to mankind for a very long time is confirmed by numerous archaeological excavations and written sources.
So, according to the ancient Greek historian-chronicler Herodotus The first bath appeared in the era of tribal communities. And having visited in the 5th century. BC. the territory of the tribes that inhabited the Northern Black Sea region, he described in detail the bathhouse, which resembled a hut-hut, with a vat installed in it, where they threw red-hot stones.
Unwashed Europe and clean Russia
Already later sources indicate that the bathing culture also existed in Ancient Rome, whose rulers spread it to the conquered territories of Western Europe. However, after the fall of the Roman Empire in Western Europe they forgot both the bath and the ablution as such. A ban was established on bathing culture, which was explained, among other things, by wholesale deforestation, and, as a result, a lack of firewood. After all, in order to build a solid bath and heat it well, you need to cut down a lot of trees. A certain role was played by medieval Catholic ethics, which taught that the exposure of the body, even for washing, is a sinful act.
The fall in hygienic requirements led to the fact that for many centuries Europe was mired not only in its own sewage, but also in diseases. Monstrous epidemics of cholera and plague only for the period from 1347 to 1350. claimed the lives of more than 25,000,000 Europeans!
Bath culture in Western European countries was completely forgotten, as evidenced by numerous written sources. So, according to the recognition of the Queen of Spain, Isabella of Castile, she washed herself only twice in her life: when she was born and when she got married. No less sad fate befell the King of Spain, Philip II, who died in terrible agony, consumed by scabies and gout. Scabies completely tortured and brought Pope Clement VII to the grave, while his predecessor Clement V died of dysentery, which he contracted because he never washed his hands. It is no coincidence, by the way, dysentery already in the 19-20 centuries began to be called "dirty hands disease".
Around the same period, Russian ambassadors regularly reported to Moscow that the king of France stinks unbearably, and one of the French princesses was simply eaten lice, which Catholic Church called God's pearls, thereby justifying its senseless ban on baths and the culture of accepting elementary hygiene procedures.
No less curious and at the same time repulsive are archaeological finds medieval Europe, which today can be seen in museums around the world. Eloquently testifying to the widespread dirt, stench and uncleanliness, exhibits are on display for visitors - combs, flea traps and saucers for crushing fleas, which were placed directly on the dining table.
Flea catcher - devices for catching and neutralizing fleas; in the old days an essential element of the wardrobe Today, it is already proven that French perfumers invented perfumes not to smell better, but to simply hide the smell of a body unwashed for years under the fragrance of floral aromas.
And it remains only to sympathize with the daughter of the Grand Duke Yaroslav the Wise, - Anna, which, after marriage to the French king Henry I wrote to the father at home, they say:
Why did I anger you so much, and why do you hate me so much that you sent me to this dirty France, where I really can’t even wash my face?!
But what about in Rus'?
And in Rus', the bath has always existed, at least according to the Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea who are still in the 500s. wrote that the culture of ablution accompanies the ancient Slavs throughout their lives.
According to ancient descriptions, the bath was a log building with a hearth, on the hot coals of which water was poured from time to time, which turned into steam. According to folk beliefs, the keeper of the bathhouse and its soul is a bathhouse - an absolutely naked old man, whose body is covered with leaves from a broom. Bannik was supposed to be appeased from time to time, treating him with bread and salt, which once again emphasizes the respectful attitude of the Slavs to the bath itself and its “essence”, which they literally idolized.
Having appeared on the territory of Rus' back in the days of paganism, when people worshiped the cult of fire and water, both the bathhouse and the hearth were deeply revered by the Slavs, which is noted in their works by researchers of Russian life I. Zabelin And A. Afanasiev. The bath was not just a place where you could cleanse your body of dirt and take hygiene procedures, but also a kind of medical institution where people of the ancient medical specialty could put any sick person on their feet.
In turn, the chronicles of the X-XIII centuries. indicate the ubiquitous distribution of the bath in Eastern Slavs, starting from the 5th-6th centuries, when it was affectionately called movnitsa, mov, soap and vlaznya. And even with the baptism of Rus', when the church began an active fight against folk healers and all sorts of superstitions, the bathhouse did not cease to exist, but only strengthened its influence, as it became a place for obligatory visits before performing the most important church rituals - baptism, weddings, communion and other .
“Heat me a bathhouse in white!”
The bath in white, as V. Vysotsky sings about in his song, appeared in Rus' much later than the bath in black, gradually replacing the latter. At first, the Slavs built baths without a chimney, in a black way, and a periodically opening door was used as natural ventilation. In a black sauna, smoke does not go into the chimney, but into the sauna room itself, from where it exits through open door, as well as through a special hole in the ceiling or wall (the so-called "pipe"). After the firebox is finished and the coals are completely burned out, the door closes, the pipe is stopped up, and the shelves, benches and floor are washed with plenty of water from soot and the bath is kept for about 15 minutes before use, so that it dries and gains heat. Then the remains of the coals are raked out, and the first steam is released so that it takes the soot from the stones with it. After that, you can steam. A black bath is more difficult to heat and cannot be heated during washing (like a white bath), but due to the fact that the smoke eats up all the old smells, the black bath has its own charm, unattainable in a white bath.
Later, they began to build baths in white, where a stove-heater with a chimney acted as a source of heat and steam.
In addition, at that time there was another interesting and unusual way to steam right in the Russian stove. To do this, it was carefully heated, and the bottom was covered with straw. Then a person climbed inside the oven, taking with him water, beer or kvass, with which he poured over the red-hot walls of the hearth and took a steam bath, after which he went out and doused himself with cold water. Even the infirm and the elderly did not deny themselves such an unusual pleasure, who were simply pushed into the oven on a special board, and then climbed healthy man to wash and steam the weak, as it should be.
Bath for a Russian is more than love!
Bath accompanied every Russian person from birth to death. In no other culture of the world did she become as widespread as in Rus', where her visit was elevated to an obligatory cult and had to take place regularly.
Not a single celebration could do without it, and, meeting even a random guest, the owner first of all offered him to visit the bathhouse, and then taste the treat and spend the night. It is no coincidence that in Russian fairy tales, in addition to shelter and dinner, travelers are always offered a bathhouse.
Bachelorette and bachelor parties, as they would say today, necessarily ended with a visit to the bathhouse, and the young themselves, having become spouses, were obliged to take it regularly, each time after marital intimacy, if they went to church the next morning. It was supposed to go to the bath with almost any ailment, especially if it was a cold, runny nose, cough and joint diseases.
The therapeutic effect of this simple and pleasant procedure is comparable to the strongest effect on the entire human body. When every cell of the body receives an unimaginable charge of energy, forcing it to work in a new way, thereby restarting the natural processes of regeneration and self-renewal. And the alternation of high temperatures with cold, when after visiting the bath it is customary to jump into the snow, an ice hole, into a river, or simply douse yourself with ice water - this is the most The best way hardening and strengthening immunity.
As for the special love of Russians for the bath, it found its embodiment not only in folklore, but also displayed in historical documents. So, the Russian historian and researcher of the customs and life of the Russian people N.I. Kostomarov repeatedly notes in his works that people went to the bathhouse very often in order to wash, heal and just for fun. According to him, for a Russian person, visiting a bath is a natural need and a kind of ritual, which neither adults, nor children, nor the rich, nor the poor can violate.
In turn, foreigners who visited Rus' were surprised to note the habit of the Russian people very often and for a long time to wash, which they did not meet either in their homeland or in other countries. In fact, as a rule, they bathed once a week, on Saturdays. But for foreigners who almost never bathed, it seemed "very often." So, for example, the German traveler Adam Olearius once wrote that in Russia it is impossible to find a single city or even a poor village where there would be no bathhouse. They are here just at every step, and they are visited at every opportunity, especially during periods of illness. And, as if summarizing, in his writings he noted that, perhaps, such a love for the bath is not without practical sense, and the Russian people themselves are so strong in spirit and healthy.
As for Europe, for the revival of the custom of bathing and bathing regularly, she should be grateful to Peter I and the Russian soldiers, who, terrifying the same French and Dutch, steamed in the erected on hastily bath and then jumped in ice water despite the cold outside. And the order given in 1718 by Peter I to build a bathhouse on the banks of the Seine completely horrified the Parisians, and the construction process itself gathered onlookers from all over Paris.
Instead of a conclusion
According to many researchers of the culture and life of the Russian people, the secret of the Russian bath is simple: it cleanses and heals at the same time. And the architectural solution of the building itself is uncomplicated and is an ordinary room with a stove-heater, which allows a person of any income and position to have it.
As for the special love for the bath and the popularity of the bath ritual throughout history, this once again emphasizes the desire of every Russian person for cleanliness, neatness, health, clarity of thought and decency. The bathing tradition, despite the fact that outwardly remains an everyday phenomenon, is an important element of culture, which is reverently preserved, passed down from generation to generation, and remains an important sign of belonging to the Russian people. Thus, as long as the Russian people exist, so long will the banya exist.
Progress has changed our lives in so many ways. How could people have imagined what they would do water procedures, without leaving home? That someday the day will come when they won't have to get to the nearest bathhouse with basins, washcloths, brooms and other accessories? Today, most people have already abandoned this, but there are still those who remain devoted to the good old baths, albeit not very often, but from time to time visiting establishments in different parts of the city in search of the best. Is it possible to go there with the whole family? Is there at least one joint where, without hiding, both men and women can wash? And if there are, where to look for them and are there any special rules for those who want to visit them? Let's look for answers to all these questions together.
Historical digression
The tradition of making separate baths for different sexes is far from new. Even when people understood the difference between men and women, they began to take care of their toilet in the presence of only their own sex in order to avoid embarrassment. In the baths, several halls were usually made, some were given at the disposal of men, others - women. And they could appoint a time at which representatives of only one sex were to come.
A joint bath (men and women were allowed in at the same time) was more a necessity than a whim: for example, it was not possible to organize separate "washing sessions" for men and women. Today, when the function of the bath has changed somewhat (now it is more of an entertainment than the only way to keep oneself clean), representatives of different sexes can freely spend time there together, not necessarily even naked.
How about in Europe?
Joint public baths have long existed in European countries. True, there is one very important rule: no swimsuits and swimming trunks, because at such a temperature that is in the steam room, the fabric will prevent the evaporation of excess fluid from the body, thereby provoking overheating. Who knows how this could end? Perhaps it is precisely because of this that in the West people are not ashamed of their nudity in such a situation, knowing full well that the consequences may not be the most pleasant.
In Russia, and even in post-Soviet countries, people are not so liberated, so they go to the joint in what they swim in the sea. It is difficult to say whether concern for health or the feeling of beauty of others is more important, and yet society imposes certain limits, because of which we feel very uncomfortable when we are naked ourselves or surrounded naked people whether they are familiar or not. In any case, the traditions of Russia in this regard are significantly different from Western ones.
"Warsaw Baths"
So, let's get down to specifics. It is clear that the joint bath in Moscow is far from alone, moreover, a large number of complexes today offer to rent a separate sauna, where representatives of different sexes can be at the same time, this already depends on the customer himself. One of the establishments where this is available is Warsaw Baths, located on Varshavskoye Highway 34.
Clients note that not only the bathhouse itself is excellent, but also the restaurant located next to it. Halls of different capacities, decorated in different styles, are available for rent. In addition, the complex offers sheet rental, so that even the most shy will not have to blush in front of the opposite sex.
"Tsaritsyno Baths"
The Tsaritsyno Baths, located at the metro station of the same name, along Luganskaya Street, 10, have also proven themselves. This complex, among other things, arranges special sessions for naturists - people who have no complexes at all. You can spend three hours in cabins for 6-8 people (given the specifics of the session, women in a joint bath in Moscow will pay only 800 rubles instead of the usual 1300 for this bath). As in many other similar establishments, a restaurant and a bar are available.
And from what is usually more interested in bath lovers, a font, showers, cabins with overturning barrels of cold water are available. Judging by the reviews, the Tsaritsyno Baths are one of the best in the capital, so you won’t have to regret visiting them.
"B-69"
"B-69" is an amazing island of peace and tranquility in the center of the bustling capital. True, this is more of a sauna than a joint one. Its address is Vavilov Street, 69, Profsoyuznaya metro station. The prices there, of course, are not very democratic, but a separate plus is the presence of two completely diverse halls - Greek, decorated in the spirit of antiquity, and African, with the savage simplicity inherent in this continent. Like most baths, there is a restaurant and a bar, but you can also bring your own food. Guests can use the services of masseurs, smoke hookah and enjoy aromatherapy.
"Vorontsov baths"
The legendary "Vorontsovsky Bani" (Vorontsovsky lane, 5/7, building 1), unfortunately, do not allow men and women to wash together, but they are happy to provide saunas for up to six people for rent for both sexes. The pluses here include the fact that the complex is open around the clock, so that those who do not go to bed before dawn, and those who wake up at this very dawn and already want to relax in a pleasant atmosphere, can enjoy this place.
The only condition is to rent a room for more than two hours, for which you will have to pay from three to six thousand rubles, depending on the presence of a pool in a particular sauna and the capacity of the steam room.
"Sandunovsky baths"
The regulars almost without exception advise another truly legendary institution - the Sandunovsky Baths. The address of the institution: Neglinnaya, 14, pp. 3-7. As in most other complexes, there are separate categories (they are also halls) for men and women. The opportunity to relax together for both sexes is provided in separate numbered baths of different capacities. Here the number baths are also open around the clock. Their price, as is already clear, depends on the capacity: for a company of four people you will have to pay 4,000 rubles per hour, and for the largest one, of ten people, seven or eight thousand. We can safely say that this is perhaps the most popular joint bath in Moscow. Reviews about this place are the most positive, both about individual and general categories, therefore "Sanduny", as this bath is called by the people, is one of the complexes that are almost mandatory for visiting.
"Lefortovo baths"
A joint bath of men and women in its pure form in Moscow is very rare - usually these are still separate categories available for rent. This service is also offered by Lefortovskiye Bani, located on Lefortovsky Val, 9a. Here, however, there are some peculiarities: rented rooms and saunas can accommodate from four to six people, and you need to pay for them based on the number of guests: 600 rubles per person per hour, and the minimum price is 1200, that is, as for two Human. In addition, you can also rent a double room for 1200 rubles per hour.
And the biggest bonus is the opportunity to "occupy" the whole Russian steam room, which can accommodate as many as thirty people - this is a great option for holding a large-scale celebration, corporate party, for example. According to reviews, in addition to standard brooms, sheets and hats, honey, herbs, and various types of massages are offered here.
Not only in Moscow!
But you don't think that a joint trip to the bathhouse is possible only in Moscow, do you? Other cities are just as good! For example, northern capital offers the "Bath Club", which, unfortunately, is only open from mid-Tuesday to Wednesday morning, from four to six. This institution is located on Pilot Street, 20, you will have to get from or from "Narvskaya". The payment system is also interesting: until seven in the evening, ladies go for free, then they pay 300 rubles; men from four to midnight pay 1000, and if they came already on Wednesday, then 300.
The rules prohibit the use of alcohol and drugs, and for indecent attitude towards ladies, they can be removed. In addition, there are special programs with master classes and trainings in which all those present can participate. True, in general department you will have to walk in a bathing suit, bathrobe or sheet, but the very feeling of being in a bath covers this nuisance for lovers of nudity.
General rules
It doesn't matter if you prefer ordinary, separate or joint baths. Men, women in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Astrakhan and in all cities must adhere to certain rules.
It is clear that going to the bath with oncological diseases and pregnancy is strictly prohibited. But few people know that it is recommended to take a shower before going to the steam room, however, without gels and soaps, which will remove the fatty film from the body and make sweating more difficult. No alcohol: its influence will only increase under the influence of heat. In the steam room itself, you need to cover your head, especially if your hair is wet, otherwise there will be an additional load on the vessels of the brain. And after the steam room, a cold shower or a traditional Russian rubbing with snow is recommended: the temperature contrast will only enhance the healing effect of the bath. The most important rule is: in no case do not test yourself - at the slightest sign of discomfort, you need to leave the steam room and take a break from the heat.
The moral side of the issue
I would also like to note that a joint bath in Moscow is a rather intimate phenomenon than a widespread one. And the mentality of the post-Soviet states, as mentioned above, is very different from the European one. It is very likely that over time the situation will change and the scope of shame will expand a little. On the other hand, the question arises about the feeling of beauty: after all, everyone has a different attitude towards beauty. human body, and it is hardly possible to be in a company where everyone will suit everyone. In addition, people of the older generation can join the trips to the bathhouse, the joint presence next to which the negligee seems completely unacceptable. Therefore, the issue of joint baths will be discussed for a long time. You can give arguments both for and against, but the choice remains with each visitor to the bath.
Different types of baths
It has been said above that the most different types private branches can offer a joint bath in these different establishments will allow you to choose exactly where to have a good time.
Russian bath - the most famous and one of the oldest. Its peculiarity is that hot stones are poured with water, which creates a wet steam. In the Finnish sauna (by the way, in translation “sauna” means “bath”), the system is, in general, the same, but the stove has a different design, and the stones are watered much less often, which is why the steam is not so wet there. An interesting option- a Japanese bath, more like our bath: a person plunges chest-deep into a barrel filled with water at a temperature of 45 degrees, warming up there.
There are also dry baths. You can take a steam bath in sawdust, heated to 60 degrees, soaked in special oils. Or you can use a special bag filled with herbs or birch leaves. Even ancient scientists noted the benefits of a sand bath, which we often meet in the form of a children's game - the fact that children bury adults in the sand has a positive effect on their body. Avicenna advised combining such a bath with watermelon: the berry will have a diuretic effect, but excess fluid will be excreted from the body with sweat, which will actively absorb sand.
That is why you should not get hung up on any one bath, it is better to experiment in order to choose something very, very best.
Finally
So, a joint bath in Moscow is not yet a very common phenomenon, but almost all bath complexes in the capital offer rental of small rooms where representatives of different sexes can gather. The only question is choosing a place - here it all depends on personal preferences and recommendations from friends. In addition, the issue of money is also important, but usually you will have to pay somewhere between 4,000-5,000 thousand rubles for going to the number room of the bathhouse, which provides this privacy. per hour, which can be divided among all. So know that in the capital there is an opportunity to take a steam bath in a bath even with a heterosexual company. Know and use this excellent opportunity not only to have a great time, but also to improve your health.
