It's hard to think of a better way to relax on a Friday evening than visiting a bathhouse or sauna. Soft steam, the aroma of spices emanating from the stones, and a massage with a steamed broom will calm your nerves and help you relax after a difficult work week. However, in order to make your trip to the sauna as comfortable as possible, and also safe, you should prepare for it in advance and take all the necessary accessories with you. Let's look at what regular visitors take with them to the sauna. And what accessories will the representative of the fair half of humanity need?
What to take with you to the sauna
First, you'll need slippers to avoid getting athlete's foot. At the same time, regulars of such public institutions prefer rubber shoes, which do not absorb moisture and do not slip too much on wet floors.
Secondly, you will definitely need a cap that will protect your hair and head from overheating. Let us remind you that it is strictly forbidden to wet your head in a sauna, because wet skin heats up much faster than dry skin, and you can get heatstroke. It is better to avoid using a synthetic cap, as it interferes with natural ventilation and accumulates moisture. The most suitable headdress in the sauna is made of natural wool, felt or a regular towel.
Thirdly, despite the fact that many sauna visitors go without any clothing, it is better to take a robe with you. Agree that after a steam room it is much more pleasant to treat your skin with a soft cloth than to wrap yourself in a wet sheet or towel. In addition, you need to get from the steam room to the shower, which is more convenient to do in a good-quality robe, and not in a wet and short “Roman toga”. The terry fabric of the robe also has a slight massage effect.
Fourthly, do not forget that you take at least two towels with you to the sauna - a large bath towel and a small one. The latter - again for hygienic reasons - is convenient to lay in the steam room so as not to come into contact with the steamed skin in common areas.
Rubber slippers
There are also plastic slippers in retail sales, but they slip too much. It is very easy to fall in these slippers on a soapy bath floor.
Public baths and saunas are a habitat for fungal diseases. And it is not difficult to become infected with mycosis of the feet or other fungal diseases of the skin of the legs. Therefore, I strongly advise you to opt for rubber bath slippers (they have closed toes and heels).
Advice for girls
What a girl should take with her to the sauna are aromatic oils for rubbing or massage. However, in some establishments the use of oils is prohibited, so it is better to inquire in advance about the possibility of their use. But the obligatory elements will be a washcloth and high-quality shower gel, which will be useful when washing after the sauna.
You can also take natural scrubs for the skin of the face and body, which will effectively remove the upper layer of the epithelium softened by steam. This promotes a more active penetration of moisture and tonic substances from the steam room atmosphere into the deep layers of the skin.
Soap and shampoo
When choosing soap or shampoo, you should evaluate their smell. If it is too bright and intrusive, then most likely it contains synthetic substances. This product is not worth taking. It is recommended to choose soap consisting of natural ingredients; it does not contain chemicals or animal fats.
The best option for a bath is black and white soap. The main component of black soap is tar or birch chaga, and white soap is made from goat milk. This soap is available in gel form. This product is beneficial to have, since you can purchase both soap and shampoo at once.
And a little about brooms
Many sauna regulars cannot imagine visiting it without vigorously whipping with a broom. This is a traditional Russian procedure that has been carried out in a bathhouse since ancient times. However, a Russian bath differs from a sauna in that it has higher humidity and cooler air, so steaming in it with a broom is quite pleasant. But not everyone can withstand treatment with a good broom in a dry and hot Finnish sauna. Therefore, a high-quality broom can be considered a desirable, but optional attribute.
Note that people most often take self-made brooms with them to the sauna. The most famous version of a bath broom is birch, but more exotic ones can also be used. For example, a linden broom, which has an antipyretic effect, or a eucalyptus broom, the evaporation from which has a beneficial effect on the immune system and is effective for various pulmonary and colds.
Banya broom
The most important item in a Russian bath is a broom. There are different types of brooms. Depending on which one is chosen, one or another therapeutic effect will be obtained. For example, a broom made of birch branches will help get rid of aching bones and pain in muscles, a broom made of oak branches can relieve nervous tension and get rid of skin diseases.
It doesn’t matter what the branches are: dry or fresh. In order for a dry broom to become fresh again, it must be immersed in hot water for a while.
What a lady needs
Many ladies love the sauna very much precisely because, in addition to relaxing bath procedures, you can also take care of your own appearance, receiving a guaranteed effect. In this case, visiting the steam room becomes a regular, pleasant procedure, and you need to prepare for it thoroughly and in advance.
What should a woman take to the sauna? Eye shadows, powders, foundations - all of this clogs pores like cement mortar, which is easily and naturally removed in the sauna, so do not forget to take a set of masks with you. They need to be applied to steamed skin, and then the effect will be truly magical. Instead of factory-made ones, even the most expensive ones, it is better to use homemade masks made from natural ingredients or made according to folk recipes.
Very effective are such simple masks as crushed berries and crushed fruits, heavy cream or sour cream, ground coffee, cocoa, which perfectly cleanse and tone skin cells. It’s not difficult to make them, even if you didn’t plan a trip to the sauna in advance.
If you like aromatherapy, take with you infusions of medicinal herbs that are poured onto the stones. Pine needles, mint or lavender are good, they relieve stress like a hand. But thyme tincture causes drowsiness, so it is better not to use it if you plan to drive home.
If shapeless bath hats are purely aesthetically unpleasant to you, and you can’t imagine yourself in a felt “Budenovka”, replace the cap with a terry turban. Carefully assembled, it will create an oriental charm for you and, like a real woman, will allow you to show off your wardrobe even where it is not customary to dress in principle.
Washcloth
The essential thing you need when going to the bathhouse is a washcloth. The skin in the bath is steamed and dead cells are peeled off. In this case, you need to help your skin get rid of excess. Removing dirt from the body with a washcloth simultaneously creates a massage effect, while improving blood circulation in the skin.
When the skin is steamed, it becomes very sensitive to external irritants, so it is very important that only natural materials touch it at this time. Don’t forget about this and, if possible, you should take items to the bathhouse that consist only of natural ingredients.
This requirement also applies to the washcloth. It can be made of loofah, sisal, bast. These materials are quite hard, so the skin will be cleaned very well. A natural sea sponge is suitable for children. It is softer and will not damage delicate baby skin.
The washcloth mitten is very convenient to use. A special brush with a long handle may also come in handy. With its help, you can rub your back without outside help.
Sauna menu
What to take from food to the sauna? Many of our fellow citizens associate visiting a sauna with a rich feast and alcoholic “relaxation,” but this is a serious and dangerous misconception. And if a rich table in the steam room is absolutely useless, then alcohol is simply a mockery of your health. Why?
The heat in the steam room greatly dilates blood vessels, so in order to maintain normal blood pressure, the heart must work more actively. By eating heavily, visitors to the sauna or bathhouse further increase the load on them. Judge for yourself whether it is useful.
The same school physics applies in the case of alcohol, which greatly dilates blood vessels even without the heat of the bath. Believe me, more than one alcohol lover has suffered vascular collapse in a sauna. Do not neglect the rule that alcohol is the last thing you take with you to the sauna.
Bath sheet
A sheet has many functions in a bath. For example, they wrap themselves in it when leaving the steam room. They lay it on benches and benches to protect themselves from hot surfaces.
A sheet can even replace our friend – a bath broom. If you are interested in how, then I advise you to read in detail the article on bath sheets.
Still useful and nice
Don’t forget a light and tasty drink that will help replenish the level of fluid in the body after it is actively removed through sweat. Give preference to natural drinks rich in vitamins and microelements, such as herbal infusions, berry fruit drinks, freshly squeezed juices, fermented milk ayran, tan or yogurt.
Basically, that's all you should put in your bag when going to the sauna. And the last piece of advice: when going to the steam room, devote this time only to yourself. Try to relax as much as possible, relieve tension and leave all problems at the door, then the sauna will give you exactly the effect for which it was invented.
Soap
In the old days, the bathhouse was called “soaphouse”. The name speaks for itself; soap is not in last place in the bathhouse. We use it to cleanse skin pores and get rid of sweat and oiliness. The most suitable for a bath are simple bath soap, or grandmother Agafya’s liquid soap.
They contain natural ingredients that have a very positive effect on our body. It is also worth noting that the natural components of the soap do not cause allergic reactions.
Effective aromatherapy
Essential oils have been used in baths for thousands of years. With their help, you will clear the nasopharynx, dilate the bronchi, and also improve the condition of the cardiac system if you visit the bathhouse regularly. Usually oils are diluted in warm water. It is forbidden to drip them onto hot stones, as they will release unpleasant odors.
So, take the following essential oils with you to the bath:
- eucalyptus;
- lavender;
- geranium;
- rosemary;
- grapefruit;
- fir;
- lime;
- cypress;
- sandalwood.
With the help of essential oils you will clear the nasopharynx, dilate the bronchi, and also improve the condition of the cardiac system
Advice! Don't sit in the steam room for too long. If you overuse it, you will not get a stronger effect from the procedure, but the risk of heat stroke is increased significantly.
