Today, going to the bathhouse is more reminiscent of a fun party than a traditional solemn ceremony, which washes and heals not only the body, but also the soul. They go with friends, relatives, colleagues, it happens that they even spend a corporate party in semi-negligee. They collect everything with them: brooms, aromatic oils, special scrubs and coffee, masks and creams, and then they apply it all completely haphazardly to themselves. All this happens over a bottle of beer in a friendly company, and its members are confident in the healing effect of what is happening. To some extent, they are right, positive emotions undoubtedly bring benefits, but in other respects they are deeply mistaken.
How to go to the bathhouse correctly
To experience the beauty of the bath procedure, you need to know how to go to the bath correctly.
We should start with the fact that not everyone has the opportunity to visit the steam room of the bathhouse. There are a number of contraindications for visiting her, namely:
- hypertension, as well as other cardiovascular diseases;
- oncology;
- mastopathy;
- predisposition to internal bleeding;
- chronic diseases during exacerbation;
- acute infectious and contagious diseases;
- neurotic and mental illnesses in severe form;
- epilepsy.
At the same time, despite contraindications, in Russia it was customary to treat colds with the help of a bath . Perhaps people were more seasoned, but now doctors strongly do not recommend taking risks and visiting the steam room with signs of malaise and a high temperature.
When preparing for a bath procedure, you must have the attitude and desire to get the maximum benefit from your stay in the bath. This is the most important component of preparing for a visit to the bathhouse.
Next, you need to be properly equipped. Bath accessories prepared in advance will add significance to the procedure and make it more enjoyable and healthy.
Extreme temperature changes
Since today we are talking about how to properly steam in a bathhouse for the health of the body, we must definitely talk about the favorite entertainment of the Russian people. This means diving into an ice hole, wiping yourself down with snow, and at worst, you can pour ice water on yourself from the gang. But! We must remember that this is a lot of stress for the body, so if you have just recently started going to the steam room, you should not test your strength. Start by swimming in the pool; the water in it is usually just cool. Gradually lower the temperature of the water used for contrast procedures. Hardening is a process that is designed to be beneficial, so approach it wisely.
What should you take when going to a Russian bathhouse with a steam room?
The main attribute of the bathhouse is a broom. Brooms for every taste can be bought directly in the bathhouse. There are oak, birch, linden, fir, juniper, eucalyptus and mixed brooms. Which one to choose depends on the desired end result.
- Oak brooms have bactericidal and skin toning effects.
- Birch brooms are a Russian classic, birch, the most native and congenial plant, heals, invigorates and relaxes, helps to achieve absolute harmony in the state of body and soul. Birch decoctions, namely the water in which brooms are steamed, relieves skin diseases, heals hair and makes it soft.
- Linden has a calming effect on the human body.
- Fragrant brooms made from branches of coniferous plants and containing eucalyptus, due to the content of essential oils and phytoncides, are a powerful means of treating and preventing colds and chronic diseases of the bronchopulmonary system . Like birch brooms, pine brooms have a good effect on the human skin and musculoskeletal system.
- Brooms made from various tree species, as well as with the addition of currant branches, rowan berries and medicinal herbs, were invented specifically to obtain the maximum therapeutic effect. Moreover, you can choose brooms designed to combat a specific disease. This will already be part of the bath therapy.
It’s easy to prepare brooms for a bath yourself, the main thing is that the branches are young and bend easily . In this form, they should be cut, tied tightly and dried in the shade in a suspended state.
The ladle is also wooden and beautiful, matching the basin.
A hair cap must first of all fulfill its function - to protect the head in the steam room from high temperatures; it must be made of natural materials that do not react to heat. The classic version is a cone-shaped hat made of felted wool.
Slippers are worn in the bathhouse only for hygienic reasons; in small private bathhouses, many do not use them.
A loofah sponge is the most acceptable option, although you can use the old fashioned way to use one-time bunches of herbs or, for example, oat straw . A synthetic washcloth simply does not fit into the overall interior of bath accessories with a natural basin and broom.
The use of soap, shampoo, scrub, cream and oil, that is, all hygiene and cosmetic supplies is also a necessary part of the bath ceremony. With their help, you can enhance the therapeutic effect and get maximum pleasure.
When your bag for visiting the bathhouse is complete, you need to find like-minded people, whose goal will be sad gatherings at the table in the dressing room, but real fans of the bathhouse and those who want to join them.
Having carefully prepared how, with whom and with what to go to the bathhouse correctly, you can plan this event for the near future.
It should be remembered that 1-1.5 hours before properly visiting the bathhouse, you should not drink alcohol, fatty or salty foods , do not overeat, but also do not be hungry.
Do you think that a public city bathhouse is a two-story building from childhood with sweaty walls and dirty floors, where grandfathers whip themselves with scanty brooms in a wet steam room? No, this has not been the case for a long time, and we asked the famous blogger, director of the communication agency “R&R” and avid bath attendant Rais Gabitov to tell us what a modern bathhouse is, and, most importantly, why go to it.
There are several high-class bathhouses in Ufa, one of them is the new complex “Capital Baths” in Sipailovo. We went there on working Monday in order to show beginners and experts how to really steam. A real temple of health, powerful steam from a 25-ton oven, a restaurant, a barber shop and much more.
1. What to do with brooms?
If the broom is dried (as a rule), then it must first be kept in a cool place, and then pour boiling water over it. This way it will be stronger and more fragrant. Just keep fresh and frozen brooms in warm water. You should not brew them with boiling water; the leaves will become like soapy rags.
2. Where to start?
The first time we came in just to warm up. You need to let your body steam and get used to the steam room. This is about the same as with a broom. You shouldn’t douse yourself with cold water right away either.
3. Is it true that people go to public baths with women?
Women are sometimes invited to saunas, but never to public baths. The bathhouse is for steaming and having manly conversations. When they say that all important negotiations take place in bathhouses, this is absolutely true. In my presence, the fates of acquaintances were decided several times and business alliances were concluded. In the bathhouse, people find a common language, as if drinking together, while remaining sober. They also tell jokes, tales and laugh a lot. And they gossip a little.
I admit, yes, men gossip, just like women. By the way, Tuesday is Women's Day at Stolichny.
4. What to drink?
Tea with forest herbs, kvass, light beer. It is not recommended to drink strong alcohol during a bath; it is harmful to the heart and blood vessels. “Capital Baths” serves branded lemonade, but the trick is to ask for the ingredients and make it by hand. Crush peppermint and mix with honey. Add ice-cold sparkling water and squeeze half a lemon into it.
5. Is it possible to eat in the bathhouse and what?
There is a small restaurant in the Capital Baths. Large selection of snacks and mains. There are shrimps that go great with beer. Delicious manti and dumplings to kill the worm. The fried dumplings are especially praised. Fragrant tea with thyme and herbs, served with jam. For those who fast, there is a Lenten menu. You can eat all this, but be careful not to overeat.
6. Where should I put my phone and watch so that it stays at hand?
It is better to put valuables, watches, smartphones, and wallets in a special compartment in the back of your seat, or in the safe that is available in the cabins. All this is covered with an electronic bracelet that you wear on your hand.
7. How do they even steam here?
A bathhouse differs from a dry sauna or a foggy hammam not only in humidity and temperature. We have a broom! And here we are soaring with it. Start with the limbs, end with the body. Hit the broom gently, but with a pull. A broom gives an excellent massage effect, which, combined with the warmth and humidity of a Russian bath, truly rejuvenates the body and restores muscles. That's why athletes love it so much. When I was training for the marathon, my training program included a weekly sauna. After the steam room, we immediately douse ourselves with water or dive into the ice plunge pool. Every skin cell and cardiovascular system experienced short-term stress, which will strengthen the immune system.
8. Is it possible to take a steam bath and fly away altogether?
It’s difficult to take a good steam bath on your own; you won’t be able to reach your entire body with a broom, and you simply won’t have the strength. It’s another matter if a special person floats you.
The steamer Raphael from “Capital Baths” turned out to be the god of the broom. The steam room has just been purged; the hot, humid steam is filled with the bitter smell of wormwood from the twigs from the walls. Raphael has a special technology: the head feels pleasantly cool with the aroma of pine needles from fir brooms. And your legs and back are hit alternately by hot waves of steam, biting blows and a soft massage. The body is immersed in a tactile trance. You are floating in a wormwood-fir ocean, where there is no work, no worries, no snow, no traffic jams, nothing at all. Restart. Bath existence. Then douse yourself with water, lie in the jacuzzi and be silent.
9. How does steam differ in different baths?
In Ufa there are three types of steam rooms in public baths: 1) with electric heating elements, they are the weakest; 2) using superheated steam from the boiler room; 3) with its own oven. The latter is the best; this is exactly the 25-ton brick oven that stands in the Capital Baths. All night long, the gas heats more than 7 tons of pig iron, the heat capacity of which is more than enough for the whole day. The steam room is quite large, but not too big. Therefore, even the partial power of the furnace is enough to fill the entire volume with even and powerful steam. I travel around cities a lot and I can say for sure that the steam room in the Capital Baths is one of the best in the Urals and the Volga region.
10. What else is good about “Capital Baths”?
Massage is when it seems like it can’t get any better, but it can. Especially if you sit in the office a lot, or your muscles hurt after training. Unfortunately, in many bathhouses the massage therapists are unprofessional (these are the ones who pinch and stroke the skin). Rafael turned out to be excellent as a massage therapist. The Capital Baths offer foam and honey massages.
There is also an excellent barber shop in the bathhouse. Very convenient - steamed, washed, had a massage, ate and even got a haircut. Yes, you can live here!
How to take a bath correctly
There are several rules of conduct immediately before visiting the steam room, the observance of which is mandatory.
- In advance, you can even at home, you need to remove all metal jewelry from yourself ; if they overheat, they can burn your skin.
- While in the bathhouse, you need to gradually warm up your body; a visit to the steam room should not be stressful for it. Therefore, you need to take a hot shower, washing off dirt, sweat and traces of makeup.
- Then rub and dry yourself with a towel. You should go to the steam room with dry skin, because water prevents sweating.
- You are not allowed to swim in a Russian bathhouse in swimsuits. Synthetic material and possible metal fasteners will cause discomfort and spoil the bathing experience.
- Delicate areas of the skin, namely the eyelids and chest, should be protected from exposure to hot steam and lubricated with a rich cream.
Which heat is the most economical?
When solving a problem related to choosing the type of heating, it is worth remembering the school physics course for the seventh grade of a secondary school.
Comparative table of calorie content of various types of mineral fuels, wood and renewable types of energy carriers in kJ:
| Type of fuel | Minimum value | Maximum value |
| Brown coal | 7500 | 21000 |
| Coal | 21000 | 30000 |
| Shtyb private 0-25 | 17000 | 27000 |
| Graded coal coke | 27000 | 31000 |
| Briquetted peat, moisture content 16-18% | 13000 | 16000 |
| Hardwood, 18% moisture content | 14700 | 18500 |
| Cereal straw, moisture content up to 20% | 12000 | 14900 |
| Boiler fuel oil | 41000 | 42750 |
| Natural gas according to GOST | 31000 | 31000 |
Important! Briquettes and pellets made from cereal straw and wood waste can have a calorific value slightly higher than the nominal values declared for wood and straw in their pure form, due to more optimal combustion modes of this fuel in specialized boilers.
Electricity is a separate item.
Practical example:
The water in the incoming main has a temperature of 9 degrees Celsius, the heating element has a power of 25 kW, a water tank with a capacity of 1000 liters of water with a standard thermal insulation scheme and the same standard level of heat loss to the environment. The water temperature in the storage tank and outgoing line must be at least 50 degrees Celsius.
A simple thermal calculation shows that with an efficiency of the heating device of 89%, taking into account heat loss, the specified volume of water will be heated to the specified value within 1.986 hours. Electricity consumption will be 48.686 kW. Calculating the cost is not difficult if you multiply this figure by a specific electricity tariff.
Even a quick analysis indicates that heating with electricity is not the best option. Coal, gas and fuel briquettes have higher fuel efficiency and economic feasibility. However, the use of mineral and organic fuel requires:
- Organization of smoke removal.
- Removal and disposal of combustion waste and slag. A fairly costly item that does not apply to the use of natural gas and partly boiler oil.
- Coordination and installation of gas communications and organization of a warehouse for storing an emergency supply of solid fuel.
- Logistics and transportation costs for fuel delivery and combustion waste disposal.
- The combustion processes of mineral fuels are less controllable and can be fine-tuned. To a lesser extent, this statement is true for natural gas and fuel oil, where automatic control systems have long been developed.
A word from Experienced! The use of unknown grades of coal, and especially coke, in solid fuel boilers requires a balanced approach. Coke and coking coals of grades K, OS, Zh, with their undeniable caloric content and, as a result, energy efficiency, can provoke burnout of the grate due to the critical temperature regime in the firebox. The use of gas long-flame coals, lean coals of the semi-anthracite group and anthracites is much more predictable and ultimately justified.
Mothers and children: how to be pregnant and breastfeeding, is it worth visiting a steam room
Many young women are now extremely concerned about the question of whether it is possible to take a steam bath during pregnancy, and this is quite natural. The benefits of a steam room are completely incomparable to anything else. In fact, the most popular recently has become a sauna bath, where there is dry and extremely hot steam. So, pregnant women are never recommended to go there, as it can harm both mother and baby. Is it possible for a nursing mother to take a steam bath? Will a sauna hurt her? The answer will be clear - it is better to refrain from such experiments.
Photo from the site: iberemennost.ru
- However, when it comes to the Russian steam room, the question of whether pregnant women can steam in a bathhouse simply loses its meaning, because our ancestors did this for centuries and did not suffer at all. Moreover, they were much healthier and stronger than their Western neighbors, they were less sick, they were stronger and more resilient, and largely thanks to the Russian bath.
- Therefore, without any doubt, it is worth preparing your own child for the steam room while still in the womb and there will be no harm from this if everything is done correctly, and also without excessive fanaticism, which is unacceptable.
- I also wonder whether it is possible for a nursing mother to take a steam bath, and how this will affect the availability of milk and other factors. Naturally, you need to worry about this so as not to deprive your baby, because the health and environmental situation in the world will still present many more unpleasant surprises in his little life, in order to personally deprive him of his mother’s milk.
- In fact, a nursing mother can take a steam bath, even more than once a week, and it won’t hurt to take the baby with her. Little ones are happy to communicate with peers the same age, so gather your friends and go with the kids to get your share of real, Russian health.
However, you should be extremely careful, because the milk may burn out. True, not from high temperature, but from loss of fluid, which is why you need to drink a lot in the bathhouse, because you lose water inside the steam room on a catastrophic scale. I would also like to answer the question of whether it is possible to take a steam bath during menstruation, as many women ask this question.
Photo from the site: progorodnn.ru
In fact, whatever one may say, it is better to refrain from visiting the steam room during this difficult time for every woman. Even if you went with friends, just sit in the waiting room, at least if it’s just the first days. If you have planned a trip to the bathhouse for the last days of your period, then you can briefly look into the steam room, but you should never go there alone, you need someone to monitor your condition and appearance, and if necessary, simply help you leave steam room
