Do you love the Russian bathhouse as much as I love it?: Politics Newsland - comments, discussions and news discussions.

Photo: Andrey Shchekalev, shutterstock (09/1/2019) Today, saunas, hammams and other types of similar establishments are being built to replace archaic steam rooms. But no matter how many such varieties are invented, the Russian bathhouse will never lose its popularity and demand among hot lovers. Russian bathhouse is a brand.

What is a Russian bathhouse

A unique symbiosis of several elements at once: air, earth, fire and water. In addition to the fact that this is a place for taking hygiene procedures, it provides an opportunity to relax the body and spirit, and carry out a whole range of wellness procedures.

If you believe history, then the bathhouse has always existed in Rus'. According to legends, it was a log building with a fireplace, and the guardian of the bathhouse and its soul was a naked old man - a bannik.

Chronicles of the X–XIII centuries. they talk about how common baths were among the Eastern Slavs in the 5th–6th centuries, how affectionately they called them mylnya or movnitsa. With the Baptism of Rus', the bathhouse strengthened its influence, as it became a place for mandatory visiting before performing important church rituals.

Which broom to choose

There are two types of brooms: those used for steaming, and those used for inhalation or massage. Oak and birch are excellent for vaping, and eucalyptus for inhalation.

You can also use essential oils for inhalation in the steam room. How and which ones exactly are described in this article.

The best steaming is provided by an oak broom. Its leaf is wide, the broom itself is more voluminous and produces more steam in one stroke. This steaming is suitable, for example, for athletes and those who experience heavy physical activity.

But a birch broom is very useful for smokers: it helps remove phlegm. It is also good for rubbing, as birch leaves have antiseptic properties, relieve irritation and soothe.

A good oak or birch broom can be used many times. The main thing is to dry him well after the steam room so that he can breathe oxygen.

Rules for taking a bath and preparing for it

For the bath to be beneficial, it is enough to follow a few basic rules:

Do not drink alcohol both while in the steam room and before visiting it;
Don’t overeat (you shouldn’t go hungry either, you can get by with a light snack);
Monitor your condition and do not force yourself to sit in the steam room;
You can enter the steam room several times, each entry will differ from the other in thermal conditions and duration;
You should stay in the bathhouse for no more than 25 minutes.

Before visiting you must:

Douse yourself with warm water or take a shower to prepare your body for higher temperatures.
To preserve the lipid layer of the skin, which performs a barrier function, you need to refrain from using soap with a washcloth.
Do not get your hair wet, this will protect you from heat stroke. It is better to put on a hat made of wool or linen, after wetting it.

The benefits of a bath

There is no clear relationship to the bathhouse. Some people love her, while others, on the contrary, are completely indifferent. Why does this happen, why don’t we see the benefits of a bath? I think this is due to the progress of humanity. Convenience in homes played into the hands of ordinary human laziness.

But baths in Rus' were always treated as a hospital, a health-improving activity. For example, when St. Petersburg was founded in 1703, everyone was allowed to build baths; no fees were charged for construction. This was considered a worthy cause.

Foreigners were simply amazed at how far Russian people were ahead of Europeans in caring about the cleanliness of their bodies.

After the defeat of Napoleon in Russia, and the advance of Russian troops into Western Europe, our baths began to appear in Germany, France, and Switzerland.

The Russian bath has always been regarded as a real, classic method of heat treatment.

When washing in a bathhouse, not only the external cleansing of the skin occurs, but also the healing of the entire body. The action of steam improves the condition of the body in general and the nervous system in particular, and increases performance.

Let's find out in more detail what effect steaming and bathing have on the main organ systems.

Steam speeds up the work of the heart muscle, as it increases blood flow due to thermal expansion of the volume of blood vessels. If you go to the steam room regularly, you can better resist a number of vascular ailments. The bathhouse is a kind of simulator for our organs.

But at the same time, if you have already suffered from heart disease or have heart failure, it is better to abstain from the bath.

A torn rhythm, constant running back and forth, the need to do many things at the same time and constant stress are the true scourge of modern humanity.

By coming to the bathhouse after a working day or on a free day, you can easily ensure relaxation both physically and mentally. It's hard to believe, but the bathhouse gives you strength. Sometimes it seems to me that mountains can be moved only after a good steam room.

Increasing blood circulation in the periphery of the body will relieve muscle numbness and help cope with headaches. This is especially true for those suffering from insomnia, nervous exhaustion, and constant muscle tension.

At the same time, a bath is strictly unacceptable for any serious problems with the central nervous system.

Obviously, the bath also affects the respiratory system. Everyone knows about this, but not everyone knows what exactly this influence is. Hot air helps saturate the blood with oxygen and accelerate the removal of carbon dioxide. This helps activate metabolism.

High inhaled air temperatures help kill pathogens. However, you should not go to the bathhouse at elevated temperatures. The bathhouse is no help here; the temperature will rise even higher.

If you do not have such significant problems, then simply follow the rules.

The universal principle is only nasal breathing (it clears the main passage for air and at the same time avoids overheating of the lungs and bronchi). If you still need to warm up your throat, then touch the roof of your mouth with your tongue when inhaling - this will help cool the air.

The benefits of bath procedures for human skin are self-evident. Steaming and washing in a bath destroy microorganisms, improve regeneration and blood supply to capillaries.

However, for people with infectious skin diseases, the bath is unacceptable.

Muscles in the sauna increase their elasticity and relax. However, this requires a regime of ninety to one hundred and ten degrees with low (maximum a quarter) air humidity, and then in five-minute approaches. But with injuries and taking hormonal medications, the entrance to the steam room is closed.

Let's not forget that our Russian bathhouse is an excellent remedy for treating radiculitis, arthritis, rheumatism, joint pain, and gout. It was the bathhouse that laid the foundation for such a useful procedure as hardening the body.

Faithful bathhouse helpers - brooms - without them a bathhouse is not a bathhouse. There are as many brooms for a bathhouse as there are trees in this world. There are those that are familiar to us, but there are also herbal, coniferous, and even exotic brooms. For example, bamboo brooms.

Each of them helps in the treatment of ailments in its own way, each has its own purpose.

Therefore, the proverb is right: “If you wash yourself in the bathhouse, you are born again.”

How to steam properly

The first entry into the steam room is required

to warm up and get used to the heat load (optimum temperature 60°C). A broom is not needed at this stage. It is better to lie on the bottom shelf; at this level the temperature necessary for adaptation is maintained. When the skin turns red, sweat appears and the heart beats faster, you can climb to the top bunk. The duration of the first approach should not exceed 10 minutes.

The second visit can last 15 minutes

and accompanied by a broom massage:

Plowing - swinging a broom towards the steamer, then shaking it under the ceiling of the steam room and briefly pressing the hot branches to the lower back, feet, and shoulder blades.
Whipping on the skin and slowly stroking the body with a broom.
Compress - lowering a broom onto the body with firm pressure for 5 seconds. At the end of the massage, you should not get up suddenly, it is better to lie down for a few minutes, then, without rushing to get up.

Steaming with a broom

A broom in a steam room is one of the main accessories - it can not only give you a good whipping, but also act as a medicine.

A birch broom will rid the skin of toxins and remove salt from the body. It is recommended for use by people with kidney and musculoskeletal diseases.
Oak - stabilizes blood pressure. Oak leaves have anti-inflammatory properties, calm the nervous system and help with headaches and insomnia.
Linden broom contains vitamin C. It is used as an antipyretic and to calm the nerves.
Fir - eliminates pain in muscles and spine, improves immunity. It has disinfecting and bactericidal properties.
Juniper broom contains natural antibiotics, prevents the appearance of bacteria and reduces high fever.

Few people know how useful a broom made from nettle branches is. Even with a light touch, it creates a deep massage of the skin with a tingling effect, which improves its elasticity and firmness. The skin additionally warms up, turns red, and blood flow improves.

Nettle is useful for kidney and liver diseases, strengthens the walls of blood vessels. Only problem areas are hovered with such a broom, applied for a while to the sore spots.

Sauna for weight loss

A Russian bath is an excellent assistant in losing weight, because at high temperatures sweat is actively released, along with toxins, salts and other harmful substances, but it is important to understand that fat reserves are not destroyed. Going to the bathhouse is regarded as an auxiliary method for losing weight, but not the main one.

Photo: Juliya Shangarey, shutterstock (1.09.2019)

The bath accelerates blood circulation, which increases the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the internal organs. You can forget about cellulite and improve your skin condition. Heating causes an acceleration of metabolism.

To achieve the desired effect, you must follow the rules:

Before entering the steam room, take a warm shower, but without using soap or a washcloth.
Add infusions of aromatic herbs or essential oils to the water that creates steam.
The first visit to the steam room should not exceed 5 minutes. After it, you need to go out, rinse with cold water, throw on a sheet and rest. You can drink a drink to increase sweating.
On the second visit, you should use a broom; your stay in the steam room will also be about 5 minutes.
Next time, you can simply sit on a shelf, rub your body with gentle movements using a broom and rub yourself with honey or salt.
Compliance with temperature contrasts: the higher the temperature, the colder the water for dousing should be.

Steaming when you have a cold

If you have a cold, a Russian bath will speed up recovery due to the effects of high temperature and increased moisture.

Wet steam performs the function of inhalation, ensuring the cleansing of the lungs and bronchi from accumulated mucus.
Hot steam opens and cleanses pores.
Increased humidity will relieve muscle tension and fatigue, and also strengthen joints and ligaments.

QUOTES AND STATEMENTS ABOUT THE BATH

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“Sell your last trousers, but drink after the bath.” Alexander Vasilievich Suvorov.

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“Send healthy rich people, limping gamblers, intriguers and all sorts of bastards to mineral waters. Let them swim in the mud there. And I am truly sick. And I need prayer, a village hut, a bathhouse, porridge and kvass.” Alexander Vasilievich Suvorov.

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“I loved going to the bathhouse with my father... We washed and steamed there for hours; to the point of fatigue, to exhaustion. And then, when I left home, I remember: no matter what city I came to, the first thing I did, if I had even one nickel in my pocket, was to go to the bathhouse and there endlessly washed myself, lathered myself, doused myself, steamed, scalded - and again all over again.” Pavel Ivanovich Shalyapin.

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“Our dear Moscow! Incomparable!.. Our goodness cannot be compared with anything... It’s tiring, hard, and I feel like I’m doing hard labor... I don’t have to think about fun days, the only entertainment is the Turkish bath, of course, not our native one. I especially clearly remember how we washed ourselves in Sanduny and how we ate sterlet fish soup, remember?” Pavel Ivanovich Shalyapin.

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“My sincere desire extends only to demonstrating the superiority of the Russian Baths over those that were used since ancient times by the Greeks and Romans and over those now in use by the Turks, both for maintaining health and for curing many diseases.” Antonio Nunez Ribero Sanchez.

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“Everyone clearly sees how happy society would be if it had an easy, harmless and so effective way that it could not only preserve health, but also heal or tame diseases that so often happen. For my part, I consider only one Russian bathhouse, prepared properly, to be capable of bringing such great benefits to a person...” Antonio Nunez Ribero Sanchez.

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The bathhouse is a joyful 100-degree torture. Georgy Alexandrov.

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In winter, when it’s cold, nudists can only be found in bathhouses, saunas, and only the bravest - in the ice hole. Vladimir Borisov.

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The soul regularly asks for the sea, but its feet constantly carry it to the bathhouse. Yuri Tatarkin.

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Only in the bathhouse does it make sense to exchange the awl for soap. Yuri Melikhov.

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About one dirty bath, Diogenes asked: “Where should those who washed here wash?” Based on the story of Diogenes Laertius.

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While washing himself in the bathhouse one day, Demonakt could not decide to go into the hot water. Someone began to reproach him for cowardice. “Tell me, for the sake of the fatherland, should I do this?” – Demonakt objected. Lucian of Samosata.

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The hand washes the hand, but with the feet it is more difficult. "Pshekruj."

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He who loves the people should take them to the bathhouse. Heinrich Heine.

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There are few sorrows in the world that a hot bath cannot cure. Sylvia Plath.

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Different people enter the bathhouse and leave happy. Vladimir Borisov.

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“The only place that not a single Muscovite has passed is the BATH.” “Moscow without baths is not Moscow.” V. A. Gilyarovsky.

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“Baths in Moscow, as a rule, were built near the river in order to quickly plunge into the water and then return to the hot steam room. In winter, ice holes were specially made for this purpose.” V. A. Gilyarovsky.

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“Without St. Petersburg and without a bathhouse, we are like a body without a soul.” Alexey Nikolaevich Tolstoy.

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“Russians consider it impossible to form a friendship without inviting them to a bathhouse and then having a meal at the same table.” Jacob Reitenfels.

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“I want to briefly recall the bathhouses of the Muscovites or their washing habits, because it is unknown here... In general, you will not find in any country that washing is valued as much as in this Moscow. Women find their greatest pleasure in this.” Airaman.

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“Dmitry the Pretender never went to the bathhouse: the residents of Moscow concluded from this that he was not Russian.” Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin.

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“The word bath is also used in our new Testament in the sense of baptism.” Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin.

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“A diligent peasant wife washed her children two or three times every week, changed their linen every week, and aired some of the pillows and feather beds in the air and beat them out. A weekly bath was mandatory for the whole family.” Leonid Vasilievich Milov.

Who shouldn't go to the bathhouse?

Reasons for temporarily abstaining from baths:

Cold with high fever;
Aggravated chronic diseases;
Regular headaches;
Thrombophlebitis;
Hypertension stages I and II;
Unstable angina;

Absolute ban:

myocardial infarction;
Stage III hypertension;
acute inflammation of the cardiovascular system;
acute thrombophlebitis;
general atherosclerosis;
frequent bleeding.