Can you name a product that not only cleanses the body of dirt and sweat, but also calms the nervous system, improves mood and immunity? The answer is obvious - a bathhouse. The benefits of this room have been known and used since ancient times, periodically developing its capabilities and convenience. Many kind words have already been said about the traditional Russian bath or sauna, but other types of similar bodily pleasures have their own “army” of connoisseurs. The most interesting and worthy representative of its type is the Turkish version, known throughout the world under the word “hammam”. It is for this reason that the editors of Homius want to explain to their readers today what a hammam is, what its features are, and in what cases it would be relevant to visit such a “room” of cleansing and healing. Do you want to improve your well-being, strengthen your immune system and get rid of stress? Then stay tuned and check out the new review!
Hammams serve not only as a place for cleansing the body - many buildings are architectural monuments of Eastern culture PHOTO: cappadocianhotairballoons.com
What is a hammam: history of origin and principle of operation
The prototype of Turkish hammams can confidently be called the baths that were present in ancient Greece and ancient Rome. Subsequently, their design was used in Arab soap dishes. And during the Middle Ages, the objects of our today’s review appeared on the territory of the Ottoman Empire.
Thermae were entertainment centers of the ancient era - they cultivated traditions of communication, sports, hygiene and cosmetology PHOTO: junisa.ru
From a design point of view, a hammam is a group of rooms surrounded by a dense “network” of pipes through which hot water is supplied at a certain temperature. A person gradually passes through all the rooms, performing various procedures along the way. Due to such a scheme, a complex effect on health occurs. This is just a basic description necessary to understand the principle. In the future we will look at all the features in detail.
Not only metal is used as a material for pipes, but also more practical polypropylene or metal plastic PHOTO: banya-expert.com
Food and drink
Drinking liquids in the hammam is permitted. However, there are rules here that must be strictly followed. So, you cannot drink alcohol in the hammam. Alcohol and bathing procedures are incompatible - this is confirmed by all bathing traditions in the world, not only Turkish. It is not recommended to drink drinks that are too cold.
A sharp contrast between a heated body and an icy liquid can lead to unfavorable developments. You can simply get sick, for example, with a sore throat. The best option is tea, coffee, natural juice. Not too hot, but not cold either. But you shouldn’t eat in the hammam. This creates unnecessary stress on the body, which is not at all needed here.
Features of premises in a Turkish bath
Unlike the familiar Russian bath or sauna, the hammam is, first of all, distinguished by the presence of several rooms symbolizing the human hand. Each of them has a specific role in the body cleansing ritual.
Passing through each hall, a person first cleanses the body, and then relaxes and calms the nervous system PHOTO: banyabest.ru
Jamekian – leave your clothes everyone who enters here
The first to greet the visitor is the Jamekian - an analogue of the locker room in a regular bathhouse. The guest who has taken off his clothes is given a towel, since it is not customary to be completely naked in the hammam. Also, special slippers made of wood or durable fabric are put on your feet - they protect your feet from the heat emanating from the floor.
A towel covering nakedness in a hammam is designated by the word “sarong” PHOTO: yukitours.com
Hararet - the heat does not break the bones
Having prepared for the procedure, the guest finds himself in a hararet, an analogue of a steam room in the classic European version. The temperature here reaches 60ºС – quite enough to open pores and get rid of dirt. It is at this stage that maximum cleansing of the skin occurs.
It is unacceptable to remain in hararet for a long time. This is fraught with increased blood pressure and deterioration in health PHOTO: greenapteka.ru
Pestemal - a corner for water treatments
This room is optional: in some hammams it is present, in others it is combined with a dressing room. It has fountains, faucets with showers or small pools. This room is necessary to regulate your body temperature after the steam room using non-hot water.
It is necessary to return to pestemal periodically to prevent overheating of the body PHOTO: tatpool.ru
Sogukluk – complete cleansing and relaxation
At the end, a person goes into a spacious hall where “Chebek-Tashi” is located - a pedestal made of natural stone, on which you need to lie with your stomach down. According to the beliefs of Eastern culture, the benefit is that in a few minutes spent on a sunbed, all diseases and negative energy completely disappear from the body.
Due to its lower temperature, compared to hararet, soguklyuk is optimally suited for both adults and children PHOTO: bitezhamam.com
Note! The classic version of the hammam also implies the presence of the so-called. This room is intended for relaxation after all procedures. Here you can drink refreshing drinks or simply chat with other people in a pleasant environment. However, it is not always possible to find keif in the hammam you visit.
The benefits of hamam
When planning to visit a Turkish bath for the first time, a person has a very reasonable question: “What is the use of hammam?” Let's try to answer this question now. The literal translation of the word “hammam” means emanating steam. And in fact, in Turkish baths you will not encounter such high temperatures as, for example, in a Russian bath. The temperature here will not rise above 55 degrees, which is the benefit of hammam for the skin. At such temperatures, neither human skin nor hair becomes dry, but, on the contrary, becomes moisturized.
The benefits of hammam for women and men may also lie in the ways it provides relaxation. A relaxed atmosphere, soft light, aromatic oils in the air, an abundance of marble, the mandatory presence of a professional bath attendant - all this contributes to maximum relaxation of the human body, removing it from the outside world and pressing problems of life.
When visiting such an establishment as the Turkish bath, Hamam, the benefits will not keep you waiting. After just one visit, a person can feel the beneficial effects of a Turkish sauna. And, mind you, this is not just a pleasant pastime, but also benefits for the soul and body. By visiting the hammam, a person cleanses his body, receives a charge of positive energy, and a feeling of lightness. Every visitor to such a bathhouse feels:
- how pores open and cleanse, removing waste and toxins from the body;
- how blood pressure stabilizes, the functioning of the heart and blood vessels improves;
- how immunity is strengthened and increased, eliminates respiratory diseases;
- how the skin regeneration process improves;
- how the nervous system calms down, sleep improves, headaches go away and a general feeling of lightness appears in the body;
The benefit of a hammam sauna lies in its effect on the human nervous system. Here you can truly rest, relax, get rid of annoying unnecessary thoughts, and feel real comfort. Strength is infused, the blood is enriched with white blood cells, and the body’s immunity is strengthened.
Rules for visiting the hammam: rituals and procedures
As you already understand, unlike the usual representatives of the bath class, the hammam has different rules and rituals. Let's look at the full procedure for visiting a Turkish bath step by step.
| Illustration | Action Descriptions |
| We go into Jamekian, take off our casual clothes and put on a sarong (in more democratic places it is replaced by a swimsuit or swimming trunks) |
| To prepare the body for serious procedures, we sit for a few minutes in the dressing room, and then pour several ladles of water on ourselves or take a shower in a pestemal. |
| We make our way to Hararet, where the skin is maximally cleansed of dirt and toxins |
| Having washed away the negativity, we equalize the temperature and move to Soguklyuk, sitting on the “Chebek-Tashi” stone. At this point, the bath attendant will massage you using a special exfoliating washcloth. |
| After washing again in warm water, we return to the pedestal and find ourselves under a “mountain” of foam made from healthy oils. You will also receive an intense massage afterwards. |
| The procedure ends with relaxation in the cafe (or in another prepared room): we drink aromatic tea, chat, in some cases you can smoke a hookah |
Note! Different sources call the Turkish bath either “hammam” or “hammam”. In principle, you can use each of them. By the way, the origin of the word is Arabic - the word “ham” means “heat, hot.”
What is a hammam: differences from a traditional bath
Hamam is the name given to public baths in the Middle East (Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, Afghanistan and some countries of Central Asia). These peoples have been developing the Eastern tradition of visiting the Turkish hammam for centuries. The benefits of visiting such establishments in Russia are questioned. Often local entrepreneurs offer only a name from a traditional Turkish bath.
There are several features of a real Turkish hammam:
- Temperature from 35 to 50 degrees.
- Air humidity 90-100%.
Despite the fact that you can learn the technique of the original Turkish bath in any Turkish village, Russian entrepreneurs do everything at random, endangering the health of visitors. A real Turkish hammam has benefits for the body only if traditional indicators are adhered to: 100% air humidity at a temperature range of 35 to 50 degrees. Thanks to these parameters, a unique microclimate is created that allows you to visit the hammam with benefit and safety.
The Arab writer Yusuf Abdalhadi said: “Whoever has committed many sins, let him build a bathhouse to wash them away.”
Climatic differences between hammam and other types of baths
In addition to the special culture of visiting, as well as a whole galaxy of pleasant and useful procedures, the hammam stands out among its “compatriots” due to its unusual temperature regime and other characteristics that are unusual by the standards of traditional baths. So that our readers can see this clearly, the Homius editors have collected all the necessary information in the form of a table.
| View | Room temperature, ºС | Humidity level, % | Optimal time for the procedure, min. |
| Sauna (Finnish) | 90-120 | 5-15 | 80 |
| Hot Russian bath (wet) | 70-90 | 20-35 | 60 |
| Classic Russian bath (steam) | 45-65 | 40-65 | 50 |
| Hammam | 45-60 | 80-100 | 90 |
Thanks to the most gentle temperature conditions, most people can easily endure a visit to the hammam PHOTO: ogepatite.ru
We visit the hammam without harm
A visit to the hammam may not end in the best way if you neglect the basic rules of the Turkish steam room.
Its harm to healthy people who do not have any contraindications lies in the possibility of overheating of the body. In addition to the fact that the air temperature is not considered extremely high, at maximum humidity the limbs and head quickly heat up. You cannot steam for longer than the permitted time; it is recommended to use a towel turban to protect your head from overheating. The optimal number of visits to the hammam is 1-3 per week. Even one weekly visit is enough to get a healing effect, improve the condition of your skin and hair, improve your sleep, “displace” cellulite from the piquant parts of the body, and improve the condition of the musculoskeletal system.
More frequent procedures are fraught with depression of the nervous system, dehydration and other troubles. Since the temperature regime, as mentioned above, in the hammam is quite gentle, you can afford more visits than if we were talking about a Finnish sauna or bathhouse. You can visit the Finnish sauna no more than 1-2 times a week, and certainly not after every workout in the fitness room.
What else determines the recommendation about how often you can go to the hammam? Well, for example, skin diseases, which risk getting worse due to overly regular and diligent trips to humid rooms (in the hammam the humidity reaches 100%) and long stays there.
High temperatures and humid air put a strain on the heart, kidneys, and respiratory system. It is unlikely that anyone would think of doing inhalations every day without special medical indications.
Frequent exposure to 40-50 degree heat, as already mentioned, depresses the nervous system, and this can lead to an exacerbation of some of its diseases, stress, and depression. Even the idle inhabitants of eastern harems did not wash in the bathhouse every day, and not at all because they were saving water.
Healing benefits - indications for visiting the hammam
If the hero of our review served only for hygiene, interest in regular visits would hardly reach high levels. What this type of ablution is truly appreciated for is its multifaceted impact on human health. And the advantages in this regard truly deserve a separate block in our article.
Preventing diseases and improving well-being
Firstly, the Turkish bath has direct benefits for healthy people, strengthening the immune system. You go through a hardening cycle, alternating between different temperatures. Also, do not discount the improvement in blood circulation due to massage. And if we add to the above the effects of oils, then the result is a powerful “cocktail” that is available to almost everyone these days.
The hammam calms the nervous system, which is very important in a stressful modern life PHOTO: aquaspawellness.com
Treatment of problem skin
Which teenager is not familiar with the problem of pimples and acne? People use expensive products and labor-intensive procedures, wasting a lot of time and effort. We recommend adding periodic visits to the hammam to your treatment - the results will be noticeable much faster. The reason is to cleanse the skin of toxins, gentle peeling, and normalize the functioning of the sebaceous glands. Together these factors will be a powerful help!
“Foam” massage is an excellent cosmetic product that increases the elasticity and smoothness of the skin PHOTO: pliag.ru
Auxiliary therapy for colds, runny nose and chronic respiratory diseases
Yes, during an acute period of illness it is under no circumstances recommended to visit the hammam, but after a few days you can make one or two visits. Warm ionized air, getting inside, improves blood flow, moderately reduces inflammation, and also helps to liquefy and expectorate mucus, which is the key to a speedy recovery.
Try not to get too cold when moving between rooms. Otherwise, the disease will begin to progress PHOTO: kartinkijane.ru
Support for exercise and weight loss
Athletes will also benefit from visiting the hammam after a hard workout. Improving blood circulation allows muscles to quickly relieve fatigue and also be saturated with oxygen. The temperature regime will allow the muscles to become more elastic and remove unnecessary tension from them.
And for those who want to lose excess weight, the hero of our article is a real discovery! The heat allows you to expel excess water and speed up your metabolism. Massage will also help reduce fat mass.
Remember, while in the steam room after training, you cannot make sudden and fast movements, otherwise you will get a sprain or dislocation PHOTO: bookbestrate.com
How is hammam useful?
Like other bath procedures, regular visits to the Turkish steam room are beneficial for the human body and promote health, if there are no prohibitions for medical reasons. Hammam is indicated for the prevention of certain diseases. For example, if you come to relax in a Turkish bath often enough, you can prevent the development of the following ailments:
- rheumatism;
- colds;
- diseases of the musculoskeletal system;
- diseases of the cardiovascular system;
- depressive states.
Hamam lovers know that if you have a cold at the initial stage, you can quickly stop the progression of the disease if you go through the full range of bath procedures. If you have a cough, you should sit in a steam room filled with aromatic steam enriched with natural essential oils. The effect from it will be like inhalation. Thanks to the beneficial properties of steam, even chronic bronchitis can be overcome. Despite the high level of humidity in a Turkish bath, breathing in it is easy and free. If you regularly start visiting the hammam, a person’s immunity will soon increase, as a result he will be susceptible to colds much less often.
In a Turkish bath it is useful to warm up joints in case of chronic diseases of the musculoskeletal system, especially arthrosis. Bathing procedures in the hammam are beneficial for the health of the central nervous system. Relaxing in it normalizes work, stabilizes mood and sleep, and relieves stress. At a deep level, blood microcirculation in the brain improves.
What else is hammam useful for is its positive effect on the body:
- acceleration of skin regeneration;
- neutralization of salt deposits;
- stabilization of blood pressure;
- elimination of stagnant processes in internal organs.
The beneficial properties of hammam are invaluable for weight loss. Under the influence of comfortable heat and high humidity, metabolic processes in the body accelerate, and extra pounds begin to disappear faster. Of course, bath procedures alone cannot achieve a significant effect. However, in tandem with proper nutrition and healthy physical activity, weight loss will happen quickly and without nervousness.
The benefits of hamam for women
Turkish beauties have long loved hammam. Now women all over the world resort to his services. Hammam is very beneficial for the skin. Dry skin is moisturized with aromatic steam, while sensitive skin is gently cleansed. Women with oily skin note that after regular visits to the hammam, the skin is cleared of acne. The process of subcutaneous fat secretion is normalized, comedones are eliminated. These are white and blackheads, formed as a result of blockage of the pores with particles of keratinized epidermis and sebum. Most often they form on the nose.
Bathing procedures in a Turkish steam room bring great benefits to hair. The temperature regime does not pose a danger even for curls suffering from dryness and brittleness. Soft steam does not dry out the scalp, but rather normalizes blood circulation in it.
Some bath procedures in the hammam have a pronounced anti-cellulite effect. Under the influence of heat on the skin, the smallest capillaries open and fill with blood, even in fatty tissues that are poorly supplied with oxygen. They activate blood flow and metabolism, due to which the manifestations of cellulite begin to gradually decrease. An even greater impact on problem areas occurs during a traditional Turkish foam massage. It is done using a special hard washcloth, which mercilessly breaks down fatty deposits.
Another effect of accelerating metabolic processes under the influence of bath procedures in a Turkish hammam is general rejuvenation of the body. No woman can resist this magical prospect.
What are the benefits of hamam for men?
In addition to cosmetic effects, the Turkish bath is useful for the stronger sex as a preventive procedure for diseases of the genitourinary system. The heat and high humidity in the Turkish steam room promote sweating. Thanks to this, the load on the kidneys is reduced, and painful sensations go away for a while. Hammam is not a panacea for men, and genitourinary diseases should be treated exclusively under the supervision of a doctor. But it works well as an additional remedy.
Men will appreciate the calming and relaxing effects of bathing procedures in the hammam. They are naturally more susceptible to stress and experience it more severely than women.
Hammam effect for athletes
The Turkish bath is of great benefit to those who play sports, especially training in a rocking chair. In the warm atmosphere of the hammam, overstrained or spasmed muscles, ligaments and joints quickly relax. Hot steam removes toxins and various metabolic breakdown products, such as lactic acid, from muscle tissue. Because of it, strained muscles feel pain after active exercise in the gym. To relieve pain, it is recommended to go into the steam room of the Turkish bath several times and get a foam massage session.
But you can’t visit the hammam immediately after working out in the gym. You need to wait until your body comes to its senses a little after training at a sports club - your pulse will be restored and your blood pressure will normalize. Otherwise, you can harm your health. After working out at the fitness club, you need to rest for about half an hour, and then you can go to the hammam.
Many athletes injure joints and ligaments during strength training. This occurs due to unbalanced or unusual loads when performing a new exercise. The heat and steam in the hammam help relieve tension and pain in joints and ligaments. But if we are talking about regular pain, then bath procedures will not help, you need to consult a sports doctor.
Story
Baths have existed in Turkey since time immemorial. The Turks adopted a special method of ablution from the Arabs, who built baths following the example of the Romans. The first Turkish baths appeared at the beginning of the 7th century. At this time, residents of eastern countries began to preach Islam.
According to the teachings of faith: frequent bathing and keeping the body clean is a godly activity. Therefore, in ancient times, hammams were built not far from mosques. The Turkish bath was intended not only for ablutions, people gathered in it to communicate and resolve various issues.
Every week a women's bathing day was held. Representatives of the fair sex came not only for bathing, cosmetic procedures and massages, but also to chat with friends, relax and take a break from household chores. Often here mothers with adult sons looked for future daughters-in-law.
Hamam occupies a special place in the life of Turks. Most of the main events in the life of a family were celebrated, and in some cities they are still celebrated, in the hammam:
- the day a newborn turns forty days old
- bachelorette and bachelor party
- boy circumcision
- end of military service.
Modern hammams
Hammam in Istanbul
There are practically no hammams left in modern Turkey that offer the full range of ancient bath procedures. There are several such establishments only in Istanbul and Bukhara.
Now the area of the buildings is much smaller and consists of only three rooms, but the Turks do not skimp on interior decoration.
The interior of the premises is made in the national oriental style. The highest quality tiles are used for finishing the premises. The walls are decorated with mosaic paintings. Marble is also used to make sun loungers.
The only thing that remains unchanged is the presence of a bathhouse attendant (Tellak). This profession is considered honorable. To become a professional bathhouse attendant, those wishing to undergo training based on ancient traditions, massage therapist courses, and then a special selection.
The master of bath art performs all procedures:
- pours hot water over the body, preparing for cleansing;
- Using a washcloth made of natural threads (kisse), gently rubs the body with a soap solution. This procedure lasts about 15 minutes;
- soapy massage. The visitor sits comfortably on the “chebek-tashi”, the bathhouse attendant generously soaps all the bodies, and then his skillful hands knead all the muscles. This pleasant procedure lasts about an hour. After this procedure, fatigue and tension disappear without a trace;
- ablution and visiting the pool;
- oil massage. The final procedure carried out by the bathhouse attendant. The body is rubbed with aromatic oils or firming cream.
After taking the basic procedures, visitors are recommended to drink a cup of national herbal tea. If desired, you can stay in the hammam for at least the whole day: alternating swimming in the pool with drinking tea.
