The Russian bath, dry sauna and Turkish hammam are very popular in post-Soviet countries. However, in the world there are many exotic species of steam rooms, each of which impresses with its own characteristics. You can learn more about the varieties in our material. Content:
- Egyptian mud bath
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Egyptian sand bath
- Vertical
- Horizontal
- Czech beer bath
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Sento Japanese bath
- Sento device
- Bath procedures
- Georgian bath
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Moroccan bath
- In the spa
- Classic
- Indian bath
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Tibetan bath
- Traditional
- Urban
- Swedish bath bastu
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Indian bath temazcal
- Device
- Visit
- Roman bath
- Greek bath
- Irish bath
- English bath
In addition to the traditional wet Russian bath, the familiar dry-air Finnish sauna and the new-fashioned Turkish hammam, which are widespread in our country, there are still many different types of steam rooms. Almost every nationality has peculiar baths. Each of them has its own characteristics and secrets. You can endlessly consider all types of baths and their specifics, because some peoples even have several of them. For example, among the Japanese steam rooms, there are three types at once - sento, ofuro and furako. We will consider the most interesting types of doubles.
Egyptian mud bath rasul
Banya Rasul comes from ancient Egypt. It is known that the pharaohs themselves were her fans. This is an exotic and powerful water-steam procedure. In addition to warming up, it includes wrapping the body with therapeutic mud, sand, herbal and algae extracts, and clay.
Rasul has a positive effect on the skin - it rejuvenates and cleanses it. In addition, healing substances through the heated skin freely penetrate to the internal organs, saturating them and making them healthy.
The Rasul mud baths are famous for their complex construction. Traditionally, they have two floors. The first is the technical area - there are powerful steam generators. Part of the steam is supplied through a special hole to the second floor directly into the steam room. The other part is distributed over the niches in the walls and floor of the second floor. Thus, the room is heated, and the temperature is constantly the same.
Visitors are on the second floor. Here, in addition to the steam room, there is a pool with cold water, as well as heated marble loungers for massage.
A session in the Rasul bath begins with the fact that the visitor must wash thoroughly and wipe himself dry. After that, you should go to the wet steam room. The temperature here is low - only about +40 degrees, but the humidity reaches 80%. After the body is well steamed, it is treated with mud compounds on the sun beds. Beneficial substances should be on the skin for about 15 minutes. After that, the visitor leaves the steam room and goes for a rain shower. Finally, emollients and antiseptic oils are applied to the body.
This procedure has a beneficial effect not only on the skin, but also on the internal organs, psychoemotional state.
Egyptian sand bath
They knew about its beneficial properties even in Ancient Egypt. According to the ancient Roman and Greek healers Pliny, Galen, Celius and Herodotus, the sandy steam room has a beneficial effect on human blood vessels and helps to remove fat deposits.
Vertical sand bath
The essence of the procedures is as follows:
- We dig a hole in the sand to the height of a person and clean it, if necessary, of large debris, algae, stones. The sand is fine and homogeneous.
- We let the sand in the pit warm up well in the sun. It should be hot on the bottom and sides.
- The person gets into this depression. We fill it with sand to the level of the neck.
- Cover the resting person's head with a dry towel or umbrella to prevent heatstroke.
The duration of such a session is from five to twenty minutes.
Depending on the pursued goals and personal wishes, the sand bath provides additional procedures:
- During the session, a person is given a watermelon to provoke increased sweating. This is recommended for people suffering from kidney stones.
- After the procedures, the resting person wraps himself in a dry towel, drinks tea or broth to restore water balance.
- After the bath, a person bathes in sea or fresh water.
When the body is in the sand, it warms up evenly. The sweat released is also absorbed into the sand in the same way in all areas. Because of this, the vacationer does not feel the discomfort, as in the case of temperature changes.
Horizontal sand bath
Please note that visiting such a bath has its own contraindications. These include anemia, general wasting, and pneumonia.
You can organize a kind of "steam room" as follows:
- We pull out a foundation pit 0, 3-0, 4 meters deep, its width and length depends on the height and weight of the resting person.
- We leave it to warm up in the sun up to + 60-70 degrees.
- The person lies down in the depression. We fill it with sand to a level of 10-12 cm. In this case, the layer of sand on the stomach should not exceed 3 cm, and leave the heart area open.
- We wrap the head with a damp towel or set up an umbrella.
The duration of the session is up to 40 minutes. After the procedures, you need to rest in the shade for 15-20 minutes and then take a shower.
The main advantage of this type of steam room is that you can easily build a sand bath with your own hands. To do this, it is enough just to go to the beach with fine sand closer to noon, when the air temperature is high enough to warm up the pit of the required depth. If there is no way to get to the beach, then you can use this service in the spa salons.
The sand bath is an excellent alternative for people with fungal diseases who are not recommended to visit the traditional steam room.
Czech beer bath
This innovation appeared in the Czech Republic about 9 years ago at the Chodovar brewery. It is said that a visit to a beer steam room leads to the saturation of the body with useful vitamins (beer contains a lot of vitamin B), the removal of toxins and toxins. The skin after this procedure is smooth and soft. The effect is noticeable for several weeks. According to some reports, bathing in beer can even protect a person from the evil eye.
The essence of the beer bath consists in heating the drink and mineral water in equal proportions to a temperature of +37 degrees and filling the bath, which is traditionally presented in the form of an oak barrel. The duration of the session should not exceed 30 minutes. After the procedures, you need to wrap yourself up and sleep. It is not recommended to wash in water immediately.
Contraindications to visiting the beer steam room: drops in blood pressure, vascular inflammation, pregnancy, age up to 12 years. It is undesirable to abuse the intoxicated drink while taking a bath.
Sento Japanese bath
The Japanese sacredly honor their traditions, and therefore today, as well as several centuries ago, they equip their bathhouse in accordance with all the ancient rules. The building of the Japanese sento resembles a Shinto shrine. A blue curtain with the hieroglyph "boiling water" is hung at the entrance.
The device of the Japanese bath
Features of the device of this type of Japanese bath:
- After entering the bathhouse, a section for taking off shoes is set up. It is common for both men and women.
- From it, two different entrances lead to two separate rooms (datsuiba) - male and female, which are not very different from each other. The entrances are closed with special curtains. Here you can undress and leave your belongings in the locker. In modern sento, it is in this room that vending machines with drinks and ice cream are installed.
- Between the men's and women's dressing rooms there is a kind of pedestal (bandai), the height of which reaches 1.8 meters. On it sits a minister (usually a woman) who oversees the female and male halves of the sento. A clock hangs from above.
- Behind the bath area, there is usually a boiler room called a kamaba. Water heats up in it.
Bath procedures in sento
Features of swimming in Sento:
- Vacationers leave their clothes in the changing room and go to a small compartment where they can take a basin and other accessories.
- Then he goes to the sauna area, where hot and cold water flows from two hoses. The person washes the body thoroughly.
- After washing, the vacationer can start steaming in a special pool with water, the temperature of which reaches +55 degrees. The procedures in it last about 15 minutes.
- At the end of the hall there are baths with water of different temperatures.
- After the session, the Japanese traditionally drink herbal tea. Some commercial sento offer additional procedures after washing - wraps, masks. Massage is very popular. It has an excellent healing effect.
Georgian baths
Such hygienic buildings are based on the use of steam, which comes from hot springs located in the mountains. Water is also taken from them. Ceramic pipes are used to supply it to the bath. Water flows into large marble pools.
As a rule, the baths were set up in large grottoes. Old torches were used to illuminate them, which emphasized the indescribable atmosphere of sulfuric water, over which smoke swirled.
In addition to performing the main function of health improvement, the traditional Georgian bath was used as a restaurant establishment. They gathered here for business meetings and just spent time at a meal.
In modern Georgian baths, along with bath procedures, massage with the help of a special rigid mitten, for the manufacture of which wool is used, is popular. In addition, the choir performing Georgian songs in such baths is considered an interesting addition.
Moroccan bath
As for this type of baths, it is more popular among women, because it involves an integrated approach to cleaning and caring for the body, nails, hair. The procedures have an excellent rejuvenating and revitalizing effect. Such steam rooms are especially popular in Arab countries. In the Moroccan bath, the resting person during the procedures remains in shorts.
Moroccan bath in the spa
In spa salons, this procedure is traditionally carried out in the following sequence:
- The resting person lies down on the massage table, and the air in the room is gradually and gradually warmed up to +40 degrees. This helps open the pores.
- The masseur kneads and relaxes the skin by feeling and stroking. This process lasts about 20 minutes.
- A warming suspension is applied to the skin, which provokes a burning sensation. It cleanses the skin of dead tissue.
- The body is washed with algae sponges, which have been soaked in aromatic oils in advance.
- The mask is smoothly and gently applied to the skin. It consists of ground algae, healing mud and essential oils.
- To make the hair light, silky and manageable, a special mask is also applied to it. The process will take about 20 minutes.
- After such procedures, tea drinking follows. Drinks with specific flavors tone up and improve overall well-being.
- At the end of the tea ceremony, the masters take care of the nails.
On average, the duration of a visit to such a bath is about five hours. However, the session includes a full range of services.
Classic Moroccan bath
Such a bath perfectly helps to remove toxins and promotes weight loss. The steam in it can reach a temperature of +52 degrees. It is divided into several rooms - a dressing room and walk-through rooms. The latter usually looks like a traditional steam room in a Russian bath.
The procedure is carried out directly in the steam room in the following order:
- First, the resting person mixes water in a bucket, washes his body and hair, pouring himself with a ladle.
- The masseur smears the body with a special black soap.
- The skin is thoroughly rubbed with a kitty (hard mitten).
- The body is washed clean with water.
- A clay mask of ghassoul is applied to the skin. After that, you can sit down to rest for 15-20 minutes.
- The mask is washed off, and the resting person is washed in plenty of water.
- The treatment ends with a tea to restore water balance.
Indian bath
The Indian bath is considered one of the oldest varieties. It is used for health purposes by Ayurveda admirers even today. The classic Indian bath is a whole ritual of successive actions.
It consists of the following stages:
- Preparing for the cleansing ritual … At this stage, you should prepare the pre-bath room - turn on quiet music for relaxation, prepare an aroma lamp, light candles.
- Lashley stage … This is a foot washing procedure. A special small foot bath is being prepared. Milk whey and rose essential oil are added to warm water. In the process of ablution, the specialist must massage the legs, use acupuncture points and act through the feet on the entire body.
- Udwartana … At this stage, the whole body should be rubbed with sesame oil. Then a special herbal powder is rubbed into the skin, prepared according to Indian traditional recipes. It is rather difficult to prepare it on your own, because it contains up to a thousand different medicinal herbs. However, you can limit yourself to your favorite herbs that are at hand. They need to be ground into dust in a mortar before use.
- Indian Bath itself Swedana … At this stage, the person is placed in a special wooden box. At its bottom are containers with herbal decoctions, which are heated by means of an oven located outside. A special grate-partition is placed on top of these containers, through which steam enters the booth. Closed with a foil-covered lid. The head remains outside. The procedure takes about 20 minutes. This time is enough for your body to be saturated with the healing powers of herbs. You can stay in swedan while sitting or lying down.
- Recovery … At the next stage, the person must recover from the steam room. You need to take a shower, wash off the sweat and residues of herbs.
- Abhyanga … This is a special massage after the Indian steam room. It is done in four hands.
- Shirodhara … This is a soothing and relaxing treatment. It consists in the fact that warmed sesame oil is poured onto the "third eye" zone in the center of the forehead from a certain height.
At the end of this long ritual, the Indians suggest drinking herbal tea to restore water balance in the body. You can also feel the healing power of Swedana in modern conditions - many spa salons offer this service.
Tibetan bath
The Tibetan bath has little to do with our traditional baths. It has not so much hygienic as a healing effect. In particular, such a bath can help in the treatment of diseases of the musculoskeletal system, colds (without fever), and neuralgic disorders.
Traditional Tibetan bath
This bath is rightfully considered one of the most unique in the world. It is possible to build it in modern conditions outside the city.
We carry out the work in this order:
- We dig a hole in the ground with a depth of about 70-80 cm in order to accommodate an adult in a sitting position.
- We prepare dry birch firewood and make a fire at the bottom of the pit.
- We bookmark the firewood two more times.
- We put old animal bones on top of the resulting coals. We make sure that they are completely burned out.
- Put a layer of birch firewood on top of the resulting coals and ash.
- We cover the firewood with spruce, cedar or juniper paws.
The bath is ready. A person is seated on coniferous branches, covered with a thick blanket or animal skin. In such a bath, you need to spend about 20 minutes in order to sweat well. After that, the person should lie down to rest for at least two hours. The procedure ends with a full body massage and rubbing with medicinal ointments.
City Tibetan Bath
Not every person has the opportunity to create a Tibetan bath using classical technology. However, in modern spas and many medical centers there is an analogue of the Tibetan steam room. The pit in the ground has been successfully replaced with a closed barrel-like structure. The person is placed inside, the head is left outside. These barrels are usually made from oak or cedar.
In this case, of course, bonfires are not kindled. Steam inside is started by means of a steam generator. The air is enriched with aromatic oils and herbal extracts. The humidity in the barrel reaches 100%, and the temperature - up to 60 degrees.
In some spas, such a steam room is combined with a head massage according to the original Tibetan technique. After visiting the barrel, a number of healing water procedures and soap massage are performed.
Swedish bath bastu
The main feature of the bath in Sweden, which is called bastu, is considered to be its mobility and compactness. The structure can be equipped in a few hours almost everywhere: on the lower floors of houses, verandas and attics. It is built from timber or industrial panels. Outside, the building is sheathed with mineral insulating material and clapboard.
The bastu Swedish bath consists of only one steam room. A powerful electric furnace is used as a heater, which can warm up a room in half an hour. Basta must be equipped with a steam generator. Therefore, here you can adjust the appropriate indicators of humidity and temperature. The most favorable microclimate is achieved at temperatures up to +65 degrees and humidity 60-65%.
Another feature of the Swedish bath is a kind of ventilation. The principle of its design is often used in Russian baths because of its high efficiency. The inlet and outlet openings are equipped at the bottom and equipped with valves. Air enters through an inflow under the stove, passes through the heater and rushes towards the ceiling.
The air mass that "entered" must be forced out through the outflow by the force of pressure. Since the vent is located at a height of 30 cm from the floor and is equipped with a box leading to the top, then near-field "exhaust" air is emitted from the room. Good circulation makes it easy to breathe in this steam room. This ventilation system resembles an inverted glass.
Indian bath temazcal
"House of hot stones" - this is how the name of the Indian bath is translated. In the old days, visiting this steam room was part of the ritual of serving the gods.
The device of the temazcal Indian bath
Temazcal is a low and circular structure made of adobe, stone or clay. Its diameter is usually up to two meters. Due to its small size, the bath heats up quickly, and thanks to its peculiar round shape, the condensate flows down the walls, and does not drip from the ceiling.
A small window is made at the top of the building. The door, as in the Russian bath, is traditionally equipped with an exit to the south side. The stove is placed right outside the door. The decoration of the steam room and its internal content depends on the taste of the owner.
Rules for visiting the temazcal Indian bath
The temperature in the steam room can reach two hundred degrees. An Indian temazcal bath is prepared for the procedures in the following order:
- We close the door and heat the stove until the walls glow.
- We spread volcanic stones in the middle of the room.
- We roll the walls with cold water to create steam in the room.
- Pour aromatic oils or pre-prepared herbal medicinal decoctions on the stones. They can be made from rosemary, wormwood, and eucalyptus.
- Preparing the corn leaves. It is with them that it is customary to take a steam bath in a temazcal.
- We put banana leaves or straw mats on the benches.
- We prepare cold water to lower body temperature if necessary.
- Before entering, we apply aloe juice to the body and face.
After the procedures, it is recommended to wrap yourself in a woolen blanket or sheet and rest for 30-50 minutes. Then be sure to replenish the water balance with herbal chamomile tea, yarrow broth, vegetable or chicken broth. It is not recommended to be in a draft after the session, as you can catch a cold.
Roman bath
In ancient Rome, soldiers built steam rooms in all the conquered territories. Roman baths got their name from the construction near the sources of thermal waters, which made it possible not to engage in additional heating of the water. Traditionally, libraries were built near the baths, a kind of stadiums for sports competitions. The premises were always decorated with natural stones and precious metals.
Baths are still quite popular in the world. Nowadays, Roman baths are decorated in an antique style, but without the use of overly elaborate materials. They still consist of several rooms in which different temperatures and humidity levels are maintained.
Traditionally, a Roman bath consists of:
- Apoditerium - a room in which the resting person undresses.
- Tepidarium - a room in which the temperature and humidity reach +40 degrees and 40%, respectively.
- Callidarium - humid and hot room. Temperature - up to +50 degrees, and humidity - up to 100%.
- Laconium is a dry and hot room with temperatures up to +80 degrees and humidity up to 20%. This room is somewhat similar to the familiar Finnish dry-air sauna.
- Frigidarium - a compartment with two peculiar pools. In one - the water is warm (up to +37 degrees), in the other - cold (up to +12 degrees). Contrasting bathing takes place here.
- Lavarium - rooms for massage treatments and rubdowns.
Compliance with the rules of visiting Roman baths will improve physical health and improve psycho-emotional state. As for the positive effect of terms on the human body, they include accelerated metabolism, improved circulation of lymph and blood, increased immunity.
You can harm your health by visiting the bathhouse at elevated temperatures, pregnancy, pneumonia, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, the presence of benign and malignant tumors.
Greek bath laconicum
The Greek baths, which were called laconicum, were similar to the Roman ones; they gained popularity at the same time as the baths. The design features and finishes are similar to each other, mainly ceramic or marble tiles were used.
A characteristic feature of the Greek bath is a rounded room, which is due to the better distribution of heat, according to the Greeks. The air temperature reached + 70 degrees, humidity - 20%.
The heat source was an open hearth located in the middle of the bath, the smoke from which came out through a special cover in the ceiling. Baths and swimming pools were the source of water. After the procedures, the servants scooped up the water, since there was no sewer system.
The laconicum Greek baths were of a public nature. After undressing, the Greeks wiped the body with oil and scraped off the dirt using special devices. Then the bathers drank cold water on themselves to strengthen the body. And you could go directly to swimming.
Irish bath
This type of steam room is very often compared to Roman baths. It is called one of the mildest, due to its moderate humidity and temperature. It consists of three rooms with different microclimate. The air in the Irish bath is heated through pipes that lead from the stove to the steam room through the underground space.
Irish bath can be visited even by people suffering from cardiovascular diseases. The session is carried out in the following sequence:
- We rest in the first room for half an hour. The air temperature in it is + 25-35 degrees.
- We move to the second section with a temperature of + 30-40 degrees. Massages can be carried out in this room.
- We go into the steam room. The air temperature in it does not exceed +60 degrees. Humidity - no more than 20%.
- After 10-15 minutes in the steam room, wipe the body with a woolen mitt and go to the washing department.
- For maximum effect, we take a contrast shower.
In one session, a vacationer can lose several liters of fluid. After the procedures, it is advisable to replenish the water balance with tea or mineral water without gases.
English bath
The English bath offers unique treatments that make it unlike any other traditional steam room. The thing is that there is no steam or heat in it at all.
The essence of the procedures in English baths is that hot stones are placed on a previously cleansed human body. First on the back, then on the stomach and chest. After such a warming procedure, the resting person is surrounded with chilled stones.
Such manipulations with alternating hot and cold smooth stones are repeated several times. A head massage can accompany the process. The session ends with a general relaxing body massage.
Now this procedure is called differently - "thermotherapy". It is performed in many spas.
The Balinese bath is similar to some hygienic buildings that are common in Asian countries, for example, the Japanese ofuro. Since Bali has a tropical hot and humid climate, there is no need to create an artificial steam room. The Balinese bath is built near the thermal spring. From it, water flows into small pools without even having time to cool down. Vacationers settle down in companies in such pools. Distinctive features of such baths are the presence of colorful bath attendants dressed in sarongs, as well as the ability to drink drinks and have a snack directly in the bath. Watch a video about the best baths in the world. Japanese exotic:
This is not the whole list of exotic baths. However, this is enough to understand that the original steam rooms have long been popular with almost every nation. Paired rooms from different countries differ in their own characteristics, but each of them has a positive effect on the body.
