From time immemorial, the bathhouse was a place not only for washing the body, but also for cleansing thoughts and souls. In all parts of the world - whether it be Japan, Ancient Rome or Ancient Russia - people visited baths, saunas, thermae or hammams. This place is still used as a meeting place, gatherings and intimate conversations. But is it so easy to go to the bathhouse? Are there any rules and subtleties? And most importantly: what you need to have in the bath?
How to prepare for a trip to the bath?
Steam in a bath for a person is a certain stress for the body. Of course, when you visit the bath you will experience a certain pleasure, relax and even, possibly, get rid of some diseases. If you are going to visit a bathhouse and plunge into its beneficially influencing steam, you need to know not only what to take in the bathhouse, but also how to prepare for this trip.
It is interesting to know that, according to Russian custom, our ancestors took to the bathhouse in Russia. One can hardly guess - they carried bread with them. On the one hand, there is a belief that this is to appease the bath attendant so that the steam is light and clean. On the other hand, they say that the steam became healthier if the stones were poured with water infused with bread.
First of all, you need to remember that before visiting a bath or sauna, you need to eat food in about two hours. Food should be light enough, but nutritious. What is this for? If you eat tightly, and then immediately go into the steam room, there will be a very big load on the body as a whole, because at this time all the forces of the body are aimed at processing food. Hot steam at the same time requires large expenditures from the cardiovascular system. At the same time, if you intend to visit a bathhouse on an empty stomach, this is also not the best option. When the body warms up, the liver and gall bladder expel more bile under the influence of temperature, if the stomach is empty, you can feel pain in the right hypochondrium. Therefore, have a snack, for example, cottage cheese with herbs. And your trip to the bathhouse will not overshadow you suddenly arising pain.
Are there any rules in the steam room?
You have already decided: “Let's go to the bathhouse!” Set a date and tuned in morally.
But you don’t know yet what to take to the bathhouse and how to behave in the steam room. When picking everything you need to take with you, a lot depends on your gender. Women usually appear in bathhouses with huge bags, and men are light, with a broom in their hands.
But the rules for visiting the bath are the same for everyone. It is important to follow the usual and simplest rules of hygiene. Whether it’s a common bathhouse or a separately rented complex. Each bath has its own set of rules. But there are also general ones, compliance with which will allow you to visit the bathhouse without fear for your health. First of all, before entering the steam room, it is necessary to put on replaceable shoes so as not to transfer germs from the street to a very warm environment that is very favorable for them.
The usual rule for visiting a bathhouse is a ban on shaving intimate places, cutting off nails and doing pedicures in the general ward. Compliance with these simple rules makes visiting the bath a pleasant experience for everyone.
The silent rule in the steam room is silence. People come to the bathhouse not only to wash, but also to wash away all the negativity accumulated during the working week, to harmonize their soul and body. Loud laughter and conversation can interfere with this and ruin the meaning of visiting the bath. The bathhouse should behave appropriately, and if you want noisy fun, you better visit a separate steam room.
We start to collect the bag
You have already studied the information that may be needed in the steam room. To begin with, it’s better to take things to the bath in a waterproof bag. If you bring a bag of fabric with you, it will be uncomfortable for you to fold wet items after bathing.
When you go to the bathhouse, one of the main attributes is a towel. You need to take several of them: one to wipe off after a shower, the second - to use directly in the steam room, so you can lie down or sit on it.
Usually, after exiting the steam room, it is customary to wrap yourself in a bathrobe or sheet and drink hot tea to make up for the lost fluid. After high temperatures, steam cannot simply exit the steam room and sit in a cool dressing room. From this it follows that it is necessary to take a bathrobe and a thermos with tea, it is best to brew herbal tea. It can be raspberry or linden, that is, such fees that improve sweating.
When visiting a bath or sauna, you just can not do without a hat for the bath. In the market of bath accessories, you can find a wide selection of hats for every color and taste. Choose one that is made from natural materials. It can be, for example, felt, wool, cloth. Natural materials will well protect the scalp, hair and ears from burning steam.
The next equally important accessory is a washcloth. After the skin has become steamy and sweat begins to flow, it is important to free the skin from keratinized particles. The material of the washcloth, like all things used in the bath, should be natural. Under the influence of temperatures, which depend on whether you are visiting a bathhouse or a sauna, harmful substances evaporate from the surface of artificial fibers. And as you know, people go to the bathhouse for health. Look for loofah or sisal washcloths on store shelves. As an option, there may be a washcloth in the form of a glove, or on a long handle, which will be convenient if you go to the bath alone.
A bit about cosmetics
In a woman’s steam room you can’t see any jars! And various masks, creams and scrubs. That just does not apply to the skin in search of a miraculous remedy that will relieve wrinkles and disperse cellulite! Men most often do not bother, and all hopes are placed on soap and a broom.
In order to feel the full power of a healing steam, you still need to take a couple of jars with you. Most often, coffee is used as a scrub, in which you can add a little cinnamon and ground ginger. These spices, in addition to having a magical smell, also warm the skin, even it out and even help fight the orange peel on the hips.
If you want to sweat thoroughly, you can rub the skin with a mixture of honey and salt, which is a very powerful diaphoretic. The better the body gets rid of sweat, the more toxins and waste will come to the surface.
After you go into the steam room several times, you should wash your body with soap. It is desirable that it was bath soap. There are fewer fragrances and no dyes that are extremely undesirable to apply to steamed skin. Now you can find both solid and creamy soap, which is suitable for washing both body and hair.
His Majesty the broom
It is impossible to imagine a bath without a broom. If you are going to bathe, the answer to the question "what to take in the bath?" only one: the main thing is not to forget the broom. Its properties help to tone the skin, essential oils from the twigs penetrate both the lungs and every pore of the skin, while healing the entire body.
The broom can be birch, oak and even juniper. Before use, it should be steamed, and only then taken to the steam room. All the power of a broom can be experienced only if a real bathhouse attendant soars you. But you can bring considerable benefits to your body yourself.
Essential oils in the bath
Aroma oils are often used in a steam room. The benefits of oils are invaluable, provided they are natural. Chemical oils can be harmful. The oil must be diluted in water and then stones can be sprinkled. Girls love to mix essential oils with scrubs or hair masks.
Citrus oils, juniper, eucalyptus, tea tree show themselves very well in the bath. But here everything is individual and selected by trial and personal preference.
So the bag is collected in the bath. You can summarize what to take in the bath: towels, washcloth, slippers, a thermos with tea, soap, scrubs and a broom.
Bath is an excellent prevention of colds, as well as a kind of gymnastics for blood vessels. Visit the baths and saunas, enjoy this wonderful pastime, and your body will say thanks.
Enjoy Your Bath!