For a resident of Europe who loves and knows a lot about baths, it will be a shock to visit a traditional bathhouse in Japan. What is so striking about her? There are no bath paraphernalia customary for us - steam rooms, washing, brooms. Only a large barrel of wood and a couch in the corner.
Japanese bath furaco
This is a large font, shaped like barrels made of natural wood. Inside, it is divided by a partition into two parts. Most have seats, and the smaller has a wood or electric stove made of stainless steel. With its help, water in the main part of furaco is heated to fifty degrees. For a beginner, such a temperature is perceived hard, but after several visits comes full adaptation.
The Japanese barrel bath is made of cedar, larch or oak. And this is no accident. The wood of these species enriches water with essential oils, valuable minerals and tannins. These impurities turn water into a healing liquid.
Ablution Procedure
The Japanese bath has its own traditions and rites. The visitor is placed in a font so that the water is below the heart. Even in this case, the heartbeat usually intensifies and pressure can increase significantly. If the rules are not followed, the consequences can be very serious.
Stay in furaco should not exceed 15 minutes. For such a short period of time, the metabolism is stimulated in the human body, the work of the heart and blood vessels noticeably improves, and immunity increases. Experts say that this Japanese bath can cure diseases of the kidneys, joints, heart, as well as colds. Hot water has a beneficial effect on the skin, opens all pores and removes accumulated waste products through them. To make the effect even more powerful, extracts of various herbs, aromatic oils, rose petals, and salt are added to the water.
After the allotted time, the visitor goes to the couch. His rest should be at least an hour. At this time, his body relaxes completely, the nervous system returns to normal. Furaco Japanese bath is a real ritual. It is as if four elements were combined in it - Air (steam), Fire (heat), Water and Earth (tree). Tradition says that only he can become a real warrior who is able to combine these elements together.
Japanese bath ofuro
As a rule, the Japanese bath complex consists not only of furaco. Ofuro is certainly present in it. This is a rectangular wooden container filled with sawdust. For its manufacture, special thermal wood and a reliable electric heating system are used. In general, a simple design - Japanese bath ofuro. With your own hands, even a not very experienced specialist can make it. It can be installed in a country house, in the country, and even in a spacious city apartment.
Diving in ofuro
According to a long-established tradition, wooden containers are filled with linden or cedar sawdust, which is mixed with aromatic herbs and roots. Then this composition is slightly moistened and heated to sixty degrees. The visitor is immersed in a fragrant mass. Sawdust covers his body to the very neck. The procedure lasts no more than half an hour. His body warms up well, and then slags come out, which are immediately absorbed by sawdust. After such a session, the skin looks young and healthy, its color improves, various rashes disappear. Usually visitors visit ofuro after furaco.
Sento - Public Bath
The traditions of using thermal baths are still kept here. Sento - quite spacious rooms that can serve up to a hundred visitors at a time. It is divided into two parts - for men and for women. The main feature of this bath is a large pool with hot water, in which several people usually steam at the same time.
Before entering the pool, visitors leave their belongings in lockers and go to the washing room. Here they, sitting on a small wooden bench, carefully wash their body. Among the Japanese, a contrast shower is very popular.
Then they go into a pool of water, heated to fifty-five degrees. You can’t stay in it for a long time - no more than fifteen minutes. After leaving the pool, relaxation is provided in well-equipped rooms with aquariums, flowers and even small gardens. The bath ritual ends with a tea party.
The Japanese are extremely proud of the health of the nation - no less than advances in mechanical engineering or electronics. It is justifiable that they associate a high life expectancy and a rather low percentage of morbidity with compliance with bath traditions. According to doctors, they help reduce stress, help relieve accumulated fatigue, restore strength. Sauna traditions of Japan are a part of national culture, an integral attribute of life. The Japanese cherish and honor their bath traditions for many centuries.