Oh, this is a Russian miracle that haunts foreign travelers from the nativity of Christ. What descriptions can not be found in the annals. For example, the story of the chronicler Nestor about the journey of the Holy Apostle Andrew along the Dnieper and further, where Veliky Novgorod later appears. "Having heated the stove in the wooden baths, they entered there naked and poured water there; then they took the rods and began to beat themselves, and before that they were so cut that they barely came out alive; but then, drenched in cold water, they came to life. This was done weekly, and moreover, without being tortured by anyone, they tortured themselves, and they did not ablution, but torment."
It is difficult to imagine that there are people who are so lying in the jacuzzi that they have never been in a real Russian steam room, but if such an amazing thing happened to someone, then a few simple tips that combine the traditions of the Russian bath and the practice of modernity – how not to turn the first visit to the steam room into a "torment", but into a pleasure for yourself and a benefit for your beauty and health:
1.going to the bath (even in your own) does not tolerate fuss, this is an event that you need to prepare for and allocate time
for it 2.prepare at once everything that you may need: a broom, herbs, a sheet, a terry towel or bathrobe, soap, shampoo, washcloth and pumice for the feet, flip-flops, scallop, canvas or leather mittens, a towel or cap made of dense material to protect the head from overheating;
3.remove all decorations in advance: earrings, rings and piercings, glasses and watches;
4.prepare cranberry or lingonberry juice, kvass or the drink that you think is most suitable;
5.dry and coniferous brooms can be steamed immediately so that the branches become flexible and soft;
6.a fresh broom is enough to rinse in warm water, and it is ready;
7.herbs can be used to rinse the hair and body and they can also begin to insist in advance, bunches of herbs in a rural bath are usually hung on the walls or inserted between logs;
8.people with high blood pressure or with neuroses (if there are no contraindications) and beginners are advised to first stand in hot water or take a hot shower;
9.it is better not to wet the head in front of the steam room and close it with a cap or cap;
10.It is better to steam slowly, on the first entry into the steam room for 3-4 minutes sit relaxed, gradually increase the temperature for 5-10 minutes. The lying position allows you to relax and warm up evenly along the entire length of the body. After sweating, rinse and leave the steam room to rest;
11.only your second exit to the steam room in full program – with a broom;
12.to increase the heat, in a well-heated bath, hot water of 0.2-0.3 liters is splashed on the stones in small portions, from this only the vapor content increases. The recommended ratio of temperature and humidity: at 60-80 ° C, humidity should be 20-40%, if the humidity is higher, the air becomes heavy, breathing is difficult;
13.grab hot air from the ceiling of the steam room with a damp broom and sweep around the whole body to warm it up and increase blood circulation.
14.A complete buzz from the steam room can be obtained only with the help of a bath attendant, whose role can be almost professionally performed by your friend, if he adheres to this sequence of actions: while you relax on your stomach, he, using a broom like a plow, delivers hot air to the feet of the legs, then moves to the upper parts of the body, back, until the body warms up and the first drops of sweat appear. Then you need to roll over on your back and repeat the procedure. At the second approach, the body can be slightly whipped, measuring the blows with temperature: the higher the temperature, the weaker the blow. After soaring, you should not rush out of the steam room, you need to go down and sit for a while and pour water,
15.leaving the steam room to rest, the broom is taken with them so that it does not wither;
16. In the steam room, it is useful to breathe with your mouth open. The number of visits to the steam room, the duration of stay on the shelf depend on the state of health, normally – two or three visits lasting up to 10 minutes with an interval of 10 minutes for rest in the dressing room. Beginners are not recommended to stay in the steam room for the first time for more than 7 minutes. If lethargy is felt, breathing is difficult, dizziness appears, heart palpitations, you should immediately stop steaming and go to the dressing room,
17.the last time you should not whip with a broom for a long time, especially for lovers of contrasts, who after a steam room ride in the snow, jump into the pool or an ice hole. A well-warmed body practically eliminates the possibility of catching a cold, but do not delay the procedure and swim calmly, avoiding sudden movements,
18.the last time, rinsing or taking a shower, do not wipe the body, only the face, let the drops of water dry and only after that get dressed;
19.quench your thirst with not very cold drinks kvass, fruit drink or strong tea;
20.wanting to lose weight, visit the steam room more often, but do not linger too long, refrain from drinking fluids for 2 hours;
Cleansing, invigorating, removing the burden of problems from the shoulders, the effect of the steam room is unique that you risk not only becoming a lover of the Russian bath, but also start tempting experiments with brooms
Probably the most famous birch broom On a
dry day after the dew dries, but not earlier than on the 49th day after Easter on the Trinity, according to the ancient custom, a weeping birch, young and tall, was chosen. If its leaves seemed tender, they were tried with the tongue, and if the upper part turned out to be rough, they went to look for another birch with flexible branches and smooth leaves. With a sharp knife, the branches were cut off and without tightening them were tightly tied and left to dry, hanging under a canopy in the open air or in a draft. After about a week, when the brooms are well dried (but not dry), they are tied very tightly and laid in a dry and dark place.
Birch broom helps with pain, aches in the muscles and joints after exercise and physical exertion, cleanses the skin well, accelerates the healing of wounds and abrasions, has a calming effect, improves mood. It is ideal for asthma and indispensable for cleaning the lungs of smokers, birch broom is a unique means of expanding small bronchi, perfectly ventilates the lungs. The infusion can be used to strengthen the hair and even as a remedy for dandruff.
Cherry and currant brooms are very useful for the skin. They are also very soft, they are pleasant to steam and have a delicate smell. They are harvested in early June, cutting off young unnecessary shoots and root growth. At the same time, you can make brooms from black currants. Cherry-currant brooms do not differ in such strength as birch and oak, but they give an amazing aroma and they are very useful for the skin.
People prone to high blood pressure can recommend an oak broom, it is also suitable for cleaning and caring for oily skin, making it matte and elastic, protecting against inflammation. Elastic. In addition, it calms the nervous system after practicing recreational running and walking. Oak leaves contain a large amount of tannins. Oak decoction is used as a therapeutic agent for some skin diseases, with sweating of the legs.
With a cold, a linden broom is perfect, it can also be used to prevent kidney function and headaches.
Linden leaves have a strong disinfectant property
How are linden brooms harvested? Linden brooms are best harvested in May-June, that is, before flowering. Linden brooms should be harvested carefully – do not break large branches. It is also important to harvest linden brooms in dry, better – cool weather; the foliage on such brooms will hold after two or three bath procedures.
An excellent remedy for fear is a nettle broom made of freshly cut nettles.
Such brooms are mainly honored by inveterate vapers who have learned a lot about the bath procedure.
If a fresh nettle broom is dipped for 2 minutes in cold water. and then for 2 minutes in the hot and again in the cold, and again in the hot, then the nettle will not burn the skin. Nettle has a tonic and restorative effect, increases blood circulation, cleanses the skin.
For pain in the joints, radiculitis and rheumatism, it is more effective to use a broom that has retained its burning properties. It is lowered into boiling water for only 1-2 seconds and steamed after the skin has warmed up well.
Broom infusion is used to rinse the body and head.
Nettle brooms are harvested from the moment plants of suitable size appear and until the end of the flowering of nettles.
Alder broom is used for colds, to increase the plasticity of joints and muscles.
Connoisseurs use coniferous brooms: spruce, cedar, fir and juniper. They can be used as soon as the cut branches are tied in a broom and at any time of the year. You do not need to dry them – the needles can fly around. Before use, the broom is steamed with boiling water for 10 minutes to make the broom softer. Fir broom is a recognized panacea for all ills among hunters of Siberia, in their opinion, any ailment and fatigue does not withstand communication with a fir broom. In Central Asia, juniper is preferred. Resinous substances of plants irritate the skin, stimulate sweating, increase blood circulation deep in the muscles and even in the internal organs. Such a broom is good for a kind of massage. For example, with pain in the spine, neuralgia, radiculitis. It perfectly disinfects the air and prevents respiratory diseases. One or two coniferous branches are useful to add to a birch or oak broom. The infusion of such a broom can be used both for watering stones and for rinsing.
In Kazakhstan, in areas where there is no forest, they use, and not without success, brooms made of wormwood. For one original smell, this broom is already worth a try. They are harvested soon after flowering, when the stems have become stronger, but have not dried up.
Eucalyptus broom is more often used in the Caucasus. For a broom, the leaves of a twig-shaped eucalyptus resembling a willow are suitable. Eucalyptus leaves contain from 1 to 3 percent essential oil, which is associated with its medicinal properties. It is especially good for a cold, sore throat. In the steam room, he is pressed to the face and breathed for 4-5 minutes with his nose – that's a first-class inhalation. In central Russia, it is rarely possible to steam with a eucalyptus broom, but you can add a little eucalyptus branches to birch or oak. Not only in order to save money, but also because the eucalyptus broom itself is not very suitable for bath massage. Its branches are too flexible, and it is difficult to pump heat with them. Such a luxury as a eucalyptus broom, let it lie on the shelf and please with its divine smell and dense, bright green leaves, not dimming from the strongest bath heat!