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A bath after surgery, is it possible or unnecessary? So how do you go about steaming? Contraindications and possible harm.

We all know the healing properties of a real Russian bath. Since ancient times in Rus', the profession of a bathhouse attendant was one of the most honorable and was valued on a par with the profession of a doctor. This is not surprising, because it is in the bathhouse that you can get rid of many diseases, improve your health and purify your spirit. Is it possible to go to the sauna while breastfeeding, will the milk spoil, and what precautions should be taken when going to the sauna after childbirth.

Myths about baths during lactation

The postpartum period imposes a lot of restrictions on a young mother. Everyone around says that you cannot lead your usual lifestyle while breastfeeding. Now you need to think about the child and every step you take must be calculated and weighed.

One of the most common myths about visiting a bathhouse while breastfeeding is that the milk may burn out. Modern doctors evaluate these statements as nothing other than nonsense. Milk cannot burn out. This formulation does not exist in medicine at all. This is what people say about a feeling of heat in the chest during a sudden cessation of lactation with constriction of the chest. The temperature regime of the bath has nothing to do with it.

So young mothers can safely visit the bathhouse while breastfeeding, but it is important to follow certain rules.

When can you visit a bathhouse for the first time after childbirth?

Gynecologists do not recommend visiting the bathhouse until your postpartum discharge has stopped. The uterus is especially vulnerable during this period and infections can penetrate into it through the slightly open cervix. In addition, visiting the bathhouse is prohibited after surgical birth until the suture is completely healed. When the scar is not completely formed, infection can occur.

Moreover, you can go to the bathhouse after childbirth only when it is not exotic for a woman. If you regularly visited the bathhouse throughout your pregnancy, then after 6–8 weeks you can give yourself this pleasure for the first time after the birth of your baby.

How to hide stretch marks after childbirth with a tattoo on your stomach

You can take a steam bath no more than once every 7 days. Such a schedule for visiting the bathhouse will be beneficial and will not put unnecessary stress on the body of a nursing mother.

If visiting a bathhouse is not the norm for you, visiting the steam room should be postponed for several months.

Precautions

As you know, the body of a woman who has given birth can be weakened. Combined with the hormonal changes that occur during the postpartum period, a new mother's body may react inappropriately to a visit to the sauna. In order to avoid such troubles as pressure surges, dizziness and increased heart rate, you need to take precautions.

Don't linger in the steam room. After giving birth, a mother can steam for no more than 5–7 minutes. It is better to go into the steam room 2-3 times than to sit there for a long time.
Drink more fluids. In a bathhouse, a person loses a lot of fluid, which a nursing mother should never allow. Dehydration can negatively affect not only your overall well-being, but also your lactation. You should not drink carbonated water or green tea.
Feed your baby before going to the bathhouse. In the steam room, milk production sharply increases, and if you do not empty your breasts before the bath, milk will simply flow like a river from your breasts.
You can go to the bathhouse only if you do not have any diseases. If you feel any discomfort, it is better to avoid visiting the sauna.
Skip the broom. During the first time after giving birth while breastfeeding, you don’t need to steam too much with a broom. This can cause a sharp increase in blood pressure. Gentle pats are perfectly acceptable.
Avoid swimming in the pool after the steam room. A sharp change in temperature can provoke lactostasis in a nursing mother.

What to take with you

The set a nursing mother wears when visiting a bathhouse is slightly different from a regular bath set. In addition to a towel, soap and shampoo, you need to take with you:

Breast towel. You will need it in the steam room if the milk flows due to high temperatures.
Headdress. Be sure to take a felt bath cap with you so as not to overheat your head.
First aid kit. In the first aid kit you need to add ammonia, medications to lower blood pressure, and necessary medications for known diseases.
Slippers.
If you are going to a public bath, it is better to take a sheet with you; it should be ironed with a hot iron.

Where does excess weight come from and how can a young mother lose weight after childbirth?

Contraindications

The healing properties of the bath cannot be overestimated, but despite this there are a number of contraindications to visiting the sauna:

When there is the presence of inflammatory or infectious diseases.
Bronchial asthma.
Even a slight increase in body temperature.
Diseases of the cardiovascular system.
High blood pressure.

If you have these diseases, a nursing mother should not go to the sauna after giving birth, as the sauna may cause an exacerbation of the disease.

What to pay attention to

When visiting a bathhouse in the postpartum period, you need to remember that your body needs constant monitoring. If you feel any discomfort, dizziness, nausea, or weakness, you should immediately leave the steam room and postpone your next visit to the sauna for several months.

Also watch the amount of milk after the bath. If you notice a decrease in the amount of milk produced, you should avoid the bath.

Perhaps in your case, high temperatures cause lactation failure.

Before going outside, be sure to dry your hair and dress appropriately for the weather. Even if you are hot, you do not need to go undressed after a bath, this can lead to inflammatory processes.

Masks, creams, lotions

Every woman takes with her numerous jars of creams, masks, lotions, etc. to the bathhouse. However, a nursing mother should refrain from using this cosmetics. Any product that you use in the bath quickly penetrates the pores, and therefore into the milk. Avoid products with aggressive chemical composition.

For a young mother, masks made from a decoction of herbs and honey are suitable. However, even when using these natural remedies, you need to be careful. Wash off the ingredients thoroughly so that they do not remain on the breast or enter the baby’s body during feeding. Avoid using strong-smelling shower gels and soaps. The smell that remains on your skin can irritate the baby and cause anxiety in the baby. It is also not recommended to use cosmetic moisturizers after the bath, with the exception of baby oil.

How to quickly and effectively restore the body after childbirth?

Healing properties

The healing properties of the sauna have long been known. The bath improves blood circulation, cleanses the body of harmful substances, and strengthens the immune system and nervous system. As a result of regular visits to the bathhouse, the body rejuvenates.

Young mothers are not only not prohibited, but are even recommended to visit the bathhouse at least once a week in the absence of contraindications.

Every woman after childbirth can and should lead a normal, full life. There is no need to deny yourself literally everything. Refusal from the usual lifestyle can cause the development of depression and reluctance to raise a child. A visit to the sauna will help cope with postpartum stress and relieve nervous tension, and a good rest after the sauna will give you a fresh look and restore strength. If you follow all the rules and precautions, a real bath will only benefit you, and therefore your baby.

What is better for the health of body and soul than a bath? Especially for the female body, which is subject to various deviations during pregnancy, childbirth and feeding.

The benefits of the bath have been known for a long time. Here, many diseases are expelled from the body, the immune system is strengthened, activating the sweat and sebaceous glands, toxins are removed and the skin is cleansed.

Visiting a bathhouse can also help restore the body after childbirth. True, the young woman immediately has questions: is it possible to take a steam bath after childbirth, especially after a cesarean operation? And after how long is it possible? And are there any contraindications?

A little history

The bathhouse has been a favorite recreation and way to improve health for many centuries. Suffice it to recall the thermal baths in Rome, where the ancient Romans took a steam bath. And in Rus', both ordinary peasants and noble nobles loved to take a steam bath.

For a long time in Rus', women who gave birth to a baby were immediately moved to live in a bathhouse. It was there that the whole family came to congratulate the woman in labor and give her gifts. In those days, the problem of visiting the bathhouse did not arise. According to legend, a woman in labor was steamed in a bathhouse to expel “bad” blood from her body and improve her health. But this is in the case of normal childbirth. Therefore, the question of a bath after a normal birth is immediately removed: if there are no contraindications, you can visit the bathhouse.

But what if childbirth was carried out through surgery? After all, a cavity dissection of the tissue was performed.

The recovery process after childbirth is difficult even for those women in labor for whom this happened in the usual way. And there is no need to mention those who underwent surgery. Therefore, after such an operation, a bathhouse, like a sauna, should be visited Immediately after birth is contraindicated. Visits to the pool and fitness are also prohibited. You can limit yourself dousing, and even then warm, avoiding contact with the bandage, from the next day after the operation.

After what period is it possible?

When you arrive home from the maternity hospital, you can treat yourself to a full-body shower. But doctors recommend lying in the bath only after 1.5 months. By this time, the mother’s scars will have already healed. It’s better to forget about visiting the bathhouse for a while.

There are no standard recovery periods. For each woman, everything depends on the characteristics of the body:

general condition,

healing time of sutures,

internal or external complications,

the presence of pelvic pathologies.

Therefore, you should listen to your well-being and your body.

There are generally accepted times for visiting the bathhouse after surgery. Doctors do not recommend a bath, neither a Russian nor a sauna, for first 2 months after cesarean. Sometimes the ban is imposed even for 3 months. After the specified period has passed, it is possible to visit the bathhouse, but only after consulting a gynecologist.

Much depends on the condition of the seam. Those who have had a cesarean section often have internal or external inflammatory pathologies of the organs in the pelvis. Visiting saunas and hot baths can only be started if there are no complications or contraindications. And even then, doctors advise that it is better to resume full bath-steam procedures only after lactation has stopped.

What are the benefits of a Russian bath?

Any bath improves all metabolic processes in the female body, helps to increase red blood cells in the blood. And this is useful in wound healing: the process accelerates. The condition of the nervous system also improves. Therefore, visiting the bathhouse is useful for postpartum depression.

Harm of bath procedures

It should be remembered that any operation entails various health deviations and adhesions. On the one hand, a bath can help get rid of adhesions. But in some cases, on the contrary, they can be strengthened during severe overheating.

Caesarean section is not an exception in this case, but rather the opposite. The morbidity rate of women who have undergone childbirth using abdominal dissection is ten times higher. Their body is weaker, they often experience adhesions. And in cases where there are adhesions and inflammation, any visit to the bathhouse is prohibited. Overheating can cause adhesions to worsen. Although sometimes adhesions, on the contrary, resolve after several sessions of bath procedures.

Visits to the bathhouse stimulate the restoration of internal organs and strengthen the body. But in case of postoperative inflammation, the steam room stimulates and increased inflammation. In case of overheating, they may poorly healed stitches come apart, and at the same time open the way to infections. Fistula phenomena and purulent foci may appear.

Bathing is also prohibited if you have fibroids.

You also need to remember: you can’t go to the bathhouse if the inflammation is not relieved and the surgical wound is not healed enough.

Contraindications

Bathing procedures are prohibited for few people. There are also restrictions for women who, as a result of a caesarean section, got complications:

acute inflammation with elevated body temperature,

hypertension,

development of anemia,

genital dysfunction,

disorders in the hormonal system (for example, the development of diabetes),

cardiac dysfunction.

There are other contraindications. Therefore, a woman who wants to visit a bathhouse after a caesarean section should definitely consult with her doctor.

How to steam properly?

Women after caesarean section should generally take bath procedures very carefully. Overheating of the body can lead to serious consequences. After such a difficult ordeal, extreme heat is dangerous for women for a long time. What other rules should a woman follow in the bathhouse?

The body must remain dry.
The body should not be allowed to overheat.
You should not be alone in the bathhouse, especially during breastfeeding.
You should take a damp towel with you in case you start to feel dizzy.
You can enter the steam room no more than 5 times.
Each entry into the steam room should not exceed 5 minutes.

If you are careful, the sauna will provide many pleasant moments and will benefit a woman’s health.

When going to the steam room, you should find out in advance whether you have any diseases that can be considered as contraindications to the bath. This must be clarified, because the effect of a Russian bath or sauna on the body is very intense, and in some cases can lead to unpleasant consequences.

Of course, a steam room is an excellent way to improve your health, but in order not to worsen your condition, you need to study the list of recommendations in advance. Moreover, it is not that big.

How does a bath affect the body?

Circulatory system

Before analyzing who is contraindicated in baths and saunas, you need to understand exactly how steam and high temperature affect our body. This will help us understand in what situations we can go to the steam room, and in what situations we should refrain from this pleasure.

The first point of our analysis will be the cardiovascular system:

Under the influence of high temperature, the main load falls on the organs of the circulatory system - the heart and blood vessels. The longer we sit in the bathhouse, the more intense our blood circulation is.
This process occurs especially clearly in the subcutaneous layers: capillaries under steamed skin expand, and peripheral blood circulation is repeatedly activated.
Naturally, in order to maintain the system in working order, the heart begins to work more intensely (up to 100 - 120 beats per minute in a healthy person).
Cardiac output also increases, and the overall speed of blood flow approximately doubles.

As a result, we actively saturate the muscles and internal organs with oxygen, and also increase the elasticity of the walls of blood vessels. Naturally, against this background, our blood pressure increases - and it is this fact that underlies many restrictions.

Respiratory organs

The functioning of the respiratory system is directly related to the work of the heart and blood vessels:

To provide the blood with the necessary amount of oxygen, the body automatically increases ventilation of the lungs by taking deeper and more frequent breaths.
At the same time, hot air and other volatile compounds enter the lungs.
The effect of these substances on the mucous membranes plays the role of a kind of inhalation and therefore has a detrimental effect on the development of pathogenic microbes.

Pay attention!
Since steamed mucous membranes are very sensitive to the influence of essential oils, they should be added in small volumes.
the whole bottle at once is far from the best option either from the point of view of pleasant sensations or from the point of view of health improvement.

To achieve maximum effect, you should use brooms made of natural wood (oak, birch, willow) or herbs (wormwood, tansy). Their price is quite affordable, although many people prefer to knit with their own hands rather than in specialized stores.

Digestive tract

The digestive organs are less exposed to the effects of saunas and baths:

Spending a long time in a heated steam room helps normalize intestinal function.
The intensity of fluid absorption increases, the water-salt balance is normalized.

Advice!
If you sweat a lot in the bathhouse, then it is very important to return lost salt to your body.
Dried bream is quite suitable in this case: both tasty and healthy!

Toxins and toxic remnants of undigested food are removed from the intestinal tract.
The risk of developing dysbacteriosis is reduced.

However, we must not forget that baths and saunas place a serious strain on the body, so you should visit the steam room no earlier than a couple of hours after eating. But this should not be done on an empty stomach, since overheating of an empty stomach can lead to cramps.

Kidneys and liver

The excretory system receives many positive effects from the steam room:

Increased sweating reduces the load on the kidneys (all the water leaves through the skin), and therefore they get some time to rest. This short pause has a very beneficial effect on their performance.
The same applies to the liver: when heated, the gallbladder begins to work more intensively, and the liver “rests”.
In addition, sweating out toxins also relieves the liver's barrier cells, allowing them to recover.

As you can see, the effect of a steam room on the body is complex and is aimed at all systems without exception. This is precisely the reason for all the healing properties of the bath - but it also underlies all contraindications.

Who can and who can't

Indications

When analyzing whether it is possible to steam, it is worth considering both the arguments “for” and the arguments “against”.

Let's start, perhaps, with something pleasant - who not only can, but also needs to go to the bathhouse:

Sauna and steam bath have a positive effect on the course of cardiovascular diseases - myocarditis, vegetative-vascular dystonia, coronary disease, etc. The main thing is that there are no signs of inflammation and heart failure. You can also go to the bathhouse if you have had a myocardial infarction, but only if at least six months have passed since it.

Advice!
In any case, if there are diseases of the circulatory system, the heating mode should be gentle.

For respiratory diseases, the bathhouse is practically a panacea: in the steam room you can treat and prevent allergic diseases, sinusitis, laryngitis, chronic bronchitis, etc. It is also worth visiting the sauna after recovery from pneumonia, bronchial asthma, inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, etc.

Since the effectiveness of massage procedures in a bathhouse increases many times over, it is impossible not to use this for the treatment of diseases of the musculoskeletal system. The combination of a steam room and massage allows for effective correction of posture, increasing overall muscle tone (especially useful during sports activities), recovery from injuries, etc.

Advice!
For rheumatism and arthritis, massage with brooms (birch, oak, nettle, etc.) is especially useful.

Contraindications

However, there are situations in which you will have to refuse a bath. They are connected, first of all, with the fact that the body simply cannot cope with the increased load exerted by the hot and humid air of the steam room.

Among these contraindications are:

First of all, these are, of course, cardiovascular diseases associated with high blood pressure, namely hypertension. If your upper pressure reaches 200-220 mmHg, then a bathhouse, alas, is contraindicated for you.

If you feel unwell, it’s time to leave the steam room!

The list of prohibitions also includes angina pectoris, acute heart failure and acute heart attack up to six months. Alas, in these conditions the heart may simply not be able to handle it.
As for the respiratory system, the list of prohibitions is somewhat smaller. It is not recommended to take a steam bath only when the viral disease is in full swing and the body is weakened.

Epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and some other nervous diseases can also cause a ban on visiting saunas and steam rooms. In the case of diseases of the brain and spinal cord, you should definitely consult with your doctor, as the consequences can be very sad.
Other prohibitions include diseases of various organs and systems that are in the process of healing. It is better to completely undergo the medical procedures prescribed by your doctor, and only then recover in the steam room.
Late pregnancy should also be included in this list. Don't risk the health of your unborn child!

Fungus

Speaking about the list of contraindications that any medical instruction for bath procedures contains, we should not forget about such an unpleasant disease as fungus:

Fungal diseases can be “caught” not only in public baths, but also in a private steam room. The thing is that spores are present on the skin of almost humans, and only when they enter the blood or mucous membranes of a person with a weakened immune system, they cause disease.
In a warm and humid environment (namely, these are the conditions in a bathhouse), fungal spores feel very comfortable, and therefore, when they enter the body, they develop very quickly and increase their numbers.
Risk factors include skin damage, calluses, varicose veins and other vascular diseases. If you fall into a “risk group”, you should treat your feet and other problem areas with antifungal ointments in advance, and also strictly observe the rules of personal hygiene.
Well, if the fungus has already settled in you, then until the end of all treatment procedures you should forget about the steam room.

Pay attention!
The bathhouse owner should also pay attention to the sanitary condition of the premises.
To avoid outbreaks of fungal infections, it is necessary to control the humidity conditions and periodically perform disinfection.

Conclusion

If you have any contraindications, you should spend as little time as possible in the bathhouse, and it is best to completely avoid the steam room. Of course, it is quite difficult to leave yourself without pleasure, but it would be much more rational to first cure the disease, and only then subject the body to stress. The video in this article contains additional information as well as some useful tips on this topic.

For an uninformed citizen, the process of visiting a bathhouse looks like this: go in, undress, wash, sit in the steam room, drink kvass in the rest room, wash again, get dressed, leave. For knowledgeable people, going to the steam room is a real sacrament, the preparation and actual implementation of which requires taking into account many important nuances and details. At the same time, the order of visiting the Russian bathhouse, Finnish sauna, Turkish hammam and Japanese ofuro (the most popular types of bathhouses) will differ slightly, and in some cases quite significantly. You are invited to familiarize yourself with information about all the features of the event in question below.

The study of the sacrament of bathing procedures should begin by considering information about the possibility of visiting the steam room and the lack thereof among representatives of certain categories of citizens. It all comes down to the peculiarities of the temperature and humidity conditions in the steam room, which under normal conditions give a person only benefits, providing a comprehensive positive effect, but in the presence of certain ailments they can provoke serious complications.

Surprisingly, even people suffering from organic heart diseases are not prohibited from going to the steam room, provided there is no active inflammatory phase. Along with this, patients with heart failure should refrain from visiting the bathhouse. As for other common cardiovascular diseases, ischemic patients, provided there are no attacks of angina, can go to the bathhouse (if the doctor allows it). It is not prohibited for persons who have suffered a myocardial infarction to do this. In this case, the main thing is that at least 6 months have passed since the heart attack, and there are no direct contraindications, the presence/absence of which can only be judged by the attending physician.

A visit to the bathhouse will benefit people with allergies and patients with upper respiratory tract diseases (bronchitis, laryngitis, etc.). People with chronic lung diseases and patients who have had pneumonia should also go to the bathhouse, again, in the absence of medical contraindications.

Those who have certain diseases of the nervous system are not prohibited from going to the steam room. Doctors often recommend good steam to patients with pain in the spinal roots, mild paralysis, muscle hypertonicity, neuroses, etc.

It has been established that the bathhouse effectively helps fight sleep disorders and childhood enuresis, allows you to recover faster after surgical treatment, various injuries, improve your condition in the presence of joint diseases, and make it easier to endure complications caused by problems with the digestive system.

Alternating exposure of the body to hot steam and cold water helps improve blood circulation, which is very useful in the presence of chronic diseases. In addition, under bath conditions, various types of inflammatory components are actively removed from the body. There is an activation and normalization of the work of almost all major organs and systems. It is for this reason that visiting the bathhouse is often recommended for women suffering from various kinds of dysfunctions, as well as for patients during and after menopause.

Important note! Doctors recommend that citizens with chronic inflammation of the genitourinary system and hormonal deficiency give greater preference to dry steam, i.e. sauna, and not the traditional Russian steam room or other types of baths.

Even pregnant women, if there are no complications and individual contraindications, are not forbidden to steam. One has only to remember history: in Rus', women traditionally gave birth in a heated steam room. Firstly, our ancestors firmly believed in the miraculous healing effects of steam, and secondly, the bathhouse was then heated “black” and in those days this room was one of the most sterile among all available to the common man. Today, of course, almost no one dares to have such an extreme birth.

They say that baths and pregnancy are incompatible? On the contrary, a bath during pregnancy is beneficial

Now about who should temporarily refrain from going to the bathhouse.

Do you have a fever? Has any chronic disease entered an active acute phase? Do not go to the steam room until your health condition returns to normal.

In most cases, people suffering from thrombophlebitis, constant migraines, various types of cancer and other serious illnesses have to forget about the bath altogether:

hypertension at stage III;
acute myocardial infarction, thrombophlebitis with venous insufficiency, as well as any kind of acute inflammatory diseases of the cardiovascular system;
general atherosclerosis;
anorexia (requires separate clarification);
acute inflammations, infectious diseases;
epilepsy in any stage and form;
Parkinson's disease;
other individual contraindications.

In general, a contraindication to going to the steam room is any kind of exacerbation of a particular disease.

Citizens who are prone to bleeding, suffer from hypertension at stages I and II or heart failure or have unstable angina should be careful when visiting the bathhouse. For such patients, a sudden change in temperature is contraindicated, i.e., even if the doctor has given permission to go to the steam room, jumping into a cold pool or snowdrift after it is definitely not worth it.

Thus, if you are not completely sure about the state of your health, before going to a steam room or even a Turkish hammam with relatively gentle conditions, be sure to talk to your doctor. A qualified specialist will comprehensively assess your condition and give the most practical recommendations.

Useful advice! If you have crossed the respectable age mark of 60 years and have never been to a bathhouse before, it is better not to start. The only exceptions are citizens in excellent health who have received the green light from a doctor to go to the bathhouse.

You should not take a steam bath after drinking heavily or eating a large meal. Although many citizens cannot imagine going to the bathhouse without cold vodka or at least light beer, the use of such products is contraindicated - the load on the cardiovascular system will be abnormally high.

From Russia to Finland, Turkey and Japan: features of existing types of baths

For a Russian person, a bathhouse is a room with high temperature and humid steam, for a resident of Finland it is the same, but without the latter. The Turks like to relax by lying on heated “benches”, and the Japanese like to relax by sitting in a barrel of warm water (after which they usually lie down in a container with warm bulk materials). In the following table you can familiarize yourself with the key features of each of the mentioned types of steam rooms.

Table. Features of the world baths

Type of bath	Description
	A Russian sauna is hot (but not as hot as a Finnish sauna) and humid. On average, the temperature in the steam room is kept at 55-60°C, sometimes up to 70°C. Humidity reaches 55-60%. A person comes here to take a steam bath, therefore, the key component of bath procedures is steam, which is generated by adding water, kvass, herbal infusion and other suitable liquids to the hot stones included in the stove. Steam can be heavy (extremely undesirable) and light (optimal). Heavy steam is formed when water is applied to not very well (up to 200 degrees) heated stones. Water evaporates into large particles, the inhalation of which leads to shortness of breath and other unpleasant sensations. That is why, for a comfortable time in the bathhouse, it is very important to be able to prepare light steam. To do this, water is poured in small portions onto well-heated stones (from 400 degrees, preferably about 600 degrees, i.e. red-hot). Bathhouse visitors spend time sitting or lying on the shelves. The shelves are installed in 1-3 tiers. Hot air, in accordance with the laws of physics, rushes upward. Consequently, the bottom shelf in the steam room will be the least hot (children, people with poor health and inexperienced bathhouse attendants usually spend time here), while the top shelf will be the hottest. On average, knowledgeable people recommend not spending more than 5-10 minutes in the steam room. For the rest, everyone is advised to focus on their own feelings and condition, but you shouldn’t overdo it too much - you can get a heatstroke with all that it entails. Traditionally, Russian baths were equipped with specially designed brick stoves. Today they are often replaced by metal units or even electric heaters. At this point, the owner will have to make a decision on his own. After the steam room, bathhouse attendants traditionally plunge into a pool/barrel/font with cold water, and those who especially honor traditions go outside and “dive” into the snow. A sharp change in temperature in the absence of health problems brings pleasant sensations comparable to a kind of euphoria, and is generally beneficial for the human body. It is recommended to take an average 20-minute break between visits to the steam room. It is not recommended to make more than 2-3 passes.
	In a Finnish sauna, unlike a Russian bath, it is very hot and dry. People come here to warm up properly. The air temperature in the steam room of a Finnish sauna can reach up to 90-120°C. Humidity rarely exceeds 15%; it often remains at an even lower level (3-10%). In conditions of low humidity, such extreme temperatures are tolerated quite well by most visitors. Beginner sauna lovers are recommended to get acquainted with the “Finnish pearl” by sitting on the lower shelves, gradually moving up if there is such a desire and there are no adverse reactions from the body. It is not recommended to spend more than 15-20 minutes in the steam room of a Finnish sauna (for beginners - less, up to 5-10 minutes). Recommendations regarding the number of visits and the duration of breaks between them are similar to the Russian bath. You should wear a special cap on your head to reduce the likelihood of heat stroke to a minimum.
	For the distant ancestors of modern residents of Turkey (and for many of them even today), visiting a bathhouse is not so much a hygienic procedure as a real religious ritual. In general, baths of this kind are not exclusively a Turkish property - in the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Tajikistan and many other eastern countries, steam rooms are built according to a similar principle. One of the main highlights of the oriental hammam, which distinguishes it from the Russian bath and Finnish sauna, is its unique interior decoration. Wood is practically not used here: surfaces, beds and interior elements are made/decorated with marble and decorated with mosaics. The ceiling traditionally has a dome shape, due to which condensed moisture does not drip onto the bathhouse visitors, but flows down the walls. Depending on the specific room (in a modern oriental bathhouse there are 3), the temperature in the hammam can vary from 30 to 100 degrees. These aspects will be discussed in more detail in the corresponding section on the rules for visiting a Turkish bath.
	Ofuro is a traditional Japanese bathhouse, which an ignorant person accustomed to steam rooms with stoves, shelves and brooms may not even consider a bathhouse. The main element of ofuro is a barrel of water. Or rather, even 2 barrels: in the first, the water temperature is kept at 35 degrees, in the second - 40-50 degrees. Heating is carried out by a special oven, most often built into the bottom of the container. For a comfortable stay in the ofuro, its interior space is equipped with special seats. The visitor is strongly advised not to dive into the water deeper than to the level of the heart - it may become unwell. It is recommended to maintain the residence time in a container with water within 7-15 minutes. After the barrel, the visitor is invited to spend 15-20 minutes in a container filled with cedar sawdust, leaves and various medicinal herbs heated to 50-60 degrees. At the end of the procedure, the visitor is immersed in a second bath filled with sea pebbles. Here the temperature is maintained at 45-50 degrees. The nuances of spending time in a Japanese bath will be discussed in more detail in the corresponding section.

In modern bath complexes you can purchase/rent absolutely everything you need for a comfortable pastime. If you don’t want to spend extra money or simply disdain to use the things offered by the complex, take everything you need with you.

The list includes the following accessories:

rubber slippers – it’s better not to walk barefoot on a slippery wet floor, because you can fall. By the way, in the eastern hamam they traditionally wear not rubber slippers, but shoes with wooden soles that protect the skin from high temperatures;
– taken at will;
bath cap - protects against heat stroke and generally adds color. Hats made of cotton, linen and natural wool are suitable. Synthetic products should be avoided;
mittens. Will be needed if you plan to “work with a broom”. Products made from natural wool and canvas are suitable;
robe or sheet. In general, if you are not embarrassed to walk around naked and have everything of your own, you don’t have to take them;
litter You will spread it on a bench in the steam room - often the shelves heat up to such a state that sitting/lying on them is very uncomfortable. Can be replaced with a sheet or towel;
skin and hair care products, washcloth, etc.;
clean underwear/clothes;
aroma oils (if you want). Use only products and formulations designed specifically for use in baths and saunas.

Prices for bath brooms

bath broom

Additionally, you can take a comb, a pumice stone for your heels, a hair dryer, etc.

Safety precautions, or what to do in the bathhouse is not recommended

So, you have arrived at the bathhouse. It doesn’t matter which one - the provisions for safe visiting remain the same for any type of steam room and are therefore given before the information about the rules for visiting the bathhouse. Violation of the recommendations given will work against you, and instead of benefit, pleasure and relaxation, you will end up with harm, discomfort, or, even worse, health problems.

The provisions in this regard are given in the table.

Table. Precautions in the bathhouse

Recommendations	Explanations
	Staying in the temperature conditions of a steam room puts a strain on the heart. Drinking alcoholic beverages will increase these loads several times. The consequences can be very unfavorable, including a heart attack.
	In the heat, blood flows from internal organs to the skin. Normal digestion of food in such conditions becomes impossible. The result is heaviness in the stomach. Before visiting the bathhouse, as well as directly in the bathhouse, you can only eat natural food that does not contain flavorings, dyes and various kinds of preservatives.
	Gases provoke the occurrence of harmful processes in the digestive system. Under normal conditions, the body of a healthy person usually copes with them. In the bathhouse, as noted, internal organs work differently, and drinking soda can provoke discomfort in the stomach or even more serious problems.
	Eating these helps slow down sweating. It is safe to drink warm tea or at least drinks at room temperature in the bathhouse.
	The recommendation is also relevant for very tired citizens. Visiting the bathhouse is especially contraindicated if the malaise is present in combination with elevated body temperature.
	Many people like to combine bath procedures and sexual intercourse. Pleasure can result in an excessive increase in stress on the cardiovascular system with all that it entails. You can do this in the relaxation room, but not in the steam room.
	Participation in “who can stay on the top shelf the longest” competitions is appropriate, firstly, if you are an experienced bathhouse attendant, and secondly, if you have “iron” health. Stay in the steam room as long as you can and at a temperature that you can normally tolerate. It is more expensive to organize various demonstration events in such conditions.
	Overdo it with the water supply - you will get heavy steam, which will make it impossible to stay in the steam room. It is recommended to give no more than 100-250 ml of warm water at a time.
	Prolonged contact of the broom with boiling water will cause the leaves to fall off and the product to fall apart.
	It is impossible to sit on the top shelf with your head up to the ceiling and your legs hanging down. The temperature difference at the location of the mentioned parts of the body can reach 30 degrees or more, despite the fact that the area around the legs will be colder, and it is they who need more heat. If possible, you should only lie on the top bath shelf.
	Shower gels and any other representatives of this “family” are also prohibited. The use of such during washing leads to degreasing of the skin, which in this state extremely negatively tolerates contact with hot air and becomes more susceptible to burns.
	Wet hair is less effective at protecting your head from overheating.
	We sat for 5-10 minutes in the steam room (over time you can increase it to 15-20 minutes, if this does not worsen your well-being) and went to rest in a cool room. In this case, the duration of rest should be a couple of times longer than the duration of stay in the steam room.
	Cold (ice - optional) is possible, because... It is contrast procedures that bring the greatest benefit. Combining a visit to the steam room with dousing yourself with warm water is pointless.
	Spend as much time in the steam room as your endurance and well-being allow. Don't try to keep up with seasoned vapers with years of experience.

Before studying the peculiarities of visiting existing types of baths, it would not be amiss to find out what to do if the steamer suddenly feels ill. The most common health problem in a bathhouse is overheating. You can tell that a person is overheated by the following signs:

strong increase in heart rate;
difficulty breathing;
painful sensations, a feeling of pressure in the temples;
dizziness;
the appearance of ringing in the ears, characteristic “floaters” before the eyes;
nausea.

If any of the above symptoms occur, you need to leave the steam room and try to recover in the relaxation room or any other cool room. If you don’t feel better within a few minutes or your health is rapidly deteriorating, you should contact the administrator of the complex (he will probably know what to do and has the required medications and first aid supplies) or call a doctor yourself if it becomes clear that the problem cannot be dealt with is not possible.

How to go to the bathhouse: description of the process and important notes

You are invited to familiarize yourself with the features of visiting different baths around the world.

It's right to go to a Russian bathhouse

We go to the bathhouse correctly to improve our health

For an ignorant person, a bathhouse is simply a room with a high temperature. The procedure for visiting her for such citizens looks something like this: come, undress, wash, steam, plunge into the pool, dry off and leave. Of course, this is possible. But the procedure of visiting the steam room will become much more pleasant and maximally beneficial for the body if you approach it wisely. By regularly going to the bathhouse and doing everything right, you will begin to notice that your skin becomes smoother, excess weight goes away, and chronic diseases bother you much less often.

So, you came to the bathhouse, undressed, took a shower (we don’t wet your head, wash your body without using soap, gel, etc.), wiped yourself dry with a towel and went to the steam room.

We take a shower in the bath without soap

The first approach will be preparatory, i.e. your body will adapt to new conditions. Under the influence of heat, the skin pores will open, and the blood flow to it will increase. The recommended duration of the first entry is up to 10 minutes. It is better that the temperature in the steam room during the first entry is relatively low - up to 50-55 degrees.

After the indicated 10 minutes (if it’s hard for you, leave earlier) leave the steam room and rest. If you wish, you can take a dip in the pool. You need to rest for at least 15-20 minutes.

The second entry into the steam room is more serious. If desired, the temperature can be increased. Determine the duration of the entry based on your own feelings. In general, even if you feel great, staying in the steam room for more than 20 minutes is strongly not recommended.

For maximum benefit, combine your time in the steam room with cosmetic and wellness treatments. The most ancient and traditional of them is whipping with a broom.

To an unprepared person, especially someone who has never seen a classic Russian bathhouse before, whipping with a broom may seem like something from the category of sadomasochism. Along with this, this procedure has a well-founded medical basis. First of all, broom whipping by its mechanism of action is an intense massage that helps improve blood circulation in muscles and organs. A similar procedure is carried out in oriental massage parlors, only instead of brooms they use bamboo sticks.

Bamboo broom - exotic or useful bath accessory

In addition, when whipped with a broom on the steamed skin, it actively absorbs the beneficial substances contained in the leaves. That is why it is recommended to use natural medicinal plants to make brooms.

An equally useful bath procedure is applying a natural scrub to the skin. Since ancient times, women have used honey for this. The sticky and thick mass penetrates into open skin pores, ensuring its effective cleaning of various harmful substances. You can simply cover problem areas of the body with honey and do a massage, as if gluing your hand to the honey and tearing it away from the sticky mass. After the massage, the honey should be washed off.

More effective exfoliation of dead skin flakes is achieved by using a honey-based scrub. To prepare it, you can add a small amount of ground coffee beans, dried citrus peels, cinnamon, etc. to honey.

For even more effective cleaning of pores, you can make a mud mask. After thoroughly steaming, cover the skin with a composition prepared from black clay powder diluted in heated water. Green and blue cosmetic clays are also suitable. Such products help improve the condition of the skin in general and are especially effective in the fight against mild forms of cellulite - the “orange peel” is tightened and smoothed, cleansed of toxins.

After cleansing the skin with scrubs and clay, you need to apply a nourishing restorative mask. If your skin is dry or normal, you can limit yourself to regular sour cream. Those with oily skin are recommended to use masks made from eggs or oatmeal. If you don’t want to waste time preparing masks, buy a suitable product at a cosmetic store.

The mask must be applied after leaving the steam room, because directly in the steam room it will simply be washed off later. Keep the last mask on the skin for 10-20 minutes. You can tell when it’s time to wash off the composition when it dries and hardens.

At the end of your bath procedures, you can take a cool shower and drink warm tea. You have already familiarized yourself with the recommendations regarding staying in the steam room in general, supplying water to the stones, safety precautions and other points.

Important! Before entering the steam room, be sure to remove any jewelry, especially metal jewelry - when heated, it will burn your skin. Before sitting on the shelf, cover it with a towel or a sheet folded several times.

Video - How to go to the bathhouse

Preparation (changing clothes, showering, etc.) is carried out in the same way as before visiting a Russian bath. Next there are a number of differences.

It is not recommended to sit on a shelf (especially if it is the top one) with your legs dangling - it can become bad. It is better to spread a sheet on the bench and take a lying position. The legs themselves, if possible, should be kept a little higher than the head - it will be easier for the heart to work. To ensure the required “difference”, you can use a special footrest - these are present in almost all saunas.

While in the sauna, breathe through your mouth and try not to talk.

Important! You cannot use a broom in a Finnish sauna - it is much hotter here than in a Russian bath, and there is practically no humidity. In such conditions, whipping with a broom will only cause burns instead of benefiting the body.

After leaving the steam room, you need to cool down. Choose the optimal method yourself, taking into account your own well-being, the state of your body and your experience. There are quite a lot of options: from dousing yourself with water, taking a cold shower and plunging into a pool to “diving” into a snowdrift and plunging into an ice hole.

During the rest between visits to the steam room (and the duration of the break, as noted, should be at least 2 times the time spent in the steam room), restore the state of water-salt balance. To do this, you can drink mineral water (still), kvass, herbal decoction or warm green tea. If you prefer black tea, prepare it with mint or chamomile; lemon balm and currants are also suitable - the presence of these in the drink will neutralize the stimulating effect of such tea. Alcohol, coffee and energy drinks are not allowed in the sauna.

Rye bread Russian kvass is an ideal drink after a sauna and steam bath

Recommendations for the second and subsequent visits to the steam room are similar. You can choose the number of visits yourself, based on your own feelings. The main thing is that you spend no more than 40 minutes in the steam room in total. In general, it is advisable to keep the duration of the bath procedure at 2-3 hours; more does not make sense, unless you want to have fun in the relaxation room with a pleasant company.

During your last entry into the steam room, you should not climb onto the top shelf. Your goal is to prepare your body for gradual and smooth cooling. Sudden temperature changes at this stage are useless. Leave the steam room, take a cool shower (here you can already use soap and gels and wash your hair), dry yourself, cool down a little and go for a walk outside. The recommended duration of the walk is up to half an hour.

Good to know! A relaxing massage will be the perfect end to your Finnish sauna treatment.

If you have a high temperature, skin infections, malignant neoplasms, disorders of internal metabolic processes, vascular insufficiency, problems with blood circulation, or you are prone to bleeding and have poor blood clotting, you should refrain from going to the Finnish sauna. In any case, before exposing your body to such temperature effects, it would be a good idea to consult a doctor.

The doctor decides whether it is possible or not

Video - How to steam in a Finnish sauna

It's right to go to the eastern hammam

The Turkish bath in its modern form consists of 3 main rooms, traditionally shaped like a circle. Each room has its own purpose. You can find information about this in the following table.

Table. What to do in the Turkish bath

Room	Description
	This room combines the functions of a locker room and a washroom. Here the visitor gets rid of clothes, washes his body (soaps, gels, etc. are still not used, and the head is not wet) and wraps himself in a towel. Useful advice! In accordance with Eastern traditions, it is forbidden to stay naked in the hamam. For the rest, you can rely on personal preferences and principles. As noted, it is best to wear wooden shoes in the hammam - they will protect the skin of your feet from burns, because Turkish baths usually have heated floors. The average air temperature in Jamekian is 30-35 degrees. That is, here a person can not only undress and wash, but also prepare his body for hotter “tests.”
	Intermediate room, so-called "warm room" It’s a little warmer here than in the dressing room-wash room, but not as hot as in the main “hot” room. Traditionally, the iliklyk is used as a rest room. Here you can cool down after visiting the last room, drink herbal tea and chat with friends.
	The hottest room in a Turkish bath. The air here rarely warms up to more than 50-60 degrees, but the temperature can rise to 100 degrees. Often a swimming pool is installed in a hararet, the purpose of which, first of all, is to maintain the required level of humidity. Almost 100% air humidity in the steam room is one of the key differences between the Turkish hammam and other types of baths. The body of visitors here warms up not due to the heat of the air, but through the action of moist steam. To supply hot air to the room, the Turkish bath is equipped with a system of pipes and nozzles. Often, additional aromatic essences are added to promote better relaxation and greater pleasure.

Ideally, the correct order of actions in hararet is as follows. The visitor gets used to the surrounding conditions for a couple of minutes, after which the massage session begins. For several minutes, a specially trained person, wearing hard gloves made of natural materials, rubs the visitor’s body. During this massage, the skin pores open, which helps remove harmful waste and toxins from the body.

After the massage, the body is soaped. This is done using a special technology. In the center of the “hot” room of any real hammam there is a gebek-tashi, which is a kind of table made of marble. The visitor, lying on this table, undergoes a foam massage session, during which the body is covered with a cloud of foam, after which the bath attendant or his replacement partner thoroughly cleanses the steam bather’s body, armed with a hard washcloth. During this procedure, not only the skin is cleansed, but also blood and lymphatic circulation is activated, metabolic processes are improved, and dead skin particles are eliminated.

The massage ends with rinsing the body with warm clean water and, if desired, a dip in a cool pool.

Next, the steamer is asked to return to the intermediate room. Here his body is steamed and undergoes effective cosmetic procedures (all skin is lubricated with special oriental products to maintain beauty and youth). At the visitor's request, he can have a foot and hand massage.

Many procedures can be repeated several times. The only exception is intensive peeling - repeated use of this procedure can damage the skin. You cannot use artificial cosmetics in the hammam, as well as in any other bathhouse.

Residents of eastern countries love to spend the whole day in hammams - comfortable and safe temperature conditions allow them to do this without fear for their own body. Friends and relatives meet in hamams, holidays are celebrated and significant celebrations are held. Be sure to try it!

Video – Turkish Hammam

The right way to go to a Japanese bath

It would seem that there could be any benefit from sitting in a barrel of warm water and then lying in a bath with heated sawdust? As confirmed by many years of experience of the Japanese, and more recently of our compatriots, the benefits of such a pastime are invaluable - ofuro baths allow you not only to cleanse the body of external impurities, but also to get rid of fatigue, improve the health of the body and eliminate various kinds of unfavorable manifestations.

Here is just an incomplete list of the positive effects that a visitor to such a bathhouse can count on:

normalization of metabolic functions and the functioning of the body’s cardiovascular system;
elimination or at least significant relief of rheumatic pain;
cleansing and sometimes even noticeable rejuvenation of the skin;
eliminating excess weight;
improved well-being, relief from depression, stress and anxiety;
prevention of colds and exacerbations of various chronic ailments.

At the same time, the Japanese bath has almost no contraindications to visiting. It is recommended to refrain from such procedures except for persons with chronic illnesses in the acute stage, as well as citizens with tuberculosis, epilepsy and other previously mentioned diseases, pregnant women and children under three years of age.

Important! Patients with diseases of the cardiovascular system should reduce the time spent in a Japanese bath by at least 2 times the recommended amount.

After washing, the visitor begins bathing procedures. The room usually contains 2 barrels made of pine or oak wood; similar containers can also be made of larch and cedar.

In the first container, the water is heated to an average of 35 degrees, in the next it is a little warmer - about 40-50 degrees. As noted, it is necessary to place yourself in a container so that the water level is slightly below the heart, otherwise the load on the cardiovascular system will be too strong.

To enhance the beneficial effect, various salts, herbal effects and other substances can be added to the water.

Important note! Often, to save space, owners of salon baths install one barrel in the room, equipping it with a stove that allows the water to be gradually heated.

After spending time in the barrel, the person wipes himself dry and moves on to the next stage of the procedure, which involves spending time in wooden baths with various contents. In the first bath you are invited to lie down for 15-20 minutes, immersed up to your neck in a mixture of sawdust (usually cedar), crushed leaves, medicinal plants, etc., heated to about 50 degrees (sometimes more). During the procedure, steamed skin is saturated with beneficial essential oils.

The second wooden bath is filled with sea pebbles. The average temperature is 40-50 degrees. While staying in the container, a massage effect is achieved, due to which the load is removed from the visitor’s spine and, in general, there is a healing effect on his body.

Note! The possibility of taking a separate “dry” bath cannot be ruled out - the effect will also be very pronounced and positive.

Traditionally, the procedure ends with a tea ceremony, during which the steamer finally relaxes, restores strength and normalizes the water balance of his body. It is recommended to drink green tea, or with cinnamon or jasmine.

Have a good trip to the bathhouse and stay healthy!

Video - How to go to the bathhouse correctly

Without a doubt, a visit to the bathhouse is designed to help you relax and get rid of tension, cleanse the body and restore strength. However, it should be remembered that the principle “the more the better” does not apply in any case if you decide to go to the steam room. By the way, an excellent option would be to regularly visit a sauna with a swimming pool in St. Petersburg, where you can not only cleanse the body of toxins, but also increase the tone of all muscles by spending at least 30 minutes swimming.

What can happen if you stay in a steam room for a long time?

The recovery processes that are expected after visiting the bathhouse can begin like this if such procedures are abused. Staying in a steam room for too long can eventually overload your heat regulation mechanisms.

At the end of your stay in the bathhouse or sauna, it is strictly forbidden to rise sharply from the sunbeds. In such procedures, smooth transitions from one steam room to another are important, which can be easily accomplished in public baths in St. Petersburg.

Optimal time

It depends on many factors:

temperature indicators in steam rooms;
air humidity in them;
as well as the degree of tolerance of such conditions by the body.

For those who are just starting to visit baths or saunas, the optimal time would be one visit for a maximum of 4 minutes. On subsequent visits, the duration of stay in the steam room can be increased by half a minute each time. The total residence time for 3 visits should not exceed 20 minutes. The most suitable option would be to visit a bathhouse or sauna once a week.

To properly complete the cleansing process, it is always recommended to wash with soap and rub the body well with a washcloth. Pouring cool water after a steam room will be especially useful. Such procedures will not only cleanse the body, but also strengthen the immune system.

It should be remembered that human skin is an organ in which there is a constant accumulation of toxins. It has been established that the human body’s ability to remove harmful substances through the skin is much higher than getting rid of them through the rectum and kidneys. However, this effect can only be achieved by visiting a steam room, without abusing the time spent in it.