What do they do in the sauna? How to go to the sauna correctly - advice from a “professional”

You must take with you a special felt hat, sheets, towels, detergents and slippers. A hat protects your head from overheating and your hair from exposure to heat that can damage it. Instead, you can use a towel and cover your head with it in the form of a turban. A sheet is needed to lay on a wooden shelf in a sauna - firstly, sitting or lying on a hot tree is unpleasant and even painful, and secondly, in public saunas it is unhygienic.

Before visiting the steam room, it is advisable to take a shower, but there is no need to use soap, as it will destroy the fatty film on the surface of the skin and weaken the protection against drying out. Also try not to get your hair wet, otherwise it will cause overheating in high temperatures. Dry your body thoroughly after a shower, remove metal jewelry - chains, bracelets.

For the first time, do not climb onto the top shelves or sit in the sauna for more than ten minutes, even if you feel good. At the first sign of discomfort - increased heartbeat - reduce the time you spend in the steam room. Do not get up from the shelf abruptly, rise slowly so as not to cause headaches. After leaving the sauna, take a cold shower or swim in the pool, rest for fifteen minutes. You can drink mineral water or tea.

Overweight people are recommended to reduce the time they spend in the steam room.

The second time you enter the sauna you can take longer and try to steam on the second shelf; the third time you can use a broom. In total, you can make four to five visits with breaks.

Steaming with a broom is not only in the Russian bathhouse; this pleasure has long been known to the Finns.

Additional rules for visiting the sauna

There are several unwritten rules that you should follow for your own safety. It is very important not to smoke or drink alcohol, as blood vessels dilate and, combined with high temperature, this can lead to dangerous health consequences. You can’t go to the sauna after a heavy meal, you can drink, but not much and not cold liquid. Breathe in the steam room only through your nose so that the air has time to cool as it passes through the nasopharynx.

You shouldn’t spend a lot of time between entering a steam room in a cold room: immediately after leaving the sauna you can plunge into cold water, but you should rest in a warm place, otherwise the hardening effect is reduced and the risk of getting sick increases.

If you are steaming on the top shelf, then do not raise your head high to the ceiling, the air there is much hotter, and this can be dangerous for the body. In addition, the lying position allows the body to warm up evenly.

Outside the window is an inhospitable St. Petersburg autumn. In fact, I really love autumn – golden autumn. But its time has already passed and a long and gloomy, rainy and cold autumn season has begun, and not at all a shining, deliciously smelling and simply delightful autumn time.

I wanted warmth! And it’s not at all drawn to a resort by the sea. There was a strong desire to go to Pine forest, in a wooden house with a sauna….

So we were about to go again, like in the spring, to relax for a week in that delightful pine forest with its smells and its majestic beauty, on the shore of a beautiful and quiet lake, in a small and very cozy wooden house with a sauna.

But, this time, it was decided to approach the issue of “using a sauna,” so to speak, wisely: first find out what is useful (or harmful), how to visit it correctly, what oils and what to use, how long you can and should stay there and etc. and so on.

Start over…

A LITTLE THEORY.

Sauna (Finnish sauna) is the Finnish name for a bathhouse. In Russian, a sauna usually means a steam room with dry steam. Contrary to popular belief, an ordinary Finnish sauna is no different from a Russian bath - in it they also pour water on hot stones, they also steam with brooms, and after steaming, they also dive into a lake or plunge into an ice hole.

This is exactly the kind of sauna that “is” in “our” house (you can and should pour water on hot stones in it, however, I don’t remember about brooms...we didn’t use...however, I don’t remember at all whether they asked about them...).

Never tell a Finn that his Finnish sauna is dry, it is always full of steam (Finnish: löyly). Usually the temperature is maintained between 70-100 degrees, and the humidity is regulated by the amount of water thrown from the ladle onto the heater (Finnish: kiuas). Saunas, like baths, can be heated “black” or “white”.

The Finns have a legend about how the sauna originated:

“Raindrops leaking through the leaking roof fell on the hot stones of the fireplace. A fragrant heat immediately reigned in the house. People liked it and decided to make with their own hands what came naturally.”. From the very beginning, the Finns considered the sauna a sacred thing. They believed that a spirit was hidden in the clouds of steam, which gave the incomparable joy of the heat of the bath.

The Finns said that the sauna can be used by anyone who can reach it - they believe so much in its healing properties. For the ancient Finns, there were no diseases that could not be cured with the help of a sauna. “If the sauna does not help, then the person is already dead,” says an old Finnish proverb.
As it is written in one ancient treatise, ablution provides ten benefits: clarity of mind, freshness, vigor, health, strength, beauty, youth, purity, pleasant skin color and the attention of beautiful women.

Knowledgeable people go to the sauna not so much to wash themselves as to warm up and sweat. Warming up leads to a beneficial change in the functional state of organs and systems of the body, increases metabolism, and promotes the development of protective and compensatory mechanisms. This is explained by the beneficial effects of heat and sweating on the cardiovascular, respiratory, thermoregulatory and endocrine systems in most people.

HEALING PROPERTIES OF SAUNA.

1. Heat in a sauna produces a kind of "artificial heat" and our the immune system makes a response to this heat: the body begins to actively produce white blood cells. "Artificial heat" kills harmful bacteria and viruses and strengthens our immune system.

2. The sauna also promotes the production of interferon. Interferon is an antiviral protein that reduces the risk of cancer.

3. The high temperature in the sauna activates the sweat glands. Together with sweat, toxins and waste come out of the body. As a result, kidney function and water-salt metabolism improve, the skin becomes elastic and silky. It is estimated that during one trip to the sauna the human body secretes 0.5-1.5 liters of sweat.

4. In the sauna, the capillaries expand, the process of blood flow to our skin accelerates, and the volume of the capillaries increases, which, as some doctors and adherents of alternative medicine believe, allows us to preserve blood pressure fine.

5. The sauna helps remove lactic acid from the body, which is formed during physical activity. Therefore, taking a steam bath after training is very useful. However, if the classes were too intense, then you need to rest first.

6. The sauna “charges” us with energy. She's filming nervous tension and stress, improves sleep, appetite, performance, restores vigor, increases mental capacity, trains the body's endurance and strengthens the immune system.

7. Sauna is the most effective method prevention of arthritis, radiculitis and myositis in the period between attacks. The sauna is indispensable for chronic runny nose, bronchitis, catarrh of the nose and throat.

8. Bath procedures stimulate protein metabolism, which leads to better absorption of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and mineral elements. As a result, metabolism increases by 30%.

IMPORTANT (contraindications!):

1. The sauna is contraindicated for people with diseases such as circulatory disorders or vascular insufficiency, heart disease, hypertension, acute inflammatory diseases, etc. Therefore, if you have doubts about the health and stamina of your body, first consult your doctor.

2. Physical exercise, including sex, are contraindicated in a steam room - the heart may not stand it.

3. It is not recommended to visit the sauna with - colds, accompanied elevated temperature, exacerbations of chronic diseases, thrombophlebitis (including the three-month period after recovery), severe autonomic disorders (frequent headaches, etc.). Dangerous for hypertension abrupt change temperatures - from steam to a cold pool and immediately back to heat.

4. The sauna is not recommended for people with cardiovascular diseases, dysfunctions of the central nervous system, with increased or decreased sensitivity to heat, or with water-salt balance disorders. You need to be especially careful in the bathhouse.

5. It is better to refrain from going to the bathhouse for those suffering from skin problems. infectious diseases, people with reduced immunity, allergic to odors.

Practice... or “how to use a sauna.”

PREPARATION

1. A sauna is not “running in to warm up and then went on with business”; a sauna is a multi-stage ritual not at all a quick fix. So, if you are going to the sauna, then allocate enough time for this. At least 1.5 hours.

2. First take a shower(without soap or gel, so that a natural fatty film remains on the skin, protecting the skin from drying out). This is necessary in order to moisturize the skin and wash away all kinds of creams, body and perfume odors, and just dirt and sweat. After shower be sure to wipe yourself dry with a towel, and do not wet your head under any circumstances, the hair should be dry to avoid overheating of the head.

3. Don’t forget to remove all metal items and watches (otherwise you will simply burn your skin with them), you should also not wear synthetic clothes (if you can’t steam naked), your towel/robe should also not be made of synthetics. Of course, it is advisable to take a sauna without clothes!

4. Take it with you to the sauna towel. It is good to sit on a shelf with a lining, and not only for the sake of personal hygiene, but also because in a hot bath the shelves are hot, sometimes even burning.

5. It is also advisable (necessary) to take with you a felt cap or a thick woolen cap to protect your brain from overheating.

CONDITIONS FOR VISITING THE SAUNA

1. You should not steam in a sauna, either on an empty or “full” stomach (since in a sauna, blood flows from the internal organs to the skin, but to digest food, the opposite is necessary).

2. Don’t think about problems, as you won’t be able to relax properly and fully enjoy the sauna.

3. You should not go to the sauna if you are feeling unwell; it is better to wait so as not to cause harm or “earn” complications.

4. Under no circumstances should you smoke or drink alcohol. Although alcohol pleasantly brightens up men's leisure time, the load on the heart increases many times over. The pleasure becomes extreme, often ending in a heart attack.

5. It is prohibited to visit the sauna during acute or chronic illnesses, as well as with elevated body temperature

6. It is very dangerous to be physically overloaded, especially when it comes to sex.

7. You should not compete with friends for the time you spend in the steam room, especially if you are a beginner. You need to listen to your body and, at its first “demand,” leave the sauna and rest as much as you need.

8. Water the stones too much: the air may become too heavy and scalding. The optimal amount of one serving is 100-200 ml. The water should be warm.

9. A rather familiar position: sitting on the top shelf, with your legs dangling down, and your head held up to the ceiling - is not at all good for staying in a sauna, because the temperature difference between head and legs can reach 30 degrees, but, in fact, you need your legs keep warm and keep your head cold (and these are not empty words). Therefore, if possible, take a horizontal position.
It is even better that the legs are slightly higher than the body and head (in modern steam rooms, special slats are installed on the shelves). This arrangement facilitates the work of the heart.

10. You cannot abuse the time you spend in the steam room: if you “warm up” for 10-15 minutes, then the required time for a break should be 2 times longer.

11. Sitting on the lowest and coldest bench of the steam room for the sake of a longer stay in the sauna does not make any sense.

12. Dousing does not make sense either. warm water instead of a cold one, because it is in combination with contrasting procedures that a visit to the sauna becomes useful and enjoyable.

13. A sudden transition from a hot bath to a cold one is not recommended. Note: “abrupt transition”! Adaptation just takes a certain amount of time to adjust, that's all. And coolness and relaxation are an integral part of the bathhouse.

14. You should not visit the sauna when you are very tired or just before bed.

STEAMING PROCEDURE

1. For the first entry into the sauna, the recommended temperature is 80-90°, maximum 110°C. The air may be dry at first. Then increase the humidity by throwing water onto the heater stones. Using a broom is not recommended during the first round (entering the sauna), since the skin has not yet softened enough.

2. When entering the sauna for the first time, sit or lie on the lowest shelf to gradually get used to the temperature (the higher you are, the hotter the steam). Do not speak. Breathe slowly through your nose (not your mouth!). If you feel hot to breathe, cover your nose with your palms. If you are lying down, sit for a couple of minutes before leaving the sauna. After leaving, cool your body in the shower, pool or special cooling room.

3. In order to evenly warm up all parts of the body, it is necessary to change the position after a while - first lie on your side, then on your back, on the other side and on your stomach, alternately exposing one or another part of the body to the hot steam.

4. The sauna can be visited in several sessions. Each session should last a minimum of 7 minutes - a maximum of 15. In some saunas, special saunas are installed on the walls. hourglass, with which you can track the time spent in the sauna.

5. After each “entry” you should lie down on special cots for the same amount of time (or preferably 2 times longer) as you were in the sauna - this will help restore normal activity of cardio-vascular system.At this time, you can drink juice, tea, kvass or herbal decoction.

6. "Give me fever and I can cure any disease." -Hippocrates. Being in a steam room can be the most energy-consuming activity of your entire day. High temperature creates an artificial heat, a “fever,” and forces every organ of the body to work actively. While you are outwardly relaxed, your internal organs as active as when jogging or mowing the lawn. At the same time, highlighting a large number of sweat, you cleanse yourself from the inside through the skin, the largest organ of the body.

7. You're supposed to sweat in the bathhouse! Sweating is very important for our body, just like nutrition and breathing. It does three important functions: rids the body of toxins, sets the body temperature at 37° C, and also helps keep the skin clean and elastic. But many sauna visitors know little about sweating. Therefore, many people start completely wrong: having climbed onto the shelves, they immediately throw two or three ladles of water onto the hot stones. This leads to sudden heat shock, a shock to the skin that paralyzes the normal activity of the sweat glands. It takes time to sweat properly. To produce sweat, a steamer sitting on a shelf at rest needs to increase his body temperature by several degrees, as if artificially inducing a fever. This takes 8-12 minutes, depending on the individual’s ability to sweat. Increasing the temperature of the bath does not accelerate the onset of sweat; in this respect, an 80-degree bath is not inferior to a 100-degree one. In a bath that is too hot and dry, sweat dries immediately after being released on the skin.

8. After leaving the steam room (this applies to everyone), you should not immediately go to bed to rest, you need to walk around for 2-3 minutes, doing breathing exercises. After this, it is recommended to rinse under a warm shower. Before re-entering the steam room, perform 3-4 exercises and take a warm shower for 1-1.5 minutes. To maintain heat and continue sweating, you can drink a glass of strong tea or a fortified drink. You should not drink in one gulp, but in small sips.

9. In total, you can spend no more than 35 minutes in the steam room, regardless of the number of visits. Before each of them you need to rest for 10–20 minutes. Although some sources claim that if your health allows it, if you feel good after being in the steam room for a long time, then “You can make as many visits as you want!” However, the entire sauna session should not last more than three hours!”

10. So, the cycle of all procedures in the sauna may take 2-3 hours, but no more.

My husband and I were also worried about the question “How many times a week can I take a sauna?” After all, having arrived for a week in a house with a sauna, we, of course, visited it every day and more than once. So it is possible?

If you are relatively healthy and are not trying to test your endurance in the steam room, then you can visit the sauna as much as you want. There are no restrictions, everything is individual! Just don’t forget to apply moisturizing milk or cream to your skin after the procedure!

ESSENTIAL OILS FOR SAUNA

Essential oils are ideal for taking a sauna, imbuing this procedure with additional healing qualities. In the hot air of a sauna, aromatic hydrocarbons act very actively, penetrating the body through the skin (lymphatic pathway), through the nose (reflex-associative pathway), and have a beneficial effect on the skin, respiratory system, immune and nervous systems. Essential oils with light, transparent, fresh, subtle and cool aroma shades are more suitable for a sauna, providing easy adaptation to its microclimate.

In a sauna (bath), you should place a heat-resistant vessel (50-100 ml) with a wide neck, filled with water with the addition of essential oils (up to 10 drops per 15 m2), next to the heat source; this mixture can also be sprinkled on wooden benches and walls. You should not apply essential oils directly to hot stones.

Procedure time. Increases gradually from 3 to 20 minutes.

Aromatic oil mixtures for sauna:

Removal of toxins: juniper, lemon, sandalwood. Proportions: 4 drops + 4 drops + 2 drops.
- Strengthening nerves: bergamot, ylang-ylang, orange. Proportions: 5 drops + drops + 3 drops.
- Elimination of cellulite: lemon, juniper, tangerine. Proportions: 7 drops + 5 drops +5 drops.
- For hardening: eucalyptus, spruce, mint. Proportions: 5 drops + 5 drops + 3 drops.
- For skin renewal: rose, lemon, lavender. Proportions: 3 drops + 3 drops + 4 drops.
- For mental relief: essential oils of coniferous plants and lavender, a combination of myrrh and incense (frankincense) oils.
- Toning: mint, eucalyptus and lemon oils.
- For colds: a combination of sage and thyme essential oils.

Be careful when dosing oils. It is enough to put a few drops into a bottle of water and irrigate the steam room with this mixture. The oil not only provides a pleasant environment, but also beneficial effect to your health.

Precautionary measures
The essential oil mixture is a potent product.

Strictly follow the precautions:
- do not use in pure form;
- do not use internally;
- avoid getting hit essential oil in the eyes, in case of contact, rinse the eyes thoroughly with cold water; if the burning sensation does not go away, consult a doctor;
- Keep out of the reach of children;
- keep away from pets;
- keep away from food products.

Contraindications:
Individual intolerance to oil.
Do not use for people with allergic diseases and bronchial asthma.
Do not use during pregnancy or children.

IF YOU SWEAT POORLY.

I couldn’t help but pay attention to this issue, because it’s my problem.

Overheating often occurs due to low sweating. The fact is that sweat cools our skin, entering the so-called thermoregulation chain. If it does not appear, body temperature and blood pressure rise sharply. And the body signals this with dizziness. To activate sweating, massage your body with a soft mitten or towel. Honey also helps. The fruit acids it contains exfoliate the skin, free pores from impurities and facilitate sweating. In principle, any exfoliating procedures help (the easiest way is to exfoliate in the shower right before going in), as well as diaphoretic teas.

Just in case, take a damp, cool towel with you. At the slightest sign of dizziness, apply it to the forehead, to the back of the head or to the heart area. And very carefully, walking slowly, leave the steam room.

Many people in this sedentary age simply don't sweat enough at all, which makes sweating in a steam room especially desirable in this day and age. Various means anti-sweating, artificial environment, smog, synthetic clothing and a physically inactive lifestyle all contribute to clogged pores and healthy sweat production. When vaping, this negative effect is replaced by a positive one.

When you sit in a steam room, nerve endings sensitive to thermal stimuli produce acetylcholine, a substance that activates the 2.3 million sweat glands located in the skin. But not all of them react to irritation. Aprocine sweat glands, located in the pubic area and armpits, are activated only by emotional stimuli. They also form a slight odor, the function of which is perhaps to stimulate sexual desire.

Sweat also has the function of accumulating waste. In 15 minutes spent in a sauna, the same amount of heavy metals can be released in sweat as in 24 hours of kidney function. 99% of what sweat carries to the surface of the skin is water, and the remaining one percent is the most unwanted waste. Excess salts excreted in sweat are considered beneficial for cases of mild overexertion. Some psychiatric clinics use the sauna in their rehabilitation programs to calm patients.

A metabolic byproduct, urine, if not excreted regularly, can cause headaches, nausea, and in extreme cases, vomiting, coma, and even death. Sweating is such an effective detoxifier that some doctors recommend a home sauna as an additional "kidney machine." Sweat also removes lactic acid, which causes muscle tension and general fatigue. It removes toxic metals such as copper, lead, zinc and mercury that the body absorbs from the environment.

Due to its excretory functions skin sometimes called the third kidney. It is much more complex than the kidneys themselves or any other organ, not counting the brain. In the skin are blood vessels, nerve endings, vessels carrying lymph, pigment, fat glands, hair follicles, cells that protect against the penetration of water and bacteria, and of course, tubular sweat glands located in rings. The skin is so important that death from accumulated toxins can occur within hours if the skin and its sweat passages are closed.

Moreover, by combining steaming with the use of a loofah or a rough brush, you can remove dry skin cells that accumulate on the epidermis. If they are not removed, they clog the sweat glands and oil ducts, causing the skin to dry out and peel.

When combined with regular steaming, extra doses of vitamins B2 and E help maintain fresh skin. Cayenne pepper, ginger, peppermint are great herbs that, when taken orally, promote sweating and healthy skin.

AFTER THE SAUNA

At the end of the procedure, you must take a shower again and wash your hair. Since during a sauna our body loses water and the skin becomes dry, after taking a shower, be sure to use a moisturizing lotion or body milk. Clothes should be put on only after you have cooled down and stopped sweating.

As you know, the sauna has a beneficial effect on our skin; it opens the pores, which means it cleanses the skin of all dirt. This feature is important for women who maintain their skin beautiful and youthful. To do this, immediately after taking a sauna you should make masks. While the skin is steamed, you need to apply a facial scrub, and then any moisturizing mask. If there are no cosmetics nearby, you can apply whatever you have on hand (yogurt, sour cream, fresh berries and fruits - strawberries, peach, apricot), you can make a cucumber or oatmeal mask. Your skin will thank you and delight you with a healthy glow.

It is recommended to drink after the sauna natural juices, fortified drinks and strong tea (not black!). This will not only replenish the water balance, but also stabilize the metabolism, and also give the whole process an aromatic piquancy.

It is better not to drink black tea and coffee in the bath: they excite nervous system, which is absolutely useless for a relaxed body. Beer is also despised by experienced bathhouse attendants: the alcohol and heavy wort of this drink increase dehydration of the body and block the removal of toxins. It's better to drink in the bathhouse mineral water or herbal tea.

You will need:

Features of the procedure

We will talk about dry-air baths, as they have the most acceptable level of humidity. You, of course, can take a risk and go to more “severe” species, but we won’t talk about the consequences of such trips, since even scientists have not yet fully studied this issue.

Almost everyone is talking about the healing potential of dry air baths, and over the past decades, many studies have been published on this topic. Most of them were published by the Finnish Sauna Society.

As a rule, the temperature in standard steam rooms is from 60 to 100 degrees. The air is dry, but it can be moistened by splashing water on the stones.

It is not advisable to breathe dry air; you can damage your respiratory organs. Well, what is a sauna without swimming in a cool pool or without a refreshing shower?

And if you also have a broom at hand, or as the Finns say “vihta”, God himself ordered you to use it.

How long to visit

This is an individual question. Try to learn to listen to your body and understand what exactly it feels.

First, pay attention to the temperature in the sauna.

When making your first visit at a temperature of 70-80 degrees, stay in the steam room for no more than 5 minutes, and at 100 - about 3.

You have every right to visit it at any time and as many times as you want. Just do not organize endurance competitions under any circumstances - it is unsafe.

How to take it correctly

Read and remember:

• Ideal period general location in the sauna from 1.5 to 2 hours.
• Prepare clean underwear in advance to dress after the procedure.
• Before entering the steam room, it is better to take a shower or immerse yourself in water for a short time. This process will cleanse the skin and eliminate the smell of sweat.
• After a shower, enter the sauna without drying your body.
• To avoid frying your buttocks, use a small towel as a pad.
• Wear a wool cap on your head every time you go.
• After a few minutes in the steam room, the skin pores will open. After the first procedure, go into a cool room and cool down again. The next approach will be longer.
• Try to relax as much as possible.
• It is not recommended to drink alcohol beforehand. Drink better tea with herbs, mineral water or kvass.

Detailed Process

• So, you enter the steam room for the first circle. The air in the cabin will seem very dry, so you will need to splash water on the stones to add steam.

If you feel discomfort, leave the booth immediately. Then you will need to cool down a bit by taking a shower or swimming in the pool. You can also drink some liquid.

• When you enter the second time, stay in the steam room longer by climbing one shelf higher. Now is the time to use the broom. Basically, you can repeat the cycle many times until you get tired or feel discomfort. As a rule, 3-4 visits will be enough for most people. You can increase this number to 10, depending on how you feel.
• At the final stage, be sure to cool off in the shower or pool and dry off with a towel. You can even just lie down for a few minutes, close your eyes and completely relax. Also remember that after a sauna it is not advisable to suddenly become hypothermic, since the body is hypersensitive immediately after. Cool down a little time and then go out with peace of mind!

The sauna has a lot positive influences on the human body. Some effects are very useful for a pregnant woman. But is it really possible for a woman who is carrying a child to visit such establishments? It is possible, but only after the doctor's permission. He must confirm that there are no complications in the mother and the unborn child. If your doctor allows it, follow these rules:

1. A hat and slippers are a must-have. A hat will reduce the impact of hot temperatures on your hair and head. The shoes do not cause slipping, which often happens. It will also reduce the risk of disease viral infections skin.
2. Do not use the sauna alone. Someone must be with you.
3. No alcohol. This is contraindicated for pregnant women.
4. Water and green tea in cases of thirst.
5. If you feel your condition worsening, leave the room immediately.

For women who are pregnant, special groups have been created in which pregnant women visit the sauna together with an instructor. Exactly the same as on

Are there any rules for visiting the sauna?

Various experts and simply bathhouse lovers give recommendations, which often differ radically. What's the matter? Probably the fact is that almost all foreign publications are devoted to the effects on the body Finnish sauna, since the Russian bathhouse is basically national peculiarity only our country. Not all representatives of other nations are able to withstand the loads created by a Russian bath, and even enjoy it. Therefore, this article will focus on procedures at temperatures of 50 - 100°C and relative humidity air< 20%.

Such conditions are created by the Finnish sauna.

Scientists different countries around the world are studying the healing potential of dry air baths. Over the past decades, a lot of research on this topic has been published around the world. Naturally, the Finnish Sauna Society is most active in this area.

Temperatures in a sauna usually range from 60 to 100°C (in the Russian version - up to 120°). The air is dry, but its humidity can be raised by splashing water on the stones - contrary to popular belief, steam in the sauna is not prohibited. If the air is completely dry, it can be harmful respiratory organs. The sauna is completed with a shower or a swim in the cool pool. Most Finns believe that a sauna is nothing without a refreshing dip in a cool lake. If you have a broom (vihta in Finnish), it’s also not a sin to use it.

How long can you steam in a sauna?

It's very individual. Learn to listen to your body and trust your feelings. Time is highly dependent on temperature. Experts advise staying in the steam room for about 5 minutes on your first visit. at temperatures 70-80°C, and no more than 3 minutes. at 100°C. After that, after cooling down a bit and taking a shower, you can go to longer time- 6-10 minutes. But if you feel like you need a break, leave immediately.

How often can you take a sauna?

If you are absolutely healthy, you can visit her as you wish, without restrictions. If you don’t set records or organize stupid endurance competitions, then the sauna is completely safe.

Rules for visiting the sauna

• You should set aside at least an hour and a half for the sauna.
• Leave your clothes in the locker room. Have clean underwear ready to dress after the sauna.
• Before entering the steam room, immerse yourself in water or take a shower. This will cleanse the skin and eliminate the smell of sweat, which is completely unacceptable in a sauna.
• Take a sheet or small towel so you have something to sit on. Put it on your head felt hat or a woolen hat.
• Without drying yourself, go into the sauna.
• After sitting for a few minutes, wait until the skin pores open. After this, go to a cool room to cool down and take a shower again before the next, longer session.
• While enjoying the warmth, you need to completely relax. A sauna is not a physical room in a clinic. She treasures priceless minutes of peaceful relaxation.

So, you entered the steam room for the first time. The recommended temperature is 80-90°C. At first the air will be quite dry. Splash water on the stones to create steam. It is not recommended to use a broom for the first time - the skin, as a rule, is not yet steamed enough and can be easily injured.

Leave the steam room immediately as soon as you feel discomfort. Now you need to cool down - take a shower, swim in the pool, or just sit in the relaxation room. You can drink if you are thirsty, but remember - sauna and alcohol are incompatible.

Go to the steam room again. Now you can allow yourself to sit a little longer or climb higher. You can also let a couple in more. Now you can use a broom.
Cool down again.

Repeat the cycle as much as you want. The same applies to a broom: you can continue to whip until you feel discomfort. Most people are content with 2-3 passes, while some are not satisfied with even 10. All this is very individual.

Finally, cool off your body in the pool or shower. Dry with a towel or simply dry. You can simply lie down, close your eyes and relax for a while.

After the bath procedure, you can drink some refreshing drink and eat something light and salty.

Before getting dressed, be sure to cool down for some time. Otherwise, sweating will continue. However, you should not overcool - the body is especially sensitive after a sauna.

The effect of a dry air bath lasts about a week. In accordance with this, novice users are recommended to have weekly sessions for 4-5 months. Then follows a break for 3 - 4 months. In this case, a visit to the sauna, according to the recommendations of doctors, is as follows.

The day before the session should be structured so that before entering the steam room there is no feeling of fatigue, hunger, or hypothermic hands and feet. Alcohol is excluded. Beginners are recommended to take a warm foot bath before entering and warm up their face with a hot towel.

When you enter the steam room, sit down or lie down on the bottom shelf for 2-4 minutes, then lie down for the same amount of time on the top shelf, and the same amount on the bottom, and then go to a cool room. Thus, one entry into the steam room will take 5-12 minutes. During your stay in the steam room, try to completely relax, get out of your head. negative thoughts and don't engage in conversations. If you are steaming lying down, place your legs above your head. The last approach is made only while sitting on the bottom shelf. Cool down in the shower or pool for no more than 10 minutes. The cycle is completed in 15-20 minutes. rest in a dry, warm and ventilated room. The cycle duration is generally 30-45 minutes. It is better to limit the session to 2 or 3 cycles, with a mandatory rest after the session for 30-40 minutes.

Many people like to go to the sauna, some have even made a special tradition for themselves to visit the sauna with friends every certain period of time. But before you go there, you still need to prepare.

How to use a sauna correctly - sauna and visiting rules

Before going to the sauna, you should wash yourself thoroughly, preferably with soap and a washcloth, and then dry yourself. Bring with you either a special sauna cap, a loose woolen cap, or a cotton scarf. Take along either a sheet or a large towel. After that you can come in.

You shouldn’t pretend to be a hero and sit in the sauna for half an hour; the first session should be no longer than 9 – 10 minutes. The most optimal position is considered to be lying down, on a towel or sheet. Basically, our body tries to tell us everything, and if you feel that your heartbeat and breathing have increased, it means that you better go out and cool down. You shouldn’t run out headlong when you feel these symptoms. Before you go out, sit down, lower your legs, and sit in this position. This is necessary to prevent your head from spinning, which occurs due to the redistribution of blood.

After the first entry, plunge into cold water. For some, gradual entry is suitable, and for others, abrupt entry, determine what suits you, and do so constantly.

The second time you enter, you can be there for about 12 minutes. After this, it is advisable to take a cold shower, then wash it off with a warm one, you can even wash your hair with shampoo. It will be very useful to drink herbal tea with lemon (or without, as you like).

The sauna is very similar in its effect on a person to a Russian bathhouse. When going to the steam room, any person will feel some strain on their heart and lungs. If we compare a steam bath and a sauna, we can say that in the bath itself the temperature reaches 40-50°C, and the humidity reaches 100%. It is advisable to visit the bathhouse for more seasoned people who have good physical training. While a sauna can accommodate even less ready people these could be people recovering from an illness, elderly people, older people, or vice versa - children (but you should not take a child with you if he is under three years old). Temperature indicator in the sauna it rises to 80-100°C.

That is why, if you want to build your own sauna, make it by analogy with log bathhouses. Wooden buildings, called log buildings, are the best and most suitable materials when building a classic sauna. Therefore, when starting construction, first of all, select suitable logs for yourself - this will be the most the right choice. Did you know that sometimes when building baths, builders may not use a single nail?

In general, if you have not yet introduced such a tradition, then quickly call your closest friends and go to the sauna. Such a pastime will not only bring you joy, but will also have a good effect on your health. And if this really becomes a tradition, then your body will be strengthened, and you will completely forget about health problems.