Steam + heat is the formula of Russian baths, which promote deep warming of the whole body. The temperature in such rooms is approximately +70 degrees, but the humidity reaches 100%. Such a bath consists of a steam room and a dressing room, as well as a washing compartment, which can be separated from the steam room or combined with it. In the steam room there is a stove with round cobblestones, which, after heating, are watered with special prepared water mixed with medicinal plants.
How to properly take a steam bath in a Russian bath
Steam action
When the body enters an environment with a temperature exceeding 36.6 degrees, it begins to actively secrete sweat, trying to avoid overheating. This feature is also used in the bathhouse. How is this useful? It's simple, a lot of completely unnecessary substances accumulate in the fat under the skin, and with profuse sweating they all come out.
Sweat in the bath
Steam helps open pores and increase blood circulation, which manifests itself through redness of the skin. At the same time, “active processes” occur not only on the outside, but also in the internal organs, as the blood begins to deliver the required volumes of nutrients.
How steam works
Taking all this into account, it can be explained why it is recommended to drink as much liquid as possible during bath procedures. But, not in one gulp, and not chilled sodas, but exclusively fruit drinks, compotes or herbal teas. Such liquid is not removed from the body, but spreads evenly throughout the body and restores lost reserves.
Bath tea party
Here we need to mention the quite popular diving into cold water (wiping with snow, dousing with ice water). This ritual helps to quickly close the pores and the following happens: hot blood from the skin “goes” into the deeper layers of the body, thereby warming them up. The next visit to the steam room activates the body’s work not only on the skin, but also in the internal organs.
Diving into the snow
Swimming in an ice hole
Steam is cold, a combination that cannot be avoided without interruptions. They are needed to restore strength (the load on the heart in the baths is quite large), and to replenish fluid reserves in the body.
We build a Russian bathhouse with our own hands
As a rule, a strip or column foundation is used as a base for a bathhouse. The tape type is considered stronger and more resistant to soil displacement, but the work on its construction is quite labor-intensive and requires a fairly large amount of material. This leads to the fact that the price of construction almost doubles.
The foundation is poured
A columnar foundation will be good for small structures that will not place a large load on the ground. In this case, you will need to place posts at each corner of the structure and in places where the internal and external load-bearing walls will combine.
When laying the foundation, you should also take care of arranging the base for the stove. The location of the stove should be chosen in such a way that it can simultaneously heat the dressing room and washing room, as well as the steam room.
Walling
The best material for building a Russian bathhouse is, of course, wood. It not only retains heat well, but also allows air to pass through well, thereby creating more comfort and coziness in the room.
When using this material, two options are possible:
- construction of walls from logs;
Log construction
- construction of walls from timber.
- log bathhouse. To build it, you will need to select logs with the same diameter and carefully trim them. The walls of such a bathhouse are called crowns; their laying should begin with logs with the largest diameter, gradually reducing this figure;
- a bathhouse made of timber, unlike the previous version of the structure, shrinks less, and it is assembled much faster and easier.
Simple design
In both of these cases, you will need to ensure that the lower 5 crowns are treated using an antiseptic. To achieve the best seal, you will need to caulk the gaps between the logs. For these purposes, you can use felt or dry moss.
We caulk the log house
This procedure must be carried out at least 2 times - immediately after construction work and after shrinkage of the walls of the building. Do not forget to pierce all caulked seams with wooden slats.
Floors
The floors in the bathhouse can be made of concrete, clay, or wood. Clay floors will not allow air to pass through, but moisture will stagnate in their cracks, thereby creating a very unpleasant odor in the bathhouse. Wood, on the other hand, quickly absorbs moisture, but does not dry quickly enough, which can lead to the floors rotting and quickly becoming unusable.
Concrete floor
So the best option for you is concrete floors, which you will need to cover with tiles in the future. And to minimize the discomfort of walking on a cold floor, you can cover such floors with wooden sheathing or use cork mats for this purpose.
The order of work is as follows:
- To arrange the floor in the bathhouse, you must first prepare the base. To do this, lay a layer of sand no more than 10 cm thick and compact it well. Then pour crushed stone in a 10 cm layer. You will need to compact it and level it;
- Spread roofing material on top so that it overlaps the walls, thereby ensuring waterproofing of the floor. It will be possible to put a screed on it, but at the same time, not forgetting about the slope towards the drain;
Alternating layers when arranging the floor
- In the washing room and steam room, it is best to cover the floor with tiles, but in the dressing room or relaxation room you can lay simple wooden floors.
Wooden floor
Note! In order for your floors to last a long time, you need to keep them dry at all times. So, when arranging them, you should also take care of good ventilation in the bathhouse complex.
Roof construction
During the construction of the roof of the bathhouse, you should adhere to certain rules, which are contained in the installation instructions.
When arranging the roof of a given room, two types of construction are usually used:
- without attic;
- attic
The attic roof looks presentable and also has good thermal insulation. Such designs will be indispensable when using a bathhouse in winter.
They divide the roof according to the following indicators:
It is advisable to use non-attic structures when the building is being erected in a country house and it is planned to use the bathhouse only in the summer.
Ceiling
In small buildings, as well as in structures without an attic, floor ceilings are used. In this case, you will have to lay boards on the walls at a distance of 250 cm from each other, and then lay a vapor barrier material on them, as well as insulation.
But such structures have one drawback - they are very difficult to install yourself, but they can be made from leftover building materials. In this regard, such designs can be called the most economical.
Ceiling design
Installation of panel-type ceilings is carried out using panels, which consist of several bars, sheathing, heat and vapor barriers, as well as waterproofing and an external drain.
Panel ceilings
Safety regulations
Vodka and a good snack in between steam rooms - tempting, but dangerous. Such a trip to the bathhouse will not only not bring benefits, but can also lead to multiple problems.
Alcohol in a bathhouse greatly increases blood pressure. It is dangerous to health and even life
The Russian bath does not tolerate if:
- the interval between a heavy meal and entering the steam room is less than 2 hours;
- the body is saturated with alcohol;
- cold liquid is taken in between visits to the steam room;
- While relaxing, he smokes a cigarette.
It is strictly forbidden to visit the steam room without first removing any jewelry, cosmetics and putting a hat on your head.
Do not enter the steam room wearing jewelry or without a hat.
In order to avoid heat stroke, you should not wet your hair before visiting the steam room for the first time, but taking a shower without soap is a must.
The amount of time spent in the steam room, which is 10 minutes at a temperature of 90 degrees and a humidity of 10%, should not exceed the time spent in the dressing room.
It is strictly not recommended to use a towel after a steam room or shower, as it will start the sweating process again. Namely, the air will dry the skin during the break.
Bathhouse layout
Construction work, you must begin by drawing up a plan for your future construction. In the plan, you will need to display the number of rooms in a given room, take into account the drainage of wastewater and the input of communications.
Building plan
Ideally, do-it-yourself Russian bathhouse drawings should include the following:
- vestibule;
- dressing room;
- restroom;
- steam room;
- washing room
It is better to separate the rooms
Note! Many people, to save space in the bathhouse, combine a washing room and a steam room or a vestibule with a dressing room. In this case, it is worth considering that not everyone likes to wash and steam in a room that is too hot. So such a combination can bring a number of inconveniences.
The steam room in the bath complex should be spacious; at least 2 people should fit in it quite comfortably. But at the same time, it is also not advisable to make it too large, since in this case it will be quite problematic to heat it well. Typically, an area of 4 m2 is sufficient for a steam room.
Common project
If you want to build a large building and the area of the site allows you to do so, then it would be advisable to increase the area of the bathhouse relaxation room. But you should not neglect the arrangement of the vestibule, as it will serve as a kind of obstacle to the penetration of cold air from the street into the room.
Benefits and harms
The bath is a great way to improve your health and get rid of many diseases. Even scientists have proven that the effectiveness of a bath procedure can be compared to a good dosed workout.
Features of visiting the bathhouse
Obvious for
The healing properties of steam have been known since ancient times, and this is evidenced by many ancient structures that used hot heated stones and water. The beneficial properties are based on the alternation of low and high temperatures with constant high humidity. This leads to active sweating and accelerated blood circulation. Properly selected brooms also enhance the effect.
The benefits of a bath
Undoubted advantages
- Relaxation after psychological and physical stress. Steam relaxes muscles and restores performance.
- Improved blood circulation.
- Restoring metabolism by removing waste and toxins through profuse sweating.
- A remedy for eliminating excess weight. High temperatures “melt” the fat layer.
- Cosmetic effect. Accelerated blood flow eliminates venous congestion, smoothes wrinkles and expands pores, cleansing them.
- Treatment of colds - sweat helps remove infections from the body. And if you add a pine broom to your bath procedures, you can strengthen your immune system and neutralize bacteria.
- Treatment of radiculitis and back pain by warming up all muscle groups.
- Treatment of vegetative-vascular dystonia - a combination of heat and cold strengthens blood vessels and reduces the symptoms of the disease to nothing.
Bath for beauty and health
The Russian bathhouse is recommended for those who suffer from diseases of the musculoskeletal system, migraines, kidney diseases, high or low blood pressure, and chronic respiratory diseases.
Video - How a bath affects the human body
Contraindications
Unfortunately, there are also diseases for which visiting a Russian bathhouse is strictly prohibited.
This is about:
- oncological diseases;
- epilepsy;
- heart failure (heart defects, heart attack);
- acute respiratory diseases (pneumonia or bronchitis);
Children under 4 years of age, elderly people and pregnant women are not allowed to visit the steam room. Otherwise, there are no contraindications.
