Baths of different nations of the world: rules of use and design photos

In one port city, famous for its humor, when asked: “which bathhouse is the best,” it is customary to answer: “the one that is closest to home.” However, serious experts in the field of bath technologies are still, without sparing themselves, fighting in heated debates, trying to identify the best and most useful bathhouse from the wide range that all bathhouses in the world represent. Maybe we should try it too?

The roots of the modern Russian bath

It is not known exactly when exactly it entered the life of the Eastern Slavs, but we know that life in Rus' has always been closely connected with the bathhouse. This probably happened back in the days of paganism, and since then the bathhouse has been perceived not only as a place for ablutions, but also as a cleansing of the human spirit. The importance of these procedures for our ancestors is evidenced by the fact that when an agreement was concluded with Byzantium in 907, it included a separate clause stating that the ambassadors of Kievan Rus could freely visit the baths of Constantinople. Also, mention of the Russian bathhouse is found in the legendary chronicle “The Tale of Bygone Years” (dating back to the beginning of the 12th century).

In the past, people in villages took a black bath. The bath building was a wooden frame without a chimney, and the fireplace was located directly in the steam room. The hearth was covered with a special grate on which stones lay. When the wood in the hearth burned, it heated the stones. Smoke came out through a small window and an open door. At the same time, the floor, ceiling and walls in the steam room were evenly heated. The walls were covered with soot. It was believed that she disinfected the tree.

In this way, the bathhouse was heated for two to three hours, after which the ash and coals were taken out of the steam room, and people could go and take a steam bath. It is noteworthy that in the past, births even took place in a steam room heated in this way. For comparison, a white sauna is now common, in which the stove is located in the dressing room, and not in the steam room. The building itself has a chimney, and therefore the smoke does not enter the steam room, but is immediately discharged outside.

Most often, bathhouses were built near ponds, into which steaming people jumped even in winter to cool off their bodies, which horrified visiting foreigners. They were no less surprised by the tradition of rubbing the body heated in the steam room with snow. Saturday was considered a bath day in Rus', when people spent half a day heating a steam room to relax in it after a week of work.

It is noteworthy that in home baths it was customary for everyone to take a steam bath together - women, men, and children. But in public baths, a ban was still introduced on staying together in the steam room, and there were separate male and female halves. And in the middle of the 18th century, there was even a ban on male children over seven years old being in the female quarters.

In the 19th century, they began to keep records of bathhouse establishments, and the following data has reached us that at the beginning of the century before last, in Moscow alone there were officially seventy state-owned bathhouses and about one and a half thousand private steam rooms. At the beginning of the twentieth century, even every medical institution had a bath complex at its disposal. By that time, doctors appreciated the beneficial effects of bath procedures on human health and began to prescribe them for the treatment of a number of diseases. For example, obesity, gout, rheumatism and many other ailments were treated in the steam room.

In 1808, the famous Sandunovsky baths were opened in Moscow, which still operate today, enjoying fame among modern steam lovers.

Gellert Baths

The most famous bath complex in Hungary, Gellert, was opened in 1918.

In the 1930s, balls were held here: the pool was covered with a glass floor, and the orchestra was placed in the gallery. The Gellert Thermal Baths are an undoubted masterpiece in the Art Nouveau style.

By the way, in the Budapest thermal baths, a massage using fragrant oils is not only a relaxing, but also a therapeutic procedure.

Bathing traditions of northern Europe

The most famous type of European bath in our area is the Finnish sauna. Its distinctive feature is very high temperatures (up to one hundred degrees) with low humidity. You won't see thick steam here. Extremely high temperatures in tandem with dry air cause the human body to quickly begin to remove fluid from the body, and sweat immediately evaporates directly from the surface of the skin. This way the skin is protected from overheating.

You should not enter the sauna with metal objects on your body, as under the influence of high temperatures they will quickly heat up and can burn you. Therefore, it is better to leave all rings, earrings and chains at home. But you need to take a long towel with you to the steam room to cover the wooden bench in the sauna. Without this accessory, you risk burning your body.

Another northern European power, Germany, has very interesting bathing traditions. In the modern culture of this country, large bath complexes are developed, divided into two parts. In one there are baths, and in the second you can have fun in pools with water slides. It is interesting that if you are allowed to wear swimming trunks and swimsuits in the pools, then in the bathhouse you must take off even these skimpy clothes. It is allowed to cover nudity with towels. The ban on swimsuits is due to the fact that local bathhouse attendants are confident that synthetic fabrics, when exposed to high humidity and high temperatures, begin to evaporate harmful substances. For the same reason, rubber slippers are prohibited in bathhouses in Germany.

Another feature of German baths is that they are considered a place for family time, and therefore there is no division into female and male halves. And the central event in the German bath is the so-called aufguss. This is a special and spectacular procedure, the likes of which are not found in other cultures. It consists in the fact that at a certain time in the steam room the bathhouse attendant begins to pour water on the stones on the stove. At the same time, aromatic essential oils are added to the water, and the room is filled with fragrant odors. After this, the bath attendant, using a special fan, begins to disperse the fragrant steam across the ceiling of the steam room and fan people with it, sprinkling jokes and jokes. The entire procedure takes up to 12 minutes, during which visitors are not allowed to walk in or out of the room so as not to let off steam.

In Iceland, baths make the most of the rich possibilities of nature. A key place is given to pools filled with volcanic thermal water.

These pools have special holes through which water flows into them. The walls in an Icelandic bath must be made of stone. They heat up and over time begin to release heat back into the room, which helps maintain a constant high temperature. But the steam in the hall is formed naturally - from the evaporation of thermal water from the pool.

Bath complex "Bani Alekseeva"

Location: Moscow region, Podolsk, General Smirnov street, building 1, building 1.

“Bani Alekseeva” is another record holder. In the same Russian Book of Records it is noted as the largest public bath complex in our country. The building is amazingly beautiful both outside and inside: the space is decorated with marble columns, gilding, mirrors, and wood carvings.

Bathhouse lovers appreciate this place for its good service, high-quality steaming services and washing in a soapy bath with an ice bath. After steaming (the temperature in the steam room reaches 84 degrees), you can plunge into the ice plunge pool. Women's Day - Tuesday; on other days the bathhouse is open for men.

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Publication from Banya Alekseeva (@banialekseeva) 2 Oct 2020 at 10:58 PDT

“Tasty steam” sessions are held according to the schedule: depending on the time and day of the week, sweet clover, mint, wormwood, fir are used, as well as rather unusual aromas of garlic, horseradish and even beer. Massage services are available.

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French charm and English restraint in the bathhouse

Not much is known about the bathing traditions of aristocratic France, since it did not introduce any unique features into the global movement of steam lovers. But this picturesque region also has its own distinctive bathhouse traditions and rituals. The French prefer to steam in comfort and avoid extreme temperatures.

Having entered the bath complex and undressed, visitors first go to a special warm room. There they sit down on benches and wait for their bodies to warm up a little and prepare for the next procedure. Then they go into the steam room. True, for a Russian person, the French steam room can be called that with a big stretch, because the air temperature in it does not exceed forty degrees. At the same time, the air humidity in the bath is maintained at 60%.

But the main distinguishing feature of French baths is the next stage - visiting the bathroom. The person moves to another room where he takes a fragrant bath. He can independently choose which oils to add to his water, or listen to the opinion of a complex employee.

The Irish bathhouse is also of interest. Unlike the Finnish sauna, it does not knock the visitor off his feet with high temperatures. The Irish bath complex is divided into three rooms with different thermal conditions.

Distinctive features of baths in Ireland

There in the steam room you will not find a heater on which water is poured to give off steam. But the person still sweats profusely, while it is easy for him to breathe, and he experiences comfortable relaxation. The room is heated with hot air, which comes from a special stove and goes through pipes under the floor and along the walls.

The bathing traditions of the inhabitants of Foggy Albion have their own characteristics. The British also prefer average temperatures with low humidity. The air temperature in their bathhouse rarely exceeds 80 degrees, and they try to keep the humidity level below 50%. It’s difficult to call an English steam room or steam room, since there is no trace of steam there.

In this room of the English steam room it is customary to remain silent, relaxing in silence under the influence of the heat.

The most interesting stage in an English bath precedes the actual trip to the steam room. Before testing their body for heat resistance, the British, like the French, prefer to preheat the body. For this purpose, the bathhouse worker covers the client with hot stones - from the heels to the top of the head. The procedure takes about 15 minutes and is reminiscent of one of the areas of exotic massage - stone therapy.

After the steam room, residents of England go to a hall with a pool of cool water. In some cases, thermal water baths may be located in this room, since England also has hot springs. Visitors can also use the shower if they do not want to continue bathing procedures. Before leaving, clients drink a cup of tea in the relaxation room.

Liquidrom

In 2005, the Liquidrom sauna complex opened in Berlin, Germany.

This unique establishment is a synthesis of a nightclub with a sauna.

While relaxing in a huge seawater pool, you can listen to the latest DJ sets, relax in a salt cave, and enjoy the services of professional massage therapists.

If you are interested in looking at an unusual sauna in the shape of a golden egg, we recommend reading the article

Now, when, according to one well-known hero, everyone has a bathroom in their apartment, the bathhouse is perceived more as an element of culture and is an excellent form of relaxation. It’s good that now there are many varieties of such recreation, and everyone can choose the range of services and entertainment that suits them.

Baths with thermal springs

The tradition of public places for ablutions and leisure was founded by the ancient Romans, who could not imagine their life without visiting thermal baths. The main requirement for the construction of these establishments was that there should be thermal springs nearby. Thanks to the peculiarities of the Italian climate, there were no problems with this, and therefore every major city was literally strewn with thermal baths.

Not only wealthy patricians, but also poor plebeians could visit the baths - this issue was given great importance in Ancient Rome. Even baths for commoners could include the following areas:

• walking parks;
• extensive libraries;
• exercise facilities;
• conversation rooms.

And this does not include rooms with swimming pools and steam rooms. Thermae for wealthy citizens included all of the above premises, but they were striking in the richness of their decoration. They were all marble columns, chiseled sculptures and luxurious mosaics.

A special order of procedures was observed in the thermal baths. The person had to warm up gradually. First, he entered a warm room heated to 40 degrees. There was a swimming pool where you could relax. Then you should go to the steam room with an air temperature of up to 70 degrees. This hall also housed a thermal water pool. In the third room the temperature reached 85 degrees. After this, the visitor went to a cooler room, where he could cool down in the next pool. And the final chord was a visit to the massage room.

The heat in the baths had two sources. The first is the natural temperature of water from thermal springs. And the second was a special stove, located under the floor, heated with wood. The heat was enough to maintain a constant temperature in the rooms, as well as to warm the stone sun loungers and benches. Modern baths have retained the order of the arrangement of halls with different temperatures, but, of course, today's Italian baths no longer shine with their former splendor.

In Hungary, they adopted the tradition of Roman baths and began to build their public baths on thermal springs. The buildings themselves look incredibly luxurious and are a pleasure to visit. Unlike Germany, public baths in Hungary are divided into male and female halves. But the attitude towards swimsuits is the same - entry into the steam rooms is prohibited in them. It is customary here to cover nakedness with special aprons, reminiscent of a kitchen accessory. Men's models consist only of the lower part, while women's models are equipped with bibs.

The sulfur baths in Tbilisi are also interesting. These Georgian public steam rooms are built on thermal springs, the water of which contains large amounts of hydrogen sulfide. The baths are not as light as the Roman baths, since their architecture is slightly different. As a rule, bath complexes are located in semi-basements with windows near the ceiling. The interior is filled with marble and picturesque ceramic tiles.

The steam room in Georgia is traditional, and the main feature is the pools. A person can relax in sulfur baths with hot or cold water, as desired.

Bath structures

It's time to consider the different types of baths.