Today, a rack with bath accessories can be found in any home goods supermarket. And if you look into a specialized store, you can simply get lost in the assortment of accessories for baths and saunas! Bowls and tubs, containers for steaming brooms and the brooms themselves made of different materials, humidifiers and air flavors, thermometers, funny felt hats... How can you choose from this variety those things that will really be useful to you and will make visiting the steam room convenient? Let's try to figure it out.
Broom
Of course, a broom is the main attribute in a bathhouse. There is even a saying: A bath broom is older than the Tsar, if the Tsar takes a steam bath!
A broom is, by and large, a special medical instrument. Because it is capable of providing a powerful massage effect, improving blood circulation, increasing blood flow, and saturating the air with aromas. As a result, metabolism accelerates. And in the complex there is a healing and rejuvenating effect.
What are bath brooms made from?
Bath accessories: brooms made from deciduous tree branches
Brooms for the steam room are prepared from branches of deciduous trees: birch, linden, oak, rowan.
Birch broom
Traditional healers consider a broom made from flexible birch branches with elastic leaves to be the best. Because thanks to the aromas inhaled with steam and superficial massage, birch cleanses the skin pores. Broom leaves, when massaged, remove sweat and toxins from the skin. But it is known that the healing of the body begins with its cleansing.
The preparation of branches is usually done 10-15 days after the Trinity Day. At this time, the plant buds contain the maximum amount of flavonoids, resins, and essential oils. Young, recently blossoming leaves are rich in ascorbic and betulorethic acids, phytoncides and saponins. It is these substances that have a healing effect.
Oak broom
An oak broom is a classic bath attribute, especially recommended for oily skin. Because, thanks to the tannins, quercetin, and essential oils contained in the leaves, it helps cleanse the skin, restore its elasticity, and relieve inflammation. The esters released when the broom is steamed have a hypertensive effect.
Young elastic branches with young, medium-sized bright green leaves are prepared for the broom. It is better to take the lower branches, which receive the least amount of sunlight.
Brooms from other hardwoods
Linden brooms are prepared for the steam room. The aroma of linden has a calming effect, banishes insomnia and depression. The feeling of anxiety is relieved and the airways are cleared.
Eucalyptus brooms are less common, because the tree is southern. Eucalyptus leaves contain more than three percent essential oils, which, when inhaled, have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system and respiratory system. A properly prepared eucalyptus broom should have bright green leaves.
True experts add several stems of fragrant medicinal herbs to their bath brooms: wormwood, sage, chamomile, oregano, mint.
Coniferous brooms
Bath lovers highly value soft and fragrant fir brooms. Juniper trees are harsh and quite prickly, so only particularly persistent vapers use them.
You can find bamboo whisks in stores. Which can be used for light massage. But, to be honest, it is inferior to a traditional broom: there is no aroma.
Storage baskets
A great purchase is a plastic basket for storing bath accessories. So that all the bath trifles would be in one place, I purchased such a basket. This is one hundred percent certainty that you won’t forget anything when going to the bathhouse.
I keep shampoo in the basket because I often forgot to pick it up after the bath. The heat of the bath often caused the bottles to become deformed and the shampoo to spill out. It happened that the shampoo got so hot that it burned my hand.
There is a place in such a basket for soap and pumice. In addition, there are many holes in the basket, this guarantees that the soap will dry out after use.
Today I touched only on a small part of the bath accessories. In the future, I will talk in detail about what you need to take with you to the bathhouse, and why you need bath mittens. I’ll also tell you which ladles are best suited for a sauna.
Gangs and tubs
You can’t do a bathhouse without gangs, tubs, buckets and basins. The best material for bath utensils is wood. As a rule, they are made from oak or larch wood. Because this wood can withstand high humidity and heating to high temperatures well.
So what bath utensils are absolutely necessary?
Steamer
A steamer is a small container with a lid that has a hole for a broom handle. A bath broom is steaming in the steamer.
Gang for a bath
Bathhouses are most often made of cedar, pine or linden. Because their wood has a healing effect on humans. These are low but wide containers. Shakes are designed to rinse the body, usually with warm water.
Buckets
Buckets are intended for dousing with cold water after a steam room. Waterfalls are often made from buckets; this is a tipping system using a rope.
Tubs
These are wooden containers smaller than a bucket or bucket. As a rule, they have two short handles on the sides. Herbal infusions are steamed in tubs and aromatic oils are diluted.
How to choose a gang?
To buy the right utensils, you need to consider several important principles:
- Number of users. It is better if this item is individual, i.e. individually selected for each person. For these purposes, there are small bottles with a volume of 5 liters of water. If utensils are purchased for a whole company, you will have to look for a large container of suitable volume - up to 25 liters.
- Possibility of storage. Wooden products are demanding in terms of storage conditions, without which they will quickly become unusable. Thus, linden and oak trees need a dry place without a nearby heat source, where they must be kept between uses. If such a condition cannot be met, it is better to consider purchasing metal utensils;
- Use cases. A bowl is needed not only for pouring water for bath procedures. Brooms are also steamed in it and herbal infusions are prepared. Some of them have a specific, indestructible aroma. To prevent it from mixing with other infusions, it is better to purchase separate dishes or an inexpensive plastic container for these purposes;
- Utensils should have comfortable handles. The larger its volume, the more massive and better quality they should be.
Bath accessories: personal hygiene items
In a steam room, it is important to observe the rules of personal hygiene; the necessary attributes for this are rugs and ladders.
Steam room rugs are laid out on heated benches or shelves to protect against burns. They are made from felt or sheep's wool. Such rugs are individual bath accessories.
Sauna ladders are wooden gratings made from linden or alder planks. First of all, they save your feet from sliding on the floor and injuries, as well as from burns or overheating.
Buckets and scoops
The best option is to buy two at once. You will need one in the steam room to splash water on the bath stones, and the other to collect water into a container. The first should be small - up to 0.5 liters, but the second can be larger.
The most popular material is wood. It is natural and has low thermal conductivity. It is undesirable to use plastic, since this material is artificial and stands out from the general style. There are also scoops and ladles made of metal, but with a wooden handle.
It is permissible to use metal products in a bathhouse, but it is better to avoid them. In high temperature conditions, the metal becomes very hot and can burn the skin. Even though the handle of the bucket is made of wood, there is a possibility of accidentally touching the metal part of the bucket to your body.
Bath caps
Bath caps are an essential bath accessory. Because the hat protects the head from overheating. The material for their manufacture can be wool, linen, cotton, felt or felt. Hats made of these materials “breathe” and provide good protection for the head. It is worth having several hats so that everyone visiting the steam room can protect their heads. After bath procedures, hats must be washed, dried and disinfected with an iron or steam boost.
What is called “parking”?
Since ancient times, our ancestors have used medicinal herbs and their preparations for health. By steaming them, they inhaled it and, along with bathing, received a healing effect. It was not for nothing that all illnesses were driven out with the help of a Russian bathhouse with a broom and steamers.
Throughout the warmer months, knowledgeable people collected all kinds of herbs, arranged them in bouquets, dried them, and then used them as medicine or infusion.
Currently, those who like to steam in a sauna or steam bath do not have time to look for places, collect the necessary herbs, and then process and dry them. Therefore, you should go to any store that sells bath accessories and purchase special steamers there. They take the form of small fabric bags (always made of natural linen) filled with crushed herbs or a mixture of them, as well as packaged disposable bags (similar to tea bags).
Bath accessories: nice little things
Aromatic oils, scrubs, nourishing masks, herbal infusions are not a necessary attribute of a bath. But they make your stay even more enjoyable, creating a special atmosphere and comfort. As well as all kinds of interior accessories: signs and signs.
A bathhouse equipped with the necessary utensils will bring indescribable pleasure and drive away illnesses. Because it’s not for nothing that people say: “The bathhouse soars, the bathhouse rules, the bathhouse will fix everything.”
Historical excursion
The balls can be of different sizes, very large and small, with one or two handles. When archaeological excavations were carried out at the site of ancient Novgorod, researchers discovered rivets of gangs with one handle. Scientists have concluded that these items date back to the period between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries. The rivets were slightly rounded so that they would not cut the palm, in addition, small holes were made at their ends so that the gang could be hung. And also, for ease of use on the gang, they made a hand grip the width of a palm. It was precisely these bath attributes that were characteristic of the craftsmen working in ancient Novgorod. At a later time, handles began to be made simple, diamond-shaped.
It should be noted that coopers of different periods provided different capacities for this utensil. Buckets can hold from five to twenty-five liters, the latter being the most commonly used.
Previously, each bathhouse visitor brought his own gang if he went to a public bathhouse. It was, of course, not entirely convenient, but hygienic. Such products were bought at the market or ordered from a master cooper. There were craftsmen who made their own gang themselves, adapting to their desires.
Independent procurement of raw materials
In order to independently prepare medicinal herbs for further use, you must have certain knowledge in this area. To collect plants you need to consider:
- The area where the desired variety of grass grows. A prerequisite is its remoteness from public roads and industrial facilities.
- Properties of each plant, what it is used for.
- Botanical features: time of flowering, ripening, fruiting.
- Collection period to achieve maximum effectiveness from use.
Once the herb is harvested, it must be dried properly. This is carried out in well-ventilated areas without direct sunlight. Next, the raw materials are crushed and stored in glass containers. The prepared raw materials retain their beneficial properties for 2-3 years. Pack in bags immediately before use. All prepared steams are used once, but bags made from natural fabrics can be used several times.
Using bags with herbs in the bath
Depending on the equipment of the bathhouse, the use of steaming differs.
So, if the room has a heater, then the prepared herbal infusion should be watered in small portions, after wetting it at least twice with clean water. In this case, precautions must be taken due to the possible excess concentration of essential oils in the steam. Their effect on each person is different, therefore, in order to avoid poor health, it is recommended to use minimal dosages with consistent increases.
If a steam generator is used in a sauna or bathhouse, then to saturate the steam with an infusion of medicinal herbs, it is sprayed on the walls and shelves.
Many consumers of such products have a natural question: why can’t they use herbs without bags or sachets? The answer is quite simple. When watering with an infusion with possible inclusions of wheatear grass, its remains may settle on it and subsequently emit a burning smell. At the same time, using a steaming bag has some advantages. After preparing the infusion, it is recommended to apply it to parts of the body as a medicine or cosmetic.
