Baths have always been considered the alpha and omega of the Russian national culture of life. Our ancestors visited them weekly back when in the “enlightened”
In Europe, catching lice and fleas was considered an exquisite occupation for the aristocracy. But for centuries, apart from the standard Russian steam room, most Russians knew no other types of baths. Today in Russia you can find a wide variety of types of baths and saunas, including even the most exotic ones.
The well-being of citizens has increased, and the number of prohibitions and restrictions that slowed down the bathing industry in the country during Soviet times has been reduced to almost zero. In addition, private construction is being carried out on a huge scale, and what is a Russian house without a bathhouse? What types of baths and saunas are available to Russians today?
Russian bath
It can be compared to steam, but the temperature is higher and the humidity is higher. It is reminiscent of a wooden house in which stones are heated and water is poured over them to produce steam. The session lasts 10-15 minutes, then you leave the steam room and either simply relax (cool down) in the dressing room, or you can go to a pool with cold water or wipe your body with snow. There should be several such visits, because the duration of a Russian bath should be at least 3 hours. It is recommended to drink plenty of water or herbal tea during the session. A very important element of the Russian bath is massaging your body with brooms with leaves from various trees, this warms the body faster, improves blood circulation, and gives the effect of the aroma of the sauna. And don't be afraid, it doesn't hurt.
Differences in heating types
Currently existing types of baths and saunas operate at high temperatures.
Warming up to give each bath a special microclimate can be as follows:
- Hammam bath . Heating occurs through pipes with heated water. They are placed under walls, floors and beds. The heat produced very quickly warms up the steam room to the desired temperature. The disadvantage of such a heating system is its high cost and complexity of installation. But the construction of hammams in our country is becoming increasingly popular.
- Russian bath . As a rule, this bathhouse has a closed stove with a brick heater. Such a stove takes a long time to heat up, but the heat is retained for quite a long time due to the properties of the brick and the stones placed in the stove. In a Russian bath you can install a steel stove equipped with a brick screen. The higher it is, the better the heat accumulation properties of the stove.
- Finnish bath and sports sauna . A distinctive feature of such baths is their high temperature, which is easily achieved with a metal stove. In this case, we are not talking about long-term heat retention. In addition, the Finnish sauna is the most affordable type of heating.
- Water bath . The water is heated using a wood-burning metal stove installed directly in the ofuro barrel.
Turkish bath (hammam)
Unlike a sauna, the humidity in a Turkish bath is about 100% and the temperature is from 25 to 50 degrees. Heat rises from the floor. The temperature is lower than in a Finnish sauna, which means that you are more comfortable in a Turkish bath and you can be there longer, and sweating is much more intense. Due to lower temperatures and an increase in the amount of steam, hammams do not have wooden interiors - there is no pleasant woody smell, like in a sauna. At the same time, cleaning a hammam is easier than a sauna. The advantage is that this does not allow a large number of bacteria and fungi, which love heat and humidity, to accumulate there.
Ideally, it is best to visit each type of sauna to see what is right for you. After all, the most important thing is to receive a healing procedure and enjoy the process. And when you feel discomfort, it is difficult to have fun. The sauna is relaxation for the soul and body. Decide on your favorite type of sauna, enjoy and be healthy!
You can read about the benefits of sauna and bath in my previous article “Sauna and Bath.”
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What is the difference in humidity levels and steam production in baths?
Further, humidity is responsible for creating a microclimate in Russian and Finnish baths.
Steam injection occurs in different ways:
- Steam bath hammam . Steam is generated after the activation of steam generators located behind the walls or boilers with water heated to a boil. Another source of steam is heated stone beds, floors and walls, onto which water is poured, after which it is converted into light steam.
- Russian steam bath . In this case, steam is obtained from a boiler of boiling water installed on the stove. In addition, humidity is increased by adding water to the stones in the oven, where the temperature reaches 400-500 °C. Read also: “What kind of steam bath can be made at home - implementation options.”
- Finnish sauna . In such a sauna, the humidity is at a very low level, but it can be increased by adding a certain volume of water to the heater at a temperature of 200-250 oC.
- Sports sauna . The extreme microclimate in such a bathhouse is achieved by the dry-air regime of a Finnish bathhouse through the injection of humidity. Every half a minute, half a liter of water is poured onto the hot stones in the oven, after which the humidity level instantly increases, and at the same time the temperature increases. In such hellish conditions, people often receive severe burns to the skin and even internal organs.
- In a water bath, a steam cloud is produced from water that is heated in an ofuro barrel.
In this article, we figured out what steam baths are called, how they produce it, and how they are classified by microclimate. That is, having decided to build one of these baths, you should decide which microclimate is preferable to you. And what it will look like and be called is a secondary issue.
Temperature increase method
In the varieties presented above, the temperature is increased with special devices. The steam bath is heated by water pipes that are laid under various surfaces of the room.
In other types of steam rooms, stoves can be used. They also differ in design and heating principle.
What types of sauna stoves there are should be considered in more detail. The steam sauna uses a brick indoor heater. Sometimes a metal stove lined with a stone casing is used. Metal types of heaters are used in dry and wet saunas. To prevent the temperature from dropping quickly, stones are placed inside the iron sheathing. They gain heat and release it into space for a long time.
The water bath uses a wood-burning metal stove. It is in a barrel of water.
Microclimate
When studying the question of what types of baths there are, we should first of all talk about the microclimate of the steam room. This classification is one of the main ones. After all, it depends on the microclimate whether it will be comfortable for a person to be inside. Today, there are 5 main types of baths based on the type of environmental impact on the body.
The first of them is a steam bath. It is characterized by a mild microclimate. The temperature here is not very high (only up to 45°C), and the humidity ranges from 90 to 100%.
The second type of microclimate is inherent in a steam sauna. The humidity here is quite high (45-60%), but the temperature is already much higher. It reaches 60-70 °C. Under these conditions, steam settles on the skin, forming a thin film of water. Under these conditions, the body warms up more.
The third type is a dry sauna. There is no steam in it, but the temperature is much higher (up to 110°C).
The fourth type of microclimate is called a wet sauna. This is a slightly transformed dry sauna. The temperature here is quite high (up to 95°C), but the humidity is artificially increased. To do this, water is sprayed onto the stones. This is one of the most extreme and unsafe microclimate options for health.
The fifth type is a water bath. It's essentially a hot bath. The water heats up to 50°C.
Aroma sauna
Another unusual type of sauna is called aroma sauna. The temperature in such a room does not exceed 55*, and the humidity is kept at an average level. The advantage of the aroma sauna is frequent visits. Aroma esters can be enjoyed once every 1-2 days. There is no overload of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, and the choice of essential oils can constantly vary. The aroma sauna is ideal for patients with a weak nervous system and those suffering from depressive disorders. Relieves fatigue, psychological stress, creates a message for healthy thoughts and treats insomnia.
Contraindications : epilepsy, tumors, oncology, pregnancy, status asthmaticus.
Soft sauna for public use
All these solutions work great for saunas up to 18 m3, but how to achieve a soft sauna climate in a large commercial steam room?
The answer to this was the Tylo Tylarium system. In the Tylarium system, the source of humidity is a separate steam generator. The Tylo Commercial oven is responsible for the temperature. The operation of the furnace and steam generator is coordinated using the Elite remote control.
The complete Tylarium kit consists of:
- Tylo Commercial ovens;
- steam generator Tylo Steam Home or Steam Commercial;
- relay unit RB Commercial or its Lite version;
- Elite remote control;
- sensor and synchronization cable.
Optionally, a steam distributor can be added. It releases steam from a steam generator directly above the stove stones. We have prepared ready-made configurations on the Tylarium page. The most powerful is suitable for a room with a volume of up to 43 m3.
Lang offers VapoTherm series stoves as a solution for public soft saunas. The most powerful VG90 oven is suitable for a room with a volume of 56 m3. The oven has a 3 kW steam generator built into it. Optionally, the oven can be equipped with an automatic water filling system.
Helo commercial ovens: Laava and Magma can also be supplemented with a BWT equipment package. As with stoves for private use, the system is very simple. Water tanks are installed in the stone compartment. The tanks are fed using a float top-up system.
Soft sauna according to an individual project
Let's say none of the solutions listed above suits you. In this case, we can create a soft sauna kit tailored to your wishes.
Choosing a stove
When choosing a model, pay attention to power. Systems with a steam generator are made with furnaces of at least 15 kW. Tylarium kits have 8 and 10 kW ovens, but these are rather the exception to the rule.
We recommend starting your choice of brand with Finnish electric heaters IKI. These are powerful, reliable heaters with a large volume of stones. They themselves produce a lot of steam, and a steam generator will only emphasize their advantages. The wide range of models of the Pillar heater series allows them to be used for commercial and private use.
IKI Monolith heaters go perfectly with a hi-tech interior. For commercial use, pay attention to the IKI Pro, made in the same style.
Lang ovens are designed for commercial use. This is exactly what you need when you need the oven to work constantly. For a standard steam room installation, choose between the classic SAUNA-therm models or the updated SaunaTherm Superior model.
For hidden installation, Lang produces models UE 35 and R 33. This stove is installed behind the bench. Direct contact with the body is not possible. This ensures maximum safety for visitors. This is especially important for public saunas with a large flow of clients, as well as places that children can visit.
Choosing a steam generator
The HygroMatik StandartLine has proven itself to be an excellent steam generator. Its characteristics do not allow it to be used to create a hammam climate, but it is ideal for a soft sauna.
Selecting the remote control
The ideal brain of your soft sauna will be the remote control from the German company Fasel. This is reliable equipment with flexible settings. For private use, remote controls from the familyline, touchline, and smartline series are suitable.
For commercial use, profiline is better suited. This remote control has many settings and the ability to program a schedule.
Please note that you will need the x200 or x400 models with humidity control.
Accessories
Aromatherapy goes perfectly with a soft sauna. You will need an aroma pump without its own controls. For example, TechHolland FlavourLux EC or Aromawolke DSD 01 V2. As a composition for aromatization, we recommend hamam fragrances from the French company Camylle. They are made entirely on a natural basis, are economical in consumption and are excellent for public saunas.
Example kit:
- oven IKI Pro 21;
- steam generator StandartLine SLE10;
- control panel FASEL profiline 4200;
- TechHolland FlavourLux EC dosing pump;
- stock of aroma for the Camylle hamam.
Installation
The oven is installed in accordance with the requirements specified in the instructions. The steam generator requires a separate technical room. An aroma pump is installed next to the steam generator, the hose from which is connected to the steam line. The steam line is routed under the steam room shelves or onto the stove stones.
The oven, steam generator and aroma pump are connected to the control panel. In addition, a combined temperature and humidity sensor is connected to the remote control. After setting, the remote control will ensure that the temperature and humidity values do not go beyond the extreme values.
Soft sauna for private use
To create such a climate in private households, Tylo has designed a series of Combi stoves. Combi ovens are equipped with a built-in steam generator, which is powered by a separate heating element. The steam generator compensates for the dry heat of the electric heater, making the climate in the steam room softer. The latest models from this series: Sense Combi Pure and Sense Combi Elite, as well as a compact model - Sense Sport Combi 4. Tylo Combi stoves are a universal solution in the electric heater market. They are ideal for family use. Flexible temperature and humidity settings allow you to adjust these ovens to suit any preferences. In addition, the presence of a steam generator allows you to more effectively use the capabilities of aromatherapy.
Among the stoves equipped with a built-in steam generator, we also note the German Lang WK 45.
A simpler and more economical solution was proposed by Helo. They called it the BWT steam generator. This is a metal tank that is installed in the stone compartment. The water in it evaporates from the heat of the heating elements of the furnace. You cannot control the humidity level, but this solution is very economical. The BWT steam generator is included in the Helo stove set: Roxx, Himalaya, Piccolo, Ringo Black, Fonda, Havanna.
Finnish dry sauna
A modern sauna is practically no different from a Russian steam room. The difference is that the steam room in the sauna is smaller, since the stoves used in the sauna are less powerful than the stoves for the Russian bath. To build a sauna you do not need a lot of building materials. If we talk about a classic sauna, you will need wood (aspen, linden or northern spruce), clay, brick, and stones for the stove.
When replacing the stove with an electric fireplace, only wood will remain what is needed. In modern construction, synthetic material is often used for thermal insulation, but the classics do not tolerate synthetics, only natural materials. A comfortable sauna consists of at least 7-8 rooms: a hall, a steam room, a dressing room, a bathroom, a locker room, a shower room and a swimming pool. The main difference between a sauna and other types of steam rooms is intense heat with a temperature of 110-120 degrees and a humidity of 5-15%.
