Every trip to the bathhouse or sauna can be turned not just into a pleasant pastime with loved ones, but also into a real paradise for the skin, hair and general condition of the body. Bath scrubs, creams, masks, balms and massagers - these are the tools with which you can rejuvenate the skin, cleanse the body, and recharge with energy and vigor for the whole week ahead.

In order to spend these few hours with maximum benefit for your soul and body, use our little tricks and tips:

1. Invite your loved ones with you, in whose company you feel free and at ease.
2. We remind you of an approximate list of necessary attributes and useful things: soap, shampoo, broom, bath slippers, change of underwear, sheet, towel, cap, basin, ladle, drink. Massage brushes, special mittens (if you plan to use a scrub), and pumice stone will not be superfluous. The selected sauna may have some items available - please inquire in advance. And don't forget cosmetics or ingredients for their preparation.
3. On the first visit, it is better not to use anything, but during and after the second, you can and should use a mask or scrub. After your first run, don't forget to shower yourself. cold water.
4. Increase the efficiency of anyone cosmetic product, used in a bath, can be done if you warm it up first - just take the scrub with you to the steam room.
5. Steamed skin becomes even more tender, so use the scrub extremely carefully so as not to damage it, otherwise spots and bruises will form on the skin.
6. If the scrub recipe involves going to the steam room for a few minutes, during this time continue to rub your body and massage it. You can use additional equipment: brush, washcloth, mitten, massager.
7. Remember that masks and scrubs cannot be used in areas where there is allergic rashes, areas of peeling, scratches and wounds.
8. To drink in the bathhouse, it is better to take linden tea, cranberry infusion, herbal tea, chamomile and rosehip tea.
9. The effectiveness of the products used in the conditions elevated temperature environment increases by 2 times, so taking care of your body in a bathhouse is a mandatory process, do not deny yourself this pleasure.

Scrubs for bath procedures

If you decide to use a scrub, then it should be applied immediately after leaving the steam room, while dead skin cells are steamed. We invite you to adopt one or more of the many simple recipes such scrubs:

1. For dry skin: mix thoroughly a tablespoon olive oil, a spoonful of coffee grounds and a pinch of cinnamon.
2. Mix a glass of cream and a glass of any salt. Rub this mixture all over your body and go to the steam room for another 5-8 minutes. If during this period the sweating is even more intense, do not be alarmed, this is how it should be.
3. Mix 10 drops of fresh lemon juice, 4 teaspoons of cream of any fat content and 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
4. Scrub for oily skin: mix a large spoon of low-fat yogurt with the same amount of coffee grounds.
5. Mix 2 spoons of honey, 1 spoon of wheat bran and a few spoons of lemon juice.
6. Mix 3 tablespoons of honey with the same amount of salt. Go into the steam room for 5 minutes. After leaving, do not drink for 10 minutes to excess water left the body.
7. Mix 2 pinches of mustard powder, 2 tablespoons of salt and 2 tablespoons of honey. Add 2 drops of orange tree oil or another oil of your favorite scent.
8. Anti-cellulite scrub: dissolve 15 drops of citrus, rosemary, cypress, bergamot or other essential oils in a tablespoon of warmed honey. Add 100 grams of coffee grounds and a teaspoon of any shampoo to the mixture.
9. To 200 grams of sugar, add a few teaspoons of olive oil and a few drops of citrus oil.
10. Mix honey with a few drops of lavender, olive, orange, bergamot, rose or coconut oil. This recipe is very effective for

It is not necessary to adhere to the recipe and proportions: it’s okay if you don’t have any component. Salt can be replaced with sugar, oils perfectly replace each other, sour cream can be an alternative to honey. Try it, experiment.

The scrub should not be applied to very delicate areas. Purchased products are also suitable for baths, but preparing them yourself is much more interesting and fun.

Bath body masks

We have selected for you several recipes of the most effective masks for body:

1. If there are pigment spots on the skin: mix grated cucumber pulp with cream in equal proportions, add a little lemon juice.
2. Mask for problem skin: add the juice of half a lemon and a teaspoon of wheat bran to 2 tablespoons of melted honey.
3. Anti-cellulite mask: mix honey and cream in equal proportions, add a few drops of citrus essential oil. Leave the mask on your body for 15 minutes after visiting the steam room. You can use a massager to enhance the effect.
4. For oily skin: mix 4 tablespoons of oatmeal with 3 tablespoons of sour cream and half of chopped cucumber. Grind the flakes first.
5. Nutritional: mix a spoonful of vegetable oil and brewer's yeast, add egg yolk.
6. A perfectly refreshing, whitening and nourishing clay body mask: mix cosmetic clay in equal proportions with water, apply to a moisturized body for 20 minutes.

Face masks:

1. Mix a spoonful of oatmeal soaked in water or milk with a spoonful of sour cream - suitable for problem skin.
2. Mix a tablespoon of yeast with one yolk and a teaspoon of olive oil - a mask for mature skin.
3. Mix a spoonful of cottage cheese with a spoonful of crushed seaweed - if there are pigment spots on the skin.
4. Mix honey with propolis in equal proportions - it works great against acne.

All body masks in the bath can be kept on the body or face for 10-15 minutes.

When choosing clay, keep in mind that white is ideal for oily skin, gray and yellow for dry skin, green and yellow for aging skin, blue and red for problem skin prone to inflammation.

Masks are applied to skin that has already been cleansed with scrubs. They need to be applied before the second or third entry into the steam room or after exiting.

Bath hair masks

The mask should be applied to your hair before the last trip to the steam room, putting a cap on your head. Before applying the composition, rinse your hair so that the beneficial substances are absorbed as deeply as possible.

1. For dry hair: mix 3 tablespoons olive or burdock oil with 2 tablespoons of honey, after 20 minutes, rinse with large quantity shampoo.
2. Mix aloe juice and honey, add the yolk of one egg.
3. For oily hair: Mix glycerin, apple cider vinegar (a teaspoon each) and 3 teaspoons of castor oil in equal proportions.
4. For split ends: apply kefir to your hair with a few drops of olive or coconut oil.
5. To add volume: mix gelatin dissolved in water in a water bath (15 grams per 4 large spoons of water), add a few hundred spoons of shampoo.

To make oil masks wash off faster, rinse your hair with water and lemon juice - the acid dissolves fat.

Side effects of the bath

• Stains. Very often, after or during a sauna, uneven reddish spots appear on the body. This is a sign of deep overheating and disruption of the functioning of capillaries in this area of ​​the body. Stains after a bath do not pose a threat to health and do not signal serious problems with the body. This is a defensive reaction. Such spots most often disappear within a few days. Otherwise, it is better to consult a dermatologist.
• Rash. Most often it indicates allergic reaction for herbal teas, the use of massage elements. Perhaps your scrub or mask contains elements that cause allergies. You should definitely contact a dermatologist to find out the nature of their appearance.
• Pimples. Most often they appear after visiting the bathhouse. Sometimes, while staying in the steam room, spots appear, and then purulent inflammation. This is the result of using stale washcloths, mittens, and brooms. Remember about hygiene and disinfection - germs and bacteria penetrate into open pores very quickly.
• Bruises. They appear as a result of too intensive use of a broom or harsh massaging. Make sure that no leaves fall off on your broom; use the scrub very carefully.

Cosmetic procedures in a bathhouse can bring a lot of pleasure. The main thing is not to forget about simple precautions. Forget about everyday problems and worries during this time, because you deserve 100% relaxation.

Anyone who has ever visited a Russian bathhouse and felt its healing steam will probably tell you that after visiting it something disappeared somewhere. Bad mood, the aches in the joints disappeared, and other ailments that until quite recently literally poisoned life also ceased to be felt. At the same time, there is an invariable desire for such pleasure to last as long as possible.

Since time immemorial, Russian people have gone to the bathhouse not only to take water procedures. For him, it was a place for ancient customs and rituals, as well as fortune telling. Why do people go to baths today? Let's try to understand this issue.

Traditional healer

Baths have existed for many centuries. And people prefer to wear them not only to take a good bath. This invention has many supporters. And all because bath procedures have medicinal properties, with which humanity has been familiar since ancient times.

For example, Hippocrates often prescribed a steam room for his patients. He believed that toxins and poisons that accumulated in the body and poisoned it during illness would certainly leave the body due to increased sweating. It is worth saying that this ancient Greek doctor himself used the treatment methods he developed, which allowed him to live 110 years.

The healers of Ancient Rome also offered healing bath procedures to their patients. They rightly believed that water together with steam (both dry and wet) worked real miracles.

In Rus' they also knew that bathing procedures bring health benefits. Our ancestors believed that a well-heated steam room could heal any patient, even the most seemingly hopeless one. For a long time in Rus', bath healing procedures have been used for diseases of the nervous system and musculoskeletal system. In the steam room they treated gout and colds, straightened joints and got rid of skin diseases. It was believed that there was no ailment from which a bath could not save.

Respiratory treatment

Often the only means to get rid of certain diseases are steam and hot air. That is why bath health procedures are recommended for the treatment of respiratory organs. During their implementation, hot steam gives off its heat to the person. At the same time, the lungs warm up, pathogenic microbes lose the ability not only to multiply in the body, but also to penetrate it.

In a Russian bath, a so-called heat stroke is created, which greatly enhances the healing effect. This phenomenon occurs at the moment when liquid is poured onto hot stones located in a steam oven. And if you add various healing infusions and decoctions to the water, you can get a wonderful opportunity to inhale healing vapors.

A visit to the bathhouse will help after an attack of bronchial asthma. It is recommended to use brooms made from tree branches densely covered with foliage. After all, it contains healing components that, evaporating, will clear the lungs of phlegm, produce a powerful anti-inflammatory effect and help disinfect the bronchi.

There are great benefits of bath procedures in getting rid of pneumonia. They will also help with bronchitis.

Cramps and muscle spasms

Bath procedures are an excellent remedy for getting rid of many ailments. They will help with diseases of muscle tissue. And in this case, it is also worth resorting to hot steam and self-massage performed with a broom. Such procedures will help to quickly get rid of sprains and bruises due to the activation of restoration processes in damaged tissues.

For those people whose muscular system has recently been subjected to excessive physical activity, it is recommended to visit the steam room for several self-massage sessions. It is advisable to use special creams that deeply warm the skin. If you have a muscle strain, a visit to the steam room should be combined with massage sessions performed with your hands or brushes with varying degrees of hardness.

Bath procedures are especially indispensable for the treatment of dislocations and bruises. Hot steam will warm up the muscles well and give it the opportunity to recover faster.
The bath will also help those who have frostbite in some part of the body (leg or arm). Of course, to create a rush of blood to the extremities, you can use rubbing with vodka or alcohol, but this will require a lot of physical effort and time. A visit to the steam room will quickly and effectively relieve a person from signs of frostbite. It is recommended to pour solutions of mustard or eucalyptus, chamomile or linden, nettle or pine needles onto hot stones.

Relief from arthritis and rheumatism

The consequences of technological progress have led to the fact that modern man Everyday life spends less and less physical effort. For most people, this has negative consequences in the form of muscle atrophy. Such changes, in turn, lead to various disorders in the joints, which lose their flexibility due to deposition various products decomposition (salts and acids).

Such processes end in osteochondrosis, radiculitis and arthritis. A bath will help get rid of these diseases that bring excruciating pain. Even with a single visit to the steam room, the body partially returns to its former flexibility.

To get rid of the disease faster, it is recommended to use badger fat. It is used directly in the steam room after thoroughly warming up the joints. You can use bee honey or bear fat in the same way.

Often, when treating radiculitis and arthritis in a bathhouse, hot compresses are used, for which steamed birch buds are used. The effect of this procedure can be enhanced by wrapping it with a dog hair belt.

Strengthening the immune system

The use of bath procedures is a wonderful way to maintain human health. In order to feel cheerful and full of vital energy, we all need good immunity, which can be strengthened by hardening procedures.

Even in ancient times, people noticed that contrasting temperatures have a beneficial effect on human health. This has been confirmed by modern research. So, if a person, heated by a bath, immediately plunges into the snow or into an ice hole, then the body reacts to this by releasing a huge charge of energy. At the same time, a strong activation of vital forces occurs. Such bath procedures are useful for men and women with an inactive lifestyle. In addition, if carried out regularly, such hardening will increase the body’s immune strength, protecting it from colds and inflammatory diseases.

Weight loss

A woman of any age wants to be slim and beautiful. But we should not forget that a person’s appearance is largely influenced by his health. After all, many are unhappy with their brittle hair, poor skin condition, ugly complexion and overweight. And these are the components of health.

Bath procedures will help you get rid of many problems. For women, the steam room is recommended as effective means that allows you to get rid of excess weight. Hot water increases blood circulation, due to which the body is deeply cleansed and metabolic processes are enhanced.

Bath procedures for weight loss are repeated in courses with a break of 2-3 days. They should be continued until the desired result is achieved. In between visits to the steam room, it is recommended to drink at least two liters of apple juice daily, excluding coffee or sweet tea from your diet. It is worth saying that bath procedures for weight loss are so effective that they allow you to get rid of 300 to 400 g of excess weight in one session in the steam room.

There is another way to make your body beautiful. It involves taking a cool shower after spending five minutes in the steam room. Next, you should wrap yourself in a hot towel and return to the bath for another two minutes. This must be repeated at least 4-5 times. Contrasting effects of cold and heat the best way will destroy fat deposits under the skin, which will be excreted from the body.

Skin care

Taking a bath or shower is undoubtedly beneficial. However, the tap water in our homes contains chlorine, which has adverse effects on the skin. Bath water is a completely different matter. It's much softer and better. In addition, the beauty of this water lies in the atmosphere itself, saturated with the smell of oak and birch brooms, combined with clouds of steam and hot air.

However, water alone is clearly not enough for the skin. You need to perform this procedure with a bar of soap with the simple name “Bath”. This product does not have any special enchanting aromas, but it is most suitable for a steamed body due to the additives of natural extracts of medicinal herbs it contains.

Many women believe that bath procedures are harmful to the skin. And to prevent exposure to hot steam, they rub fatty creams into the body. However, this should not be done. A greasy cream will only clog the pores and prevent the skin from breathing normally. Bath air has the opposite effect. It cleanses the pores and therefore improves the appearance of the skin.

There is one old folk advice, using which you can get a feeling of unusual freshness. According to him, you should rub a little honey into the skin while simultaneously performing a massage or self-massage of the body. Despite its simplicity, this procedure is very effective. It will cleanse the pores, as well as nourish the skin and relieve irritation.

Nail and hand care

During bath procedures you can not only take a steam bath. Many women use this time to take care of their hands. Of course, it is difficult to take care of yourself in public baths. But the buildings near a village or country house can easily replace a small beauty salon.

Thus, it is recommended to use bath procedures to rejuvenate the skin of the hands, which often looks unkempt and rough. In addition to moist and hot air, which expands the pores, it is necessary to use exfoliating and softening mixtures and compositions.

One of the most simple recommendations is an oil wrap. To perform this procedure, you will need either a rich cream or vegetable oil. After applying the product to the skin, you should put on cotton gloves.

The same procedure is performed for nails. Only in this case it is necessary to add a pinch of salt to the vegetable oil. A mixture of milk and honey (1:1) applied to their skin will also add beauty to your hands.

One of the anti-aging remedies will be ordinary bath brooms. They are pre-soaked in water, into which they then dip their hands.

Feet care

Pleasant trips to the bathhouse can be combined with very useful procedures. And among them there are those that are aimed at foot care. Often all kinds of corns appear on our feet. Our feet also hurt from calluses formed from wearing uncomfortable shoes. The most suitable place to get rid of these growths is a bathhouse. Here the feet are superbly steamed, which allows you to remove the keratinized layers from their skin.

The bath will also help those who suffer from heel spurs, which cause discomfort when walking. To eliminate such deposits, it is recommended to apply a compress of lilac alcohol tincture to the sore spot.

Bath procedures will help get rid of excessive sweating. This process is accompanied by a not very pleasant smell coming from the feet. To get rid of the problem, after a bath you should wipe your feet and the skin between your toes with an ice cube. But it’s enough to pour cold water over the feet themselves. Foot baths with the infusion remaining after soaking an oak or birch broom are also recommended.

In case of overwork and muscle strain, pine solutions will help your legs. Baths made from them will relieve the skin and bruises.

Contraindications

Bath procedures are not useful for everyone and not always. There are also some restrictions regarding general well-being and health. So, there are diseases for which visiting the steam room is strictly prohibited, and one of them is hypertension, which has reached the second or third stage. After all, in the bathhouse the body temperature rises to 38-40 degrees, and after it the blood pressure rises. For hypertensive patients, such a condition can result not only in deterioration of the condition, but also in loss of consciousness, stroke, heart attack, renal failure, etc.

Doctors also prohibit those who suffer from certain cardiovascular diseases from taking a steam bath. After all, everyone knows that when visiting a steam room, the pulse quickens. And this indicates an increase in the load on the heart muscle. Thus, going to the bathhouse is prohibited for endocarditis, pericarditis and myocarditis. With such pathologies, sessions in the steam room sometimes end tragically. Hot air baths are also contraindicated for those who have had a heart attack. Caution is required from patients diagnosed with arrhythmia, angina pectoris, atherosclerosis of the coronary vessels and aorta.

What other contraindications do bath procedures have? For bursitis and other inflammatory diseases, you should seek advice from a doctor. The decision taken by a specialist will depend on the degree and severity of the disease.

A doctor’s recommendations regarding the possibility of visiting a steam room will be needed in case of anemia and infectious diseases. But there is a categorical ban on such trips for patients with asthma, dermatitis and eczema.

Falling asleep during bath procedures is also contraindicated. It will not bring health benefits and will significantly increase the load on the heart and blood vessels.

Bath procedures - the secrets of female attractiveness

Bath procedures for women are no fundamentally different from those for men: the same steam room, massage with a broom, dousing with cool water. The strong half of humanity also does not neglect masks and body scrubs, rightly believing that a sleek appearance is a kind of calling card.

But only a true woman is able to receive real sensual pleasure from skin and hair care.

Let's go to the bathhouse - what to take with us

For any woman, going to the bathhouse is priceless time that she spends only on herself. Family troubles, troubles at work, a frenzied city whirlpool - everything remains outside the threshold. Two or three hours devoted entirely to yourself can work wonders: understand the mood, completely abandon worries and acquire incredible gloss.

In order to fully enjoy the bath procedures, a woman needs to take with her:

• Bath clothes and towels;
• Rubber flip flops or slippers;
• Broom (for true connoisseurs);
• Loofah and pumice stone for heels;
• Store-bought shampoos, gels, creams or ingredients for making them yourself;
• Collection of medicinal herbs for brewing tea;
• Two or three girlfriends or acquaintances;
• Good mood.

Types of bath procedures, their features and sequence

The instructions for the correct alternation of procedures in the bathhouse have evolved over centuries, turning into a ritual, the observance of which will allow you to get the maximum benefit from your trip.

First of all, you must adhere to safety rules:

1. The length of time you spend in the steam room depends not on the number of minutes, but on your general well-being;
2. It is mandatory to wear shoes in all rooms of the bathhouse - this will protect you from a possible fall on a slippery floor and protect your feet from fungal diseases;
3. If you are allergic, never try homemade masks, scrubs or shampoos borrowed from friends, as many contain honey, a strong allergen.

Steam room

The hottest and most humid place is in the bathhouse. The air temperature there can reach 60-70*C, and humidity – 60%. The steam room is a kind of cardio exercise machine; it warms up sore joints and relaxes tired muscles, and then removes waste and toxins.

When visiting a steam room, you need to carefully listen to your body and leave it at the slightest discomfort. A headdress is required, as is the removal of metal jewelry: earrings, chains, rings, etc.

The first entry into the steam room is preparatory. Its purpose: to warm up the body, make the heart beat faster and blood circulate faster. Duration – 4-7 minutes. The most effective way to warm up is in a lying position, not statically, but turning over from side to side, from back to stomach.

Note!
Sitting or standing is considered unphysiological and even dangerous to health - this way you risk getting heatstroke, because the air temperature at the level of your head and shoulders will be 10-20*C higher than at the level of your body, and even more so your legs.
In addition, the muscles of the legs, like the rest of the body, should be relaxed.

After the first visit, you need to sit and lie down for a while in the relaxation room of the bathhouse, wrapped in a robe, and then go to the washroom to wash off the dirt and sweat.

During the second and third visits, you can indulge in a deep massage of the whole body with a broom.

Massage with a broom

The bath broom, like the steam room, firmly occupies a place in the association with the bathhouse. It is not recommended to massage with a broom on your first visit to the steam room. You will be fabulously lucky if among your friends and acquaintances there is a person who is a sophisticated bathhouse attendant.

First, the broom is steamed - placed in hot water in a steamer (a wooden container with a special lid). Steam the broom immediately upon arriving at the bathhouse.

As with other types of massage, working on the body with the help of an elastic, dried “bouquet” occurs in several stages:

1. Stroking and compress.

Stroking begins with the feet, gradually moving up to the neck and grabbing the hands, then moving in the opposite direction. A broom, or better yet two, glides easily and smoothly along the side surfaces of the body. This technique allows you to relax and tune in to tougher actions.

Stroking alternates with compresses - hot air is captured with a broom and pressed tightly to the lower back, shoulder blades, feet and popliteal hollows.

1. Pushing and whipping.

With quick and light movements, the broom hits the body. The direction of movement is from the back to the lower back, buttocks, legs and feet. The front surface is also quilted from top to bottom. Prodding alternates with stroking and lasts no more than 2 minutes.

Whips are very similar to broom compresses, with the difference that the hot air is not pressed against the body, but rather it produces 2-3 glancing blows.

1. Pat.

In the eyes of an amateur, patting is no different from whipping. However, lying on a shelf in a steam room, you will literally feel the difference first-hand: the hot air is “nailed” with uniform blows to the place where the broom is applied.

1. Trituration.

This technique usually ends the massage: a rather tattered broom is pressed to the body and the skin is rubbed through the leaves with your free hand.

There is another massage technique that is used to treat joints and muscles, a poultice. The essence of this method is that you use a broom to bring heat to the body, then press it to the skin, and cover it with another broom on top. The poultice does not last long - 10-20 seconds.

Advice!
In order to regulate rapid heartbeat, you need to dip a broom in cool water and apply it to your face and heart area.

It should be noted that not all brooms have the same effect on the body:

• Linden – eliminates headaches, increases sweating, has a diuretic effect;
• Alder – used for colds, aching muscles and joints;
• Birch – perfectly cleanses the skin, promotes better mucus discharge and ventilation of the lungs, improves mood;
• Oak – helps with some skin diseases, excessive sweating of the feet;
• Nettle – saves from radiculitis, gout, rheumatism, and perfectly relieves muscle fatigue.

The process of making brooms is also very exciting and brings a lot of pleasure to its lovers. Ready-to-use brooms are also available for sale; their prices are reasonable and you don’t have to wander through forest plantations with pruning shears in your hands.

Body masks

Any woman knows that the greatest effect from using masks is achieved by applying them to clean skin with open pores. Therefore, the tradition of caring for the skin of the face and body in the bath goes back decades.

Based on their effect on the skin, masks are divided into:

• Sweatshoppers;
• Cleansing;
• Nutritious;
• Moisturizing.

It is very important to follow the correct sequence in using masks so that the results from their use only increase.

Masks are applied to the body in between visits to the steam room. First of all, use a sweat mask: mix honey and salt in equal proportions, and spread the resulting mass evenly over the body. The result will not be long in coming: the process of natural sweating intensifies, and along with sweat, toxins and impurities leave the body forever.

After you've sweated thoroughly, it's time to apply a homemade scrub. The dead skin flakes have already steamed and all that remains is to “scrape” them off and wash them off.

The main ingredients of the scrub include substances with crumbs: coffee grounds, granulated sugar, ground nut shells, etc. For the viscosity of small particles, milk, cream or yogurt is used. You can also use honey, but remember about allergies!

After you have cleansed your skin, you can pamper it: it’s time to nourish and moisturize. What kind of mask to make is up to you. They usually contain seasonal fruits, so proceed from the availability of the necessary components and the simplicity of the recipe (you came to the bathhouse to relax, and not to engage in complex preparations?!).

You also need to choose the composition of the mask, taking into account your skin type.

We will give a couple of recipes for universal products suitable for all skin types.

1. Any fermented milk product (kefir, cottage cheese) is mixed with fruit pulp, and cucumber can be added. The resulting slurry should not flow out of the palm.
   The mask is applied after leaving the steam room for 10-15 minutes, then washed off with cool water.
2. To 200 ml of honey (preferably linden) add 1 tablespoon of cottage cheese and sour cream. The finished mass is spread over the body and remains on it for 10 minutes. Softness and tenderness of the skin is guaranteed!

For all the concerns about the beauty of the body, do not forget about caring for your hair, face, hands and feet. However, this is a topic for a separate article.

How to lose weight in a bathhouse

Procedures in a bathhouse for weight loss will require great endurance from you: you must strictly adhere to the drinking regime. Or rather its complete absence.

As you know, in a steam room, under the influence of heat and moisture, increased sweating begins and metabolism accelerates. A loss excess liquid can range from 2 to 4 liters. Naturally, this figure will be reflected on the scales.

However, if you give yourself some slack and quench your thirst, the body will immediately replenish its water supply and the weight will return to its previous values.

In the struggle for a beautiful figure, a woman also uses “heavy artillery” - body wraps.

The wrap replaces a nourishing or moisturizing mask and is performed on clean, scrubbed skin after leaving the steam room.

The most pleasant wrap is chocolate. The preparation of the composition is extremely simple: coffee grounds are mixed with a tablespoon of any oil (olive, coconut) and 2-3 chopped dark chocolate slices (to melt faster).

The body is rubbed with warm chocolate mass, and problem areas are wrapped in cling film. A bathrobe is worn on top to enhance the effect. You will have to inhale the alluring sweet aromas for about 20 minutes, after which a stream of warm water will wash away any reminders of this forbidden delicacy from your body.

In recent years, absolutely all women, starting from the age of 20, are looking for manifestations of cellulite on their bodies (most often on the hips and buttocks). Having found them, they begin to enthusiastically get rid of this secondary sexual characteristic.

When used systematically, anti-cellulite masks will help even out the skin. Here is one of the recipes for the miracle potion: add 1 yolk, half a teaspoon of vegetable oil and a spoonful of honey to mashed 100 grams of strawberries.

Apply the mask to the problem area for 5 minutes, rinse. Admire smooth skin. The effect of daily use will be noticeable after 2 weeks.

No matter how effective all weight loss procedures are, we do not bring anything to drink with us in baths and saunas! We strictly observe this rule.

Summary

We introduced you to the types, features and sequence of bath procedures. The video in this article will clearly show you all the above broom massage techniques, and you will also receive several practical advice for the production of body care products.

Systematic visits to the bathhouse and complex bathing procedures will give you good mood, health and will prolong the youth of body and spirit for a long time!

Go to the bathhouse for health: methods of organizing bathing leisure

• “...Why do I need this bathhouse?!”
• Bathhouse is medicine. And they don’t joke with medications!
• Which bathhouse do you prefer? The agony of choice

We, modern and ever-busy individuals, have a lot to learn from our ancestors. For example, in terms of fighting for your health. Covered up and down with sophisticated technology and living in the asphalt jungle, our compatriots are accustomed to treating ailments with a handful of pills bought at random from the nearest pharmacy. Stop ruining yourself, because nature itself has given us so many wonderful natural medicines, and our grandfathers learned how to deliver them to the body in a very pleasant way.

We are, of course, talking about the bathhouse - the oldest source of human health. Here, among the healing steam and piercing heat, your body hardens and strengthens its protective barrier against illnesses. The methodology for performing bath procedures dictates clear instructions for why, how and how much “medicine” to take “on your chest”. Only one thing is required of you - REGULARITY. Yes, just going to the steam room once will not miraculously heal you, so get ready for a long, or even better, lifelong therapy. And you'll see, you'll like it!

“...Why do I need this bathhouse?!”

After all, the phrase “A bathhouse will get rid of diseases” is quite general, so in order to convince skeptics, we will decipher the meaning of what was said in detail, citing indisputable evidence during the conversation.

First, ask yourself, “Am I healthy?” We are sure that a small percentage of readers will answer in the affirmative, because every adult already has his own “skeleton” in his “health closet” (or even a decent collection of bones!). Who is more fortunate and who is less fortunate, alas, the statistics in this matter are very sad: some people suffer from an impressive bouquet of chronic diseases from early youth.

Go to the bathhouse once a week and you will achieve tremendous success in the fight against your ailments. And if God has blessed you with excellent health, the steam room will help you easily preserve this priceless gift until old age.

The special atmosphere of the bathhouse is healing for a number of human organs:

• Respiratory system

Heat and steam speed up and deepen breathing, promote the discharge and removal of hardened mucus even in distant small bronchi. After the steam room, it is especially easy and free to breathe, because the capacity of our lungs increases by 15-25%, so the whole body is sufficiently saturated with oxygen.

When the body warms up to +39ºС…+41ºС, we fall into a state of artificial fever, which provokes a surge in the body’s defenses. This trains the immune system, increasing its defensive power against seasonal colds. At the same time, the “tired” mucous membrane of the nasopharynx is intensively cleaned and dried, which helps eliminate swelling caused by pathogenic microbes or allergic reactions.

• Nervous system

The steam room quickly puts a person into a state of relaxation, relaxes the hard-working nervous system, stimulates “amnesia” for problems and troubles hanging in the head, encourages and puts you in a positive mood. All the fatigue of the day will roll away from you along with sweat, vitality will be restored, and faded black and white life will be elegantly decorated with bright colors.

Why does the body react this way to healing heat? Under the influence of heat, blood vessels dilate, blood penetrates to the most remote points of our body through a network of tiny capillaries. The speed of blood flow is significantly accelerated, allowing even stagnant areas to be flushed out, while a significant part of the total “red” reserve leaves the head to travel throughout the body, which allows the brain to fully rest. Massage with a broom, body scrubbing - all this has a beneficial effect on the peripheral nervous system, relieving a person of popular neuralgic diseases.

In order for the treatment to work, you should gradually enter the bath regime, otherwise patients will react negatively to the treatment procedure, going into a state of increased excitability.

• Liver and biliary system

The liver is the main purifier of our blood; its diseases deal a crushing blow to the human body. The bathhouse will help organize a fasting day for this important organ.

Under the influence of heat and steam, the blood begins to accelerate intensively beneficial features to every part of the body, taking advantage of even its strategic reserve reserve hidden in the liver and other blood stores of our body (muscles, spleen). Deep breathing allows you to increase your oxygen “baggage” by 40-60%. The liver, having gotten rid of excess burden, rests, and useful body treatments (rubbing with milkshakes, fish oil) contribute to its effective replenishment and rapid recovery.

• Musculoskeletal system

It’s not for nothing that professional athletes hang out in the sauna after grueling strength training, because the heat and steam relax well and restore normal muscle tone. The atmosphere of the steam room also has a beneficial effect on stiff joints and cartilage, restoring their former elasticity, so regular bath visits will help older people remember the taste of a full, active life.

Joint injuries, fractures, sprains - all these troubles will go away faster if you use a bathhouse in combination with drug treatment. The steam room will relieve swelling around the injury, promote its rapid healing, wash the affected area with a fresh blood portion enriched with oxygen and all sorts of benefits, and relieve the sore spot of stagnant venous blood and lymph.

Another therapeutic area in bath therapy is the fight against rheumatism, arthritis and arthrosis, and procedures should begin during the period of remission and when there are no organic and biochemical disorders in the body. All these diseases are especially “heat-loving”; massage, heat and steam expel excess salts from the body, decay products are removed from the joints, and all the bones freed from the load are washed by heated new blood.

• Kidneys and urinary system

During vaping, liquid is intensively removed through the skin of the body, which greatly facilitates the functioning of the kidneys. They rest, restore their strength, the body’s water balance is established, since everything unnecessary that our excretory “channels” could not cope with is quickly and easily eliminated. To enhance the effect of treatment, special diaphoretic drinks (kvass, teas) and masks are used.

The steam room treats such unpleasant diseases of the urinary system as cystitis, pyelocystitis, inflammatory processes in the prostate gland and testicles, and urolithiasis. All thanks to the deep heating of the organs, the temperature of which increases by an average of +2°C during the bath procedure. Small pebbles are easier to remove, and salt crystals “break” and leave the bladder, which prevents the appearance of new “cobblestones.”

• Endocrine system

Under the influence of the extreme climate of the steam room, the human endocrine system begins to work at increased speed. Glands scattered throughout the body are sensitive to stress and instantly release the optimal dose of substances, which is quickly dispersed to all corners of the body by the accelerated blood flow. With a visit to the bathhouse, you can enrich yourself with natural “medicine” of your own making, which was so lacking in normal living conditions.

This shake-up is very beneficial for the glands, as it makes them more sensitive to the needs of our body. The hormonal background is restored and leveled out without external “doping”. It is especially useful to steam if the thyroid gland is not functioning properly, since improving the acid-base balance and gas exchange and increasing protein synthesis have a beneficial effect on its functioning. The pancreas is also renewed thanks to the generous washing of the organ with fresh blood rich in useful substances.

• The cardiovascular system

In the bathhouse, the heart undergoes a kind of health-improving gymnastics, since under the influence of extreme climate the organ works in an increased mode: the frequency of beats increases, the blood intensively washes all parts of our body. The main “pump” of a person receives an increased dose of nutrients, his muscles are strengthened, dispersing more blood by attracting a reserve blood supply into the system.

As you know, fragile vessels are hardened during contrast procedures (cold - heat), but remember that before moving on to radical temperature fluctuations, scrupulous preparatory training with a gradual increase in load is required.

The bath is useful for hypotensive and hypertensive patients. I can get rid of the latter high blood pressure, but only in the initial stages of their disease. If after a visit to the steam room your blood pressure continues to break records, the method is not suitable for you and a serious treatment program is required. But for hypotensive people, extreme temperatures and then an ice-cold shower will help keep their attacks of weakness in check.

Advice from the master!

Bath procedures will really help improve your health, the main thing is to know the exact scenario of behavior in the steam room, because many people regard a visit to a “health clinic” as a kind of entertainment event. Be careful, because in this case the bathhouse will “reward” the visitor only with a baggage of additional problems...

After visiting the steam room, you can drink herbal tea. All the beneficial substances found in the herbs in the bath do not have time to pass through the kidneys and bladder, but exit through the pores of the skin, naturally healing it.

You can increase subsequent visits to the steam room to 10-12 minutes. For 3-4 times you can take a steam bath with a broom.

With a broom you not only perform self-massage, but also force air above the surface of the skin, thereby increasing the process of pore expansion. Broom leaves (birch, oak, coniferous) affect your skin; they also have a healing effect.

Do everything with pleasure and comfort, watch your feelings; if it’s already difficult to be in the steam room, it’s better to leave. Don't exhaust yourself, it won't do you any good.

After the steam room, you can douse yourself with cold water or stand under a cool shower. Contrast procedures strengthen blood vessels very well.

Be sure to wash your skin after visiting the steam room so that toxic substances do not penetrate back into the pores.

Since the skin is steamed, it becomes receptive to procedures, so you can apply masks to your face and scrub your body.

Helpful Tips:

Do not pour out the infusion obtained from steaming the broom, but rinse your body or hair with it.

Between visits to the steam room, give yourself a massage using special mittens made from natural materials and massage brushes. It is better to buy a brush with a long handle.

Massage very gently your stomach, thighs, and also shoulders. These places accumulate a lot of negativity in women.

You can prepare a fantastic face mask: soak some oatmeal, add two tablespoons of sour cream and half a teaspoon of honey. Apply to face and rinse with warm water without soap.

Body scrub: take dried coffee cake, pour in 1 tablespoon of olive oil (I used coconut oil), and two or three slices of dark chocolate. Smells divine.

And the benefits are enormous. Coffee breaks down fats, chocolate and butter nourish and regenerate the skin.

It is better to grate the chocolate so that it has time to melt. If it hardens, place the jar of scrub in the steam room for 10 minutes.

After the steam room, the skin is ready to actively absorb all your beneficial creams, so apply nourishing cocktails or creams within 10-15 minutes.

As for the cost of visiting the bathhouse, the price of such pleasure is affordable, I go to the luxury section for only 280 rubles, but at the same time there are only 4-5 women in the section, and there is no one in the steam room at all.

The bathhouse is a wonderful place where you can pay attention to yourself and your body, improve your health, rejuvenate and improve your mood. Don't deny yourself this pleasure!

If you have been going to the bathhouse for a long time, be sure to share your secrets in the comments.

ATTENTION! The material is protected by Copyright Law. Any use of this material (publication, quoting, reprinting) is NOT PERMITTED without the written consent of the author. For questions regarding the publication of this material, please contact: [email protected]

Tatyana Dzutseva

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In Rus', the bathhouse was valued as a universal cure for many ailments. Russian people, as you know, do not know the middle of anything, so they steamed passionately, sometimes to the point of losing consciousness. Such avid lovers of the heat of the bath had to be drained with water from an ice hole. Those who were stronger jumped out of the steam room directly into a snowdrift, rubbed themselves with snow until they turned red, and doused themselves with cold water. In the summer they plunged into a river or lake, but they got the greatest pleasure from the bathhouse in the winter, during the cold season, when a person yearns so much for the sun and warmth. And colds at this time often overwhelm him. It was in order to make your body immune to illnesses that the bathhouse was invented, a hardening and strengthening procedure that has an amazing effect on the human body.

They also whipped themselves mercilessly with a broom in the bathhouse, adding healing aromas and a deep massage of the whole body to the healing power of the steam. Well, these healthy, strong people, accustomed to physical work, could afford such luxury - to steam to their hearts' content, without the risk of getting sick afterwards. A modern person who leads a sedentary lifestyle, weakened by the benefits of civilization, cannot handle such a tough procedure. Especially at first. The body needs to be accustomed to the bath gradually, very carefully dosing the load, gradually increasing the time spent in the steam room. For beginners and those whose blood vessels are not in order, the pressure “jumps”, it is dangerous to douse yourself with cold water between visits to the steam room. You should not drink a lot of liquid in the bath - this increases the load on the heart. Even very healthy people should not swim for too long in a cold pool after a steam bath: prolonged hypothermia after a steam bath is fraught with colds.

So, is the old bathhouse, with its hot steam, with its breathtaking contrasting procedures, no longer possible for us? Not at all. In fact, everything is possible, or rather, everything is possible, you just need to know how, when and where, namely: how to properly prepare a steam room, choose a safe steaming mode, when to give preference to one or another bath procedure and where these procedures should be performed. After all, the steaming regime, for example, in a sauna, differs from the method of taking a bath procedure in a Russian steam room. Moreover, even with different humidity in the steam room, different temperature conditions, you also need to steam in different ways.

In this regard, it is very interesting to get acquainted with what Avicenna wrote about the bathhouse. Of course, the oriental bathhouse differs from the Russian steam room, but I think the recommendations of the great healer will be useful to us too. Avicenna believed that the bathhouse was necessary primarily for people who needed warmth and hydration of the body. To achieve this result, there is no need to stay in the bathhouse for too long. As soon as the body turns completely red, you can leave the bathhouse. Those who engage in physical exercise should go to the bathhouse after resting.

Another recommendation that applies to everyone without exception: you need to enter the bathhouse gradually and not stay in a hot room until you feel faint. You need to go to the steam room some time after eating, having digested what is in the stomach. It is advisable for people with a hot nature to eat something light immediately before the bath. As for drinking, it is dangerous to drink both too cold and too hot drinks in the bathhouse. As for the healing effect of cold water, Avicenna believed that it is useful only for people who have reached maturity, whose nature (in this case, health) is perfect, namely: such a person should not suffer from indigestion, vomiting, diarrhea, insomnia, catarrhs.

If you adhere to the instructions, then the bath, according to Avicenna, will bring undoubted benefits, since it “soothes, opens pores, gives the body shine, absorbs excess, in addition, the bath dilutes harmful thick juices, attracts nutrients to the surface of the body, and relieves fatigue.” .

However, excessive exposure to bath heat makes the skin sluggish and deprives it of elasticity. This warning especially applies to women who want to maintain a beautiful breast shape. It is curious that most of the statements of the great Avicenna are not unfounded.

So, even if you did everything right and prepared the “perfect” steam room, just being overzealous can cause serious harm to your body. What can we say about those cases when the steam room was prepared by a would-be amateur? Many people are probably familiar with this picture: white clouds of steam rise to the ceiling of the steam room, all around there is dampness, fog, scalding steam. Some believe that this is exactly what a real Russian bathhouse should be like, so they splash it into the stove, basin after basin, barely warm water. However, such a bath can only bring harm. Let's remember the first rule: in a real steam room, the air should be transparent, light, and you can breathe in such a steam room without difficulty.

Another thing is that both the temperature and humidity in the steam room can and should be regulated. Some people benefit from soft steam, others – moistened dry steam. Let us note one thing: extremes, namely over-moistened steam or, conversely, too dry, will not benefit anyone. Such a bath is not only of little use, but also of no pleasure. Over-moistened steam makes the bathhouse damp, stuffy, and makes breathing difficult because too much moisture enters the lungs. It is very easy to catch a cold after a wet steam room. In a dry steam room, the air is too hot, burns the skin and mucous membranes, and burns are possible. The effect of both baths is minimal, but health problems can arise very soon.

Steam room preparation

Cleaning

So, we found out that a bath procedure can bring not only benefits, but also harm. Therefore, it is important to learn how to prepare healing (or soft, or slightly moistened) dry steam. But first you need to prepare a steam room for the bath procedure. If you have your own bathhouse, this is easier to do. You just need to know the basic hygiene rules. If you use a public bath, you will have to resort to some tricks.

Any steam room needs cleaning. Garbage and leaves flying from brooms accumulate in it; by the end of the day, a heavy smell of sweat “hangs” in the steam room, the air becomes stale, because the bathhouse is like a living organism: giving people heat and

healing aromas, in return it absorbs all the harmful secretions accumulated in the human body, which, along with sweat, come out through the pores of the skin.

Sometimes it’s enough to sweep your own steam room clean and ventilate it. You need to sweep the shelves very carefully. Bath walls are usually made of wood. In this case, they cannot be washed. But the floors can be tiled, with wooden flooring. The floorings are cleared of debris, dried well, and the floors are thoroughly washed with hot water and wiped dry. The steam room is ready. We will tell you how to light the stove below.

How to dry a damp steam room

If you use a public bath, try to go early in the morning. Firstly, the bathhouse is cleaned the night before. Secondly, in the morning you can fully enjoy the heat of the bath, not yet spoiled by the efforts of would-be amateurs who create dampness in the steam room. If this happens, it doesn't matter. Even such a steam room can be “saved.” First you need to wash it thoroughly. One of the advantages of public baths: quite often they have a pipeline (sometimes right under the shelf).

With its help, you can quickly and efficiently restore order in the steam room. First, thoroughly spray the entire steam room with streams of hot water, with the exception of the walls if they are wooden. Tiled walls can be washed without fear, however, this is where the advantages of tiled walls in a steam room end, the steam in such a steam room can be neither dry nor transparent, it is always a wet, painful steam room, it is better to leave a bathhouse with such a steam room immediately in order to avoid serious consequences (such a steam room is an ideal place for the spread of fungus and various infections).

The floor should be watered with cold water until it is well cooled. In this case, a temperature difference is created between the cold floor and the well-heated ceiling, which leads to the descent of wet, heavy steam downwards. Within 5-7 minutes it will be pulled out by ventilation along with unpleasant odors.

If you still feel dampness in the air, you need to add at least two basins of water to the heater. Of course, not immediately, but in several stages, each time placing about a third of the basin on the stones. The rising steam will warm up both the walls and the ceiling, but the main thing is that we will finally get rid of both dampness and unpleasant odors, accumulated in the steam room. When the entire room is filled with damp steam, we will consider our task almost completed.

It is very useful to use flavored water when cleaning a steam room. In your own bathhouse you can use pine or mint infusion. In public, to get rid of excess steam and bad odors, you can apply linden or eucalyptus infusion to the stones. In the old days, they splashed kvass diluted with water onto the heater. There are many recipes, but we will tell you more about their healing power in the chapter specifically dedicated to herbal infusions.

If the stove in the steam room heats well, the steam room will dry out quickly. Dry spots begin to appear on the steps of the shelf. If, after supplying water, you raise your hands above the slightly open door, you can accurately determine whether the steam room is well dried. If your hands are burned by steam, the work is not yet finished. If the skin of your hands does not burn, then the steam room is almost dry. You just need to remove any remaining moisture from the floor. To do this, you need to apply hot water to the stones. But this must be done carefully, without rushing. Now the heat of the bath will displace all the remnants of wet steam. It's time to start preparing dry and clean steam for our steam room.

However, the described case is almost ideal. If you come to the bathhouse at the end of the day, most likely the stove will have cooled down quite a bit. In order to warm it up properly, you need time, and, as usual, there is not enough of it. Well, there is a way out of this situation. After cleaning the steam room, you need to open the stove doors wide and splash half a bowl of water in there. Water, penetrating deep into the oven, hits the cast iron sides, which, as a rule, maintain the desired temperature for quite a long time. If necessary, splash water on the stones several more times, then close the furnace doors, leaving only a narrow gap for the hot steam to escape. Then the oven doors are opened. Now you can steam with a broom.

Of course, the steam in such a steam room will be far from ideal, but it’s still better than nothing. Until recently, a real stove-heater could rarely be found in public baths. There, steam is most often supplied through pipes from a steam boiler. As a rule, the air in such a steam room is too humid, heavy, stuffy and hot. Some experts are trying to assure that such a steam room, so to speak, can be dried using a method similar to that already described above. From our point of view, these are nothing more than good wishes, especially considering that such steam rooms often have tiled walls.

How to make dry steam

As we have already said, dry steam is valued in the Russian steam room. By taking a steam bath, you get double benefits. Which one? More on this a little later. And now about what you need to do to prepare truly healing dry steam. Let’s make a reservation right away: it is impossible to get such steam in a Finnish sauna. A light stove (about 100-200 kg in weight) is usually installed in it, which perfectly heats dry air to very high temperatures - from 100 to 150 degrees. But such a furnace cannot produce dry steam.

The Russian stove-heater is much heavier - from 500 to 600 kg. Such a stove, when heated to 500-600 degrees, accumulates a significant amount of heat (approximately 300-350 thousand kilocalories). If water is poured very slowly and carefully onto such a hot stove, it immediately, practically without forming drops of water, turns into a state of dry steam. Moreover, it spreads in the steam room almost instantly, from the ceiling to the floor, displacing the air outside. Experienced bath attendants know that it is almost impossible to over-humidify such a steam room, of course, if the oven temperature does not drop below 400 degrees.

Dry steam in itself is not safe. Its temperature is highest directly near the stove. Therefore, you need to very carefully pour water onto the stones from a ladle with a long wooden handle. You should not steam in a chamber filled with dry steam; it is too harsh and an unsafe procedure. It is better to prepare two others from dry steam: soft and moistened.

Soft dry steam is especially recommended for elderly, sick and weakened people, as well as children and those who are taking their first steps in mastering the art of bathing. Making this kind of steam is easy. You need to go into a dry steam room with a damp broom soaked in cold water. A wet broom will become a source of soft steam.

Humidified dry steam is the best thing you can think of for a healthy person. To prepare it, you need to alternately pour hot water on the stones that are red-hot to a crimson color - at the same time, dry cotton is heard, then on the less hot parts of the heater - from here the water evaporates with a slow hiss. Experienced bathhouse attendants, like experienced cooks, prepare steam according to the following recipe: one quarter moistened and three quarters dry steam. But the ability to prepare such steam is a special art, and it takes a long time to learn.

Under no circumstances should the temperature of the stones be allowed to drop below 375 degrees, otherwise the room will have to be dried again. To prevent this, listen carefully to your feelings; your body will tell you better than any thermometer whether the temperature is good or whether the steam is dry enough. If the air in the steam room is not over-humidified, the hair begins to “crackle” slightly, creating the feeling that it is moving. If the temperature in the steam room is sufficient and it is at least half filled with dry and hot steam, a sensation familiar to every bathhouse regular occurs, as if the ears are starting to “twist”. If this happens, stop. Otherwise, dry out the steam room. If, on the contrary, when you apply water to the stones, instead of popping, you hear a hissing sound, it means that you have overcooled the stove by filling it too much with water. Wait until the stones reach the desired temperature again, and then only add water little by little.

Finally, if the thermometer in the steam room shows a temperature below 80 ° C, you need to raise the temperature of the steam, otherwise it will become oversaturated with moisture. To do this, apply water in a very thin stream to the stones. Very soon the temperature in the steam room will rise to 100-120 °C. This is the most optimal temperature for the steam room.

By the way, you need to watch the steam especially carefully during your first entry into the steam room. The fact is that the first wave of steam is the most unstable. It passes quickly, so you need to remember to splash a little water on the stones from time to time. This will not only add heat, but will also allow you to better purify the air. After all, steam, turning into a liquid state, absorbs all unnecessary odors and perfectly cleans the atmosphere of the steam room. You also need to pour water on stones wisely. It is best when the water does not pour onto one area, but covers as large an area as possible. Bath craftsmen manage to splash water in such a way that it falls on the stones like a fan. Some recommend using a regular garden sprayer instead of a traditional long-handled ladle.

And the last thing: in order to constantly have hot water in the steam room to feed the stones, you need to place a bowl of water or infusion in a larger bowl filled with boiling water.

Stages of the bath procedure

But the steam room is ready. You can start the bath procedure. Where to start? Of course, you shouldn’t immediately rush to the steam room, no matter how much you miss the heat of the bath. And it’s not just about hygiene rules, although you shouldn’t forget about them either. After all, the unpleasant smell of sweat does not improve the air in the steam room, just like the millions of microbes on the skin. The body must be very gradually prepared for the shock that the blood vessels and heart will receive under the influence of high temperature. This is especially true for people suffering from cardiovascular diseases and who decide to improve their health with the help of a bath. There is no doubt that they will succeed, but there is no need to rush, everything has its time. After all, a bathhouse is not only a steam room, it is also a whole series of procedures, and the overall health effect depends on how carefully you follow our recommendations. After all, the good thing about a bathhouse is that it gives everyone the opportunity to choose what they need.

One person will benefit from very hot steam, another - moderate steam. For some, a pool with cold water or an ice shower is a panacea for all ills. For some, it’s enough to take a warm shower and then douse yourself with cool water. People with skin diseases should include baths in their bath routine, but those with kidney problems should not overuse baths. You can also choose different vaping modes. It all depends on what goal you are pursuing. Do you want to lose weight? Please. Do you want to get better? No problem. Do you want to get rid of the disease? Nothing is impossible, you just need to choose the right sequence of procedures.

The first stage is a warm shower

So, the first thing you need to do, regardless of the purpose of your coming to the bathhouse, is take a shower. The water should be pleasantly warm. If you like to splash around in the pool for a long time, do it immediately after taking a warm shower (if the pool is public, you will have to wash with soap, if you have your own, you can get by with warm water). After the steam room, you can only take a short dip in the pool with cold water. Prolonged cooling after a thermal procedure can lead to a cold, even if you are a very seasoned person. It is better not to wet your head before entering the steam room in order to avoid heat stroke or overheating of the head.

After the pool you need to take a warm shower again. If you are cold, a hot foot bath will not hurt; we strongly recommend the latter to anyone who has problems with blood vessels. You can take a foot bath directly under a hot or warm shower (standing with your feet in a basin of hot water). Having warmed up the feet properly, we proceed to warm up the whole body in the following sequence: hands, lower back, lower abdomen, after which you can run a stream of water on your shoulders.

If your hair gets wet, do not forget to dry it before entering the steam room. By warming up the body in this way, you, firstly, cleanse the energy channels of the body, and secondly, increase capillary peripheral bleeding. At the very beginning of the procedure, you may even feel a slight chill. But then the body will begin to warm up more and more. This means that the vessels have expanded, the blood, like a deep river, washes all organs, all parts of the body. The entire body is prepared for the effects of more high temperature and joined in the cleansing work.

By the way, a hot shower is not only a preparatory procedure, it is also a serious test. While warming up under the hot streams, pay attention to the color of the body. If it turns pink (in full-blooded people - red), everything is in order, you are ready for further warming up. But only if the body warms up evenly. If you find white or yellowish areas, you need to warm them up additionally. If they do not turn pink, this indicates a latent stage of a very serious disease. Take urgent measures before the process goes very far (for more detailed information, see the chapter “Healing properties of the bath”).

After a shower, you need to wipe your body dry. If this is not done, the water will prevent good sweating. By the way, you shouldn’t wash with soap before entering the steam room. Do this only as a last resort. If you don't wash away soap suds well, it will appear in the steam room. bad smell, may sting the eyes. If you do use soap, rinse your skin with mint or linden infusion.

The second stage - entering the steam room

First entry into the steam room. We put a bath cap or hat with a brim made of felt or cotton fabric on the head to protect against overheating. A cap is also needed to protect your hair. After a long stay in the steam room, they become dry and brittle.

During our first run, we steam without a broom. We also don’t give in to steam. You can simply take a wet broom with you and put it on the shelves. You can press it to your face - this kind of inhalation is especially useful for diseases of the upper respiratory tract. But we’ll put off the broom massage until our next visit to the steam room.

What's next? We sit and sweat. Or better yet, lie down, because in this position the heat of the bath evenly warms up the whole body. Also, if you are sitting, your head will become hotter as the hot steam rises. There is no point in overheating your head. But if you are lying down, you can raise your legs higher. In this position, the load on the heart is almost two times lower. In addition, the muscles completely relax, and it is in this state that they can be properly steamed.

After lying down for 3-4 minutes, you can rise higher. During the first run, you should not be on the top shelf for more than 2-3 minutes. If possible, you should also lie down here. If you have to take a steam bath while sitting, do not hang your legs off the shelf under any circumstances. The temperature of the feet should not be lower (or better yet, it should be higher) than the temperature of the head.

Next, you need to take a scraper or a woolen mitten with you to the steam room to remove sweat. Moreover, it is more convenient to use a mitten, because while shedding sweat, you simultaneously wipe the skin and cleanse it of dead particles. It is necessary to get rid of sweat, since it covers the entire body and prevents further sweating. Some people use a massage brush to enhance sweating. This is also a good remedy.

If you feel hot, you can wet your cap (but not your hair) with cold water. It is possible that this is a signal to leave the steam room. For the first time, five to seven minutes is more than enough. We leave the steam room. Wash off the sweat with warm water.

The third stage - contrast procedures

You will learn about what contrast procedures are and how to use them in a bath in a special section. Here we will touch only on general principles. So, let's start with the fact that cold contrast procedures are not indicated for everyone. For people with a weak heart, it is better to avoid them altogether at first. As a last resort, you can immediately after a warm shower, having washed off the sweat after the first steam, stand under the cool stream for no more than two or three seconds.

Healthy people can stand for 3-4 seconds under a cold shower or plunge into a pool of cold water for a few seconds. The temperature in the pool should not be lower than 16 °C, and even then, such cold water is only good for very fat people. For everyone else, a temperature range of 18 to 20 °C is recommended; even hardened people should not stay in such water for more than two to three minutes. Rubbing with snow and cutting through - only for absolutely healthy people.

After the pool, you need to take a warm or hot shower again, dry off, and rest a little. You can walk around, then drink a glass of warm tea or herbal infusion, preferably in small sips.

The rest time after each entry into the steam room is from 10 to 20 minutes, depending on how you feel. If after the steam room you feel lethargic throughout your body and heaviness in your head, it means you’ve had enough for today. If you feel well, you can go to the steam room again.

The fourth stage - broom massage

During second entry into the steam room You can already steam with a broom, you can also turn up the heat. To do this, you need to moderately pour warm water (or infusion) onto the heater. The second and third visits to the steam room are the best time for bath magic. This is where everything you know about broom massage, steam room infusions, herbal teas, healing ointments and rubs will come in handy. After all, an experienced bathhouse attendant, like a magician, knows a lot about all medicines. He skillfully uses the healing aromas of herbs, he skillfully steams a broom, prepares soft water (a bathhouse is especially good with such water); To prepare healing, life-giving steam, you need to prepare for a bathhouse as if you were preparing for a holiday. In the book you will find bath recipes for every taste. Take advantage of them. You will not regret.

When steaming with a broom, you need to ensure that the temperature in the steam room is high enough and the steam is dry. The humidity required for a broom massage can be achieved by dipping the broom into cold water from time to time. If your health allows, you can steam on the top shelf. Your partner must be a hardy person, because he will have to soar you while standing. In this position, the heat of the bath is most difficult to bear.

If white clouds of steam appear, it means that you have over-humidified the steam room; the temperature in the steam room has probably dropped to 60-70 °C. You need to turn up the heat. It is now that bath accessories will come in handy, without which a true bath lover will not enter the steam room. However, if you forgot something, there is always a way out. Even a broom can be replaced with a towel if necessary, not to mention broom mittens, caps, scrapers, and so on. In other words, adhere to tradition, but not dogma, because a bath is a very individual procedure.

During the second run, you can steam for 10-15 minutes. With each subsequent visit, you can increase the duration of the procedure by another 1-2 minutes. However, it is important not to break the rule: The total time spent in the steam room should not exceed 35-40 minutes.

Moreover, this figure does not depend on the number of visits. Want to come back more often? Please. You just have to reduce the time you spend in the steam room to 5-7 minutes on average.

We warn you right away - if you decide to use all the allotted time for one go, this will not lead to anything good. After 30 minutes in the steam room, the blood thickens, the pressure rises, and this is dangerous. Don’t go to extremes, know how to stop in time.

Different vaping modes

For beginners, sick and weakened people.

• Thermal foot treatment (hot shower or foot bath) - 10 minutes.
• Visiting the steam room - no more than two visits for 3-5 minutes (the temperature on the top shelf is not higher than 90 ° C).
• Warm shower.
• Go to a cool room to relax.
• Rubbing with a hard towel.

For relatively healthy people, children and adolescents.

• Warm up your feet in a warm shower - 5 minutes.
• A visit to the steam room - 5-7 minutes (two or three visits).
• Contrast procedures: cool shower - 10-20 seconds, hot - 15-30 seconds, cool shower- 10-20 seconds.
• After drying, rub with a hard towel.

For strong, seasoned people.

• Warm shower - 5-7 minutes.
• Visit to the steam room - three visits for 10 minutes (temperature 100-120 °C on the top shelf).
• Contrast procedures - a very cold shower (up to 10°C), a cold pool, an ice hole, a snowdrift, rubbing with snow.
• Do not wipe the body, let it dry.

After active physical activity.

• Warm shower - 5-7 minutes.
• Two visits to the steam room for 5-7 minutes each (temperature 100-120 °C on the top shelf). The break between entries is 10 minutes.
• Cool shower.
• Bath with a temperature of 39 °C.

For those who want to lose weight.

• Three or four visits to the steam room for 5 minutes each (temperature 90-100 ° C on the top shelf), steam on the middle shelf lying down, with legs slightly raised. The break between entries is 10 minutes. Second visit with broom massage.
• After the second session, drink a hot diaphoretic decoction.
• After the third visit, massage - 10 minutes or wrapping in a warm sheet.

For those who want to get better.

• Before visiting the bathhouse you need to eat.
• Warm shower, hot foot treatment - 5-7 minutes.
• Three entries into the steam room for 5 minutes each (temperature 90 °C on the top shelf in the sauna or 70 °C in the steam bath), steam on the middle shelf. The break between entries is 10 minutes.
• After the steam room, take a cold shower or swim.
• After your first visit to the steam room, eat some salted fish.
• After the last entry into the steam room, do an oil massage.

Taking a sauna

In its effect on the body, a sauna differs from a Russian steam bath. Although the temperature in a sauna is higher, many people tolerate the dry heat of a sauna more easily than the humid atmosphere of a steam bath. Elderly, weakened, unhardened, sick people, women and children are better off taking dry air baths. Firstly, in a dry air bath the load on the heart is much less than in a wet bath. In the first case, the pulse does not exceed 120 beats, in the second it reaches 170 beats per minute.

It’s easy to breathe in a sauna: after all, the humidity here is no more than 20% (in a wet sauna up to 80%). In addition, in a sauna the pressure even decreases slightly, while in a wet steam room it increases. The duration of a single stay in a steam sauna is longer than in a steam bath (IQ - 20 minutes). It is best to steam in a sauna, as in a Russian steam room, while lying down, with your legs slightly elevated. Beginners should start the procedure from the bottom shelf (temperature 60 °C). Gradually move to the middle shelf (up to 80°C). On the top shelf the temperature reaches 100 °C - this is only for experienced steamers. Once sweating begins, you need to remove the sweat from the skin.

After the steam room, you should immediately wash off the sweat, because as soon as the body temperature approaches normal, the released harmful substances will begin to be absorbed back through the pores. First take a warm shower, then a cool one, then a hot or warm shower again. If you wish, you can steam in the sauna with a broom; to do this, you need to splash a little water or infusion on the stones before the last entry, and constantly moisten the broom with water so that it does not dry out. Number of visits to the sauna: for healthy people - 2-3, for the weak and children - 1-2.

Massage

Massage in the bathhouse is very useful. The heat of the bath warms up the body, making it supple and plastic. The massage is usually done after the second or third visit to the steam room. Broom massage - during the second or third session. True, you will have to choose: either massage or cold treatments. Muscles warmed up by massage do not tolerate hypothermia. In the bathhouse you can do not only broom or traditional sports massage, but also acupressure and oil massage. The latter is even preferable, because dry skin after a bath needs hydration and nutrition. We will tell you more about the types of massage in the Chapter “Massage in the Bath”.

Steam room exercises

The effect of bath heat on different people is different. Some people's skin turns red or pink within the first 5-7 minutes of the procedure. Some areas of the body turn red, while others remain white or yellowish-pale. This means that not everything is in order with blood circulation. Oddly enough, many people simply do not know how to really warm up in a steam room. To warm up your whole body

evenly, you need to relax properly. But we can’t relax. The life of a modern person is such that he is in constant tension. In order to learn how to quickly and evenly absorb life-giving heat throughout the body, it is useful to perform several simple but very useful exercises. This is recommended primarily for people with problematic blood circulation, prone to diseases caused by stagnant processes in the body. Exercises will also bring relief to those who suffer from pain in the spine (osteochondrosis, sciatica), lead a sedentary lifestyle or experience back stress during the working day. They need to be performed lying on your back on a shelf in the steam room.

1. The arms are extended along the body, the muscles and joints are as relaxed as possible. Focus on your right foot, shake it and relax. Do the same with the calf muscle. Tighten the muscles of your lower leg and immediately “release” sharply. Shake your thigh muscles and immediately relax completely. Repeat the entire cycle for the left leg.
2. Without lifting your feet from the shelf, bend your knees and shake them 5-6 times, then straighten, relax, tense again and sharply relax again.
3. Focus on your right hand, shake it, relax. Repeat the sequence indicated in exercise 1, moving your attention from the hand to the forearm. Do the same with your left hand.
4. Consistently relax the muscles of the neck, back, chest, especially carefully working the shoulder areas.
5. Tighten sharply and strongly, and then relax the whole body.
6. Lie on a shelf, your heels at a distance of the length of your foot from the wall. Feet are almost parallel to the wall, relaxed. Stretch your heels towards the wall, then relax, returning to the starting position. Pull your socks out, trying to touch them to the wall, and relax again. Repeat several times.
7. Hands along the body. Without lifting them from the shelf, stretch your right hand towards your right knee and return to the starting position. Repeat first with your left and then with both hands. Return to starting position.
8. Hands along the body. Pull your head and shoulders up, stretching your spine. Return to starting position. Then stretch your arms up, clasp your hands together. Stretch up, bend slightly, take the starting position.

The whole complex takes 5-6 minutes (this is exactly how long is allotted for the first visit to the steam room). While doing the exercises, you need to breathe through your nose so as not to dry out your larynx. Entering through the nose, hot and dry air cools to body temperature, becoming more humid.

If it is difficult for you to do the exercises for five minutes, break the complex into two parts of 2.5-3 minutes each. The first part can be performed during the first entry into the steam room, the second - during the subsequent ones. In between sessions, it is useful to do several vibration exercises to remove toxins.

Initial position: standing, legs together, arms along the body, spine straight, knees slightly bent, feet parallel (toes can be inward). Raise your heels 1-2 cm from the floor. Drop sharply, with a thud, to the floor. Repeat. Perform for 2-3 minutes, achieving a feeling of vibration throughout the body. Then do the same, only now lift your toes, not your heels, off the floor. Perform for 1-2 minutes. To complete the set of exercises, rise high on your toes 10-15 times, and then sharply lower onto your heels.

If necessary, the time required to perform the exercises can be halved. By adding vibration exercises to the previous complex, you will speed up the process of cleansing the body of waste and toxins. The constant performance of vibration exercises in terms of the force of impact on the cell is equivalent to one-time ultrasonic anti-cellulite baths. If you add a body massage with a dry, stiff brush made of natural bristles to the steam room exercises and vibration complex, this will not only eliminate circulatory problems, but also help you lose excess weight, get rid of cellulite, and refresh and rejuvenate the skin.

It is also important that when losing weight in this case, the skin practically does not sag, as happens during therapeutic fasting or a strict diet. Thanks to massage with a brush and vibration massage, it remains firm and elastic, skin circulation improves, and the functioning of the sebaceous and sweat glands is normalized. Massage with a hard brush is performed along massage lines. Problematic parts of the body are worked out with intense circular movements. Be careful not to cut your skin. Before the massage you should wipe your body dry.

Washing in the bath

In Rus', for a long time, there has been a crude but accurate saying: “Fools even itch after a bath.” Of course, it is not only (and not so much) about the bathhouse, but it nevertheless arose because washing in a bathhouse, no matter how simple matter This, no matter how it seemed, also requires skill. This involves a cleaning procedure using detergents. After all, a regular shower (without soap) should be taken after each entry into the steam room. They wash with soap only after the very last use. The exception is those cases when the body needs to be properly cleaned of dirt and dust. Try to rinse off the soap as thoroughly as possible. In the hot atmosphere of the steam room, it smells unpleasant and stings the eyes.

Sometimes they ask: how did they wash and steam in the same room before? Was soap really different then? Let's start with the fact that we didn't always wash with soap. In Rus' they used soap plants or clay. Using clay or chalk

who washed their clothes with sand and washed their hair with special compounds. By the way, after this my hair became shiny and silky. And one more thing. When a soap house was built from the bathhouse, the humidity in it increased, and the temperature, accordingly, dropped. Of course, soap suds in this case did not have the same effect on the skin as, say, in a dry-air bath.

Soap selection

So, we took a good steam bath, cleaned our body of dead particles with scrapers, and the pores on our skin expanded. Now is the time to wash yourself with soap. But first you need to choose the right detergent. Not all soaps are good for the skin. Quite the contrary, most detergents disrupt the acid-base balance of the skin and worsen its protective properties. All kinds of widely advertised antimicrobial compounds are the worst thing you can think of for the skin. The skin itself copes well with germs if it is not disturbed. Of course, after constant washing with antimicrobial soap, you can safely give up on your skin’s own protective properties.

Therefore, we will opt for the most harmless option - baby soap. It is soft and gentle, and quite effectively removes excess fat, dust flakes and other dirt from the skin. Soap compositions based on palm, olive, coconut and other vegetable oils are very beneficial for the skin. However, for delicate, sensitive, too thin and dry skin, even such a mild soap is not suitable. It begins to turn red and peel. In this case, it is best to use special compositions for cleansing the skin - we will talk about them at the end of this chapter.

Washing head

Hair is a wonderful natural decoration for any person. But improper care of them can ruin even the most luxurious hair. Old cosmetic manuals and reference books recommended washing your hair with soap dissolved in soft water. You shouldn't do this. Firstly, now during the day with fire you won’t find truly soft water. Secondly, despite your efforts, the soap will still leave a thin grayish coating on your hair. The cosmetics market offers a large selection of natural shampoos for any hair type based on medicinal plants, honey, and seafood. Finally, if you don't trust shampoo manufacturers, you can make your own shampoo. Such shampoos nourish the hair skin well and give it a healthy look. If, despite careful care, your hair continues to remain dull and brittle, it means you have health problems and your body is in dire need of vitamins, nutritional supplements, or requires emergency cleaning.

Water for washing hair should still be softened if possible. To do this, boil it for 3-5 minutes. After you wash your hair, it is useful to rinse your hair with clean water, to which lemon juice, chamomile infusion (for blonde hair), infusion of lovage or birch leaves (for dark hair). Do not wash your hair with too hot water, it becomes brittle. It is best to dry your hair after washing not with a terry towel, but with a natural silk cloth. Silk dries hair perfectly and gives it a healthy shine.

Body wash

Using even high-quality soap incorrectly can harm your skin. Firstly, you should not rub your body directly with soap; there is a washcloth for this. Secondly, you can’t soap yourself several times in a row. This will dry out the skin and may cause itching. Finally, the washcloth should also not be rubbed with soap. It is much healthier to prepare soap foam. For this purpose in hot water They steam birch leaves (you can simply dip a broom), dilute soap foam and wash with this fragrant and thick foam. Liquid soap (like shampoo) has a very good effect on the skin. It, like ready-made foam bath compositions, perfectly cleanses the skin without disturbing its acid-base balance.

The washcloth should be made from natural materials. In Rus', linden bast was used for this purpose. The result was a very convenient washing device - silky and hard at the same time. For people with elastic, healthy, dense skin, a massage brush made of natural bristles is suitable. For those who have delicate, thin skin, it is better to use a natural sponge (such a sponge compares favorably with foam rubber due to its spongy structure and sufficient elasticity). For everyone else, a washcloth made from puffa, a plant reminiscent of a greenhouse cucumber, is suitable.

A rough, wool or linen mitten will also work. In the East they use a mitten made of horsehair. It is used to first remove the stratum corneum from a body steamed in a bath, and then lather the skin. When using linen, woolen mittens or puffa washcloths, you can use the Japanese bath recipe. It consists of putting medicinal herbs and citrus zest inside a washcloth or mitten. Then, when washing, the skin receives valuable nutrients and vitamins. You can also use the secret of Cleopatra, who wrapped bran in a clean linen cloth - it turned out to be both a washcloth and soap at the same time.

Washing the body is not only cleansing it of dirt, but also an additional massage. Like any massage, it needs to be done correctly. The body is lathered with wide circular movements in a clockwise direction. The back and arms are rubbed vigorously along the massage lines. The stomach is lathered with smooth circular movements. Then thoroughly soap your feet. Feet, hands and elbows require special care. More on this below. Wash off the soap suds first with moderately hot water, then wash yourself with cold or cool water, then again with hot or warm water. Hot water should not be abused.

It has long been noticed that frequent washing with hot water makes the skin flabby, lethargic, and fat-free. This happens due to stagnation of blood in the vessels of the skin, the cause of which is the excessive use of thermal procedures. Hot water must be combined with cool water. Then the blood alternately flows to the skin and flows away from it. Such gymnastics is very useful for blood vessels, and therefore for the skin itself. For people with dry skin, not only soap, but also hot water is contraindicated. They should wash with lukewarm water, and then lubricate the skin with a moisturizing and softening cream or composition. Healthy after the bath procedure normal skin it takes at least an hour to restore the protective fat layer. Dry skin copes with this task even more slowly.

Foot and hand care

Now is the time to start washing your feet more thoroughly. First you need to make a soapy foot bath. To do this, dissolve soap and a tablespoon of coarse table or sea salt in a small basin. Keep your feet in this IQ solution for 15 minutes, after which you can rub your heels with pumice, cut your nails and remove calluses. If your feet are well steamed after the bath, you can do without a soap bath. Calluses are removed with a sterile razor. Old calluses need to be reduced gradually. So, it is very useful after a bath procedure to apply a lemon peel with the white side to the callus. The procedure is repeated several times. Then they carefully clean the dirt from under the nails, shorten the nails with scissors, tongs or file them.

Nails are cut so that their free edges protrude slightly above the soft part of the finger. You cannot cut the corners of your nails too much; they can grow into the skin, and this is a very painful phenomenon. To keep your nails from peeling and to keep them soft and elastic, it is useful to rub vegetable oil into them after the bath procedure. It is also useful to rub oil into the feet, this prevents the formation of calluses and improves the general condition - after all, there are many reflex points on the foot that are responsible for the condition of almost all systems and organs of the human body.

To soften rough skin on the elbows, proceed as follows: after leaving the steam room, pour a little heated vegetable oil into two small bowls (it can be heated by placing it near the stove, but not on the stove!). Soak your elbows in the oil for 5 minutes. After this, rub them gently with a pumice stone. Then do a soapy massage with a stiff brush. After washing off the foam, your elbows should be lubricated with either a rich cream or vegetable oil. Another tip - whenever you use hand cream, don’t forget about your elbows.

Body rubbing

Having finished the bath procedure, we rush to dry ourselves thoroughly with a warm terry towel. And completely in vain. You should not wipe your body after a bath, as well as after all water procedures in general. Ideal option: immediately after the bath, throw a cotton robe over your steamed body, as the Japanese do. If you don't have a robe, you can blot your skin with a sheet. If after the steam room you want to keep your body warm for as long as possible, get wet with a terry sheet or towel, then put on bathrobe. The latter should be made of natural fabric. No synthetics! This way you do not deprive your skin of invaluable moisture, but its appearance depends on the amount of moisture. It is not for nothing that cosmetologists advise taking walks in rainy weather, when the skin, like a sponge, absorbs moisture.

If you still want to rub yourself properly after a bath (for example, to improve blood circulation), rub your body with a linen cloth. They do not wipe, but rather rub. And certainly with canvas. The rougher the canvas, the better for the body. The best fabric is homespun. People attribute to it the properties of a talisman; it was believed that freshly woven, never used linen protected against evil spirits; with its help they got rid of damage and the evil eye. You need to rub yourself with a cloth in the following sequence:

Hands. Fold the fabric in four and rub left hand from the hand to the shoulder along the back side and back (from the shoulder to the hand) - along the inside. The same for the right hand.

Legs. Rub in the reverse order: on the inner surface - from the feet up, on the outer surface - down.

Back. Take the cloth folded lengthwise with both hands and vigorously rub your upper back from side to side.

Breast. Walk with sliding movements right hand with the canvas from the left shoulder to the right side of the groin, the left - from the right shoulder to the left side. Perform alternately with each hand at least 10 times.

Stomach. Rub in circular motions, pressing lightly with a cloth.

Small of the back. First, rub in the same way as the upper back, then, shifting the cloth to one hand or the other, rub from top to bottom and back to the left and right of the lumbar vertebrae.

Feet. Sit on a chair. Vigorously rub the soles of your feet with a cloth: first from the heel to the toes, then, in a circular motion, throughout the entire foot. You need to rub the area located under the middle of the pad especially vigorously.

By rubbing according to this scheme, you will maintain the health of your kidneys, lungs, and increase skin circulation.

By rubbing the soles of your feet, you stimulate all the internal organs. As already mentioned, acupuncture points on the soles of the feet (as well as on the palms of the hands and on the ears) are associated with almost all internal organs. By vigorously rubbing these parts of the body, you thus give an internal massage to the vital organs. The effectiveness of such a massage increases if it is performed after a steam bath.

You can, in addition, properly rub your face and ears. Try not to stretch your facial skin while doing this. Ear massage is no less useful than foot massage. If water accidentally gets into your ear while washing in a bathhouse, remove it by shaking your head tilted in this direction. In the summer you don’t have to do this, the water will come out on its own over time, but in the winter the middle ear can become inflamed.

Soap replacement compounds

Regular soap is not suitable for all people. We have already mentioned that thin, dry skin does not tolerate soap suds well. It flakes, turns red, is too degreased, and its protective layer of fatty acids is already too thin and weak. What to do? For centuries, people did without soap as we know it today. Thus, the ancient Romans had semi-liquid soap (it was made from goat fat and beech ash). During excavations in Pompeii, vessels with such soap were found - it was used almost two thousand years ago. In Ancient Egypt, soap was replaced with diluted wax. In the time of Cleopatra, they also knew other recipes for paste soap, close to the Roman one. But Cleopatra herself did not use this soap. Of course, not because she considered it an expensive pleasure (soap in those days was not cheap), but because she replaced it with a product that was much more beneficial for sensitive women’s skin. We are Cleopatra's recipe. Let's give it below.

Actually, soap, similar in composition to modern soap, first appeared among the Celts. Needless to say, the French put soap making on an industrial basis. This happened in the 9th century, and the first bar of solid soap was released in 1424 by the Italians. Since then, the composition of this popular detergent has undergone significant changes. Today, an increasing number of manufacturers are choosing natural plant ingredients for making soap. However, most commercially available soaps have the following disadvantages:

• degrease the skin;
• remove valuable natural components (for example, vitamins) from its surface;
• dry out pores.

The latter ages the skin, dehydrates its surface layers, and worsens the condition of collagen fibers.

Pastes prepared on a natural basis perfectly cleanse the skin, nourish it, and give it a healthy appearance and smoothness.

There is an ancient Sufi parable about how a man asked God to bring him food along the river, so that a person engaged in spiritual exercises would not waste time worrying about food. His request was fulfilled. Every day the river brought him a piece of fragrant halva wrapped in a rag. The man nevertheless decided to find out where this heavenly food comes from. He went upstream of the river and, after overcoming many difficulties, learned that the fragrant halva was nothing more than the remnant of the toilet paste with which the royal daughter cleansed her body daily.

Here are a few recipes for cleansing pastes. First of all, they will interest women, but we recommend them to everyone without exception, especially people with problem skin and teenagers.

Pea flour paste. Pea flour - 5 tablespoons, mustard oil - 2 teaspoons.

Mix ready-made pea flour (or freshly ground from dry peas) with butter, add a little water until a thick paste is obtained. You can add 1 drop of iodine or 0.5 teaspoon of dry celandine herb to the composition.

Aromatic paste. Pea flour - 5 tablespoons, sprouted wheat oil - 1 teaspoon, rose oil - 10 drops.

Prepare in the same way as in the previous recipe. You can add 1 teaspoon of fenugreek powder to the mixture.

Milk mustard paste. White or yellow mustard seeds - 0.5 cups, milk - 2.5 cups.

Mix milk with mustard seeds, bring to a boil, and simmer until the milk has completely evaporated, avoiding the mixture from burning. Dry the boiled seeds, then grind them with a pestle and pour them into a glass or ceramic container. Before use, mix with a small amount of whole (or thick powder) milk until the consistency of thick sour cream.

Wheat paste. Wheat flour of the 1st or 2nd grade - 1/3 cup, sprouted wheat oil - 1 tablespoon, lemon juice- 2 tablespoons.

Add lemon juice to the sprouted wheat oil, then gradually add flour, grind until the consistency of thick sour cream. Store in the refrigerator for no more than a day after preparation.

Cleopatra's paste. Bran (can be replaced with oatmeal or rolled oatmeal) - 1/3 cup, milk powder - 1/3 cup, starch - 1/3 cup, olive oil - 1 tablespoon.

Mix all ingredients well, wrap in a clean linen cloth, and use to wash your body instead of soap and a washcloth. Powdered milk can be replaced with baby formula.

Almond paste. Freshly prepared almond paste - 1 tablespoon, freshly prepared hazelnut paste - 2 teaspoons, wheat germ oil - 1 tablespoon, pea or wheat flour - 4-5 tablespoons, foam from boiled milk - 1 tablespoon , lentil paste - 4-5 tablespoons.

Soak the almonds and hazelnuts separately overnight in a little water. In the morning, peel the nuts, chop them, add a little pea flour. Lentil paste can be replaced with bean paste: soak half a glass of lentils or beans in milk overnight, then grind thoroughly.

Aromatic clay paste. Well-purified cosmetic clay - 5-6 tablespoons, algae ash (kelp, fucus) or powdered algae - 1 teaspoon, rose oil - 2 drops.

Add seaweed to the clay powder, dilute with water and rose oil to the consistency of thick sour cream. Apply the composition to the body in a thin, even layer. Remove almost completely dried clay with your fingertips and vigorously rub the entire body with your hands. Rest for 15-20 minutes, then lubricate the skin with olive oil.

Note: Rose oil used to flavor clay must be natural. If it is not possible to purchase it, use olive oil infused with pink petals. Substitutes and essences will only bring harm instead of benefit. It is better to avoid flavoring altogether than to use unnatural ingredients.

The given recipes are more than one thousand years old, but they still have no equal in terms of their effectiveness on the skin. At the same time, pastes do not cause addiction as quickly as modern formulations based on hormonal supplements. Each component acts differently. Vegetable oil cleanses and lubricates the skin. Flour, milk powder, nuts and beans give the skin smoothness and a healthy glow. Pea flour is especially beneficial for the body. The mechanism of action of the paste is also interesting. Initially, immediately after application, the cool paste cools the surface of the body. As the paste dries, remove it from the skin using rubbing movements. This improves blood circulation and improves skin absorption of nutrients contained in the paste.

You need to keep this paste on your body for at least 15-20 minutes. After removing it, rinse the body with warm water and the face with cool water. To protect delicate areas of the body from the excessive effects of the bath heat and accelerate the formation of a protective fat layer, a special wax cream should be applied to the face after the procedure, the skin around the eyes should be lubricated with a rich cream, and the lips should be thoroughly massaged with vegetable oil. By the way, regular implementation of the latter procedure will allow you to preserve the beauty and freshness of your lips for a long time.

Compositions “after the steam room”

After a steam bath, the skin, while cleansing, loses its protective layer of fatty acids. In addition, the skin pores are temporarily enlarged. Special formulations that should be applied to the skin 15-20 minutes after the last use of the steam room will help return the skin to its normal state. All compositions are prepared in advance, shortly before visiting the bathhouse. Designed for women of any age, as well as for anyone with thin, dry or, conversely, oily and porous skin.

Recipe 1.1.5 teaspoons borax, 5 teaspoons cocoa butter, 8 teaspoons lanolin, 5 teaspoons beeswax, 1 cup sunflower oil, 1.5 cups water.

Melt sunflower oil, lanolin and wax in a clean enamel bowl in a water bath. In another clean enamel bowl, mix water, cocoa butter and borax, heat. In a well-heated clay pot, slowly mix the solutions. Stir with a wooden spoon until a thick mass forms.

Recipe 2. 2.5 teaspoons cocoa butter, 3 tablespoons almond oil, 10 drops jasmine oil, 1 teaspoon lanolin, 3 tablespoons beeswax, 2 teaspoons of borax, 3 teaspoons of hazel decoction, a glass of water.

In a clean enamel bowl in a water bath, melt the wax, lanolin and almond oil. In another clean enamel bowl, mix water, cocoa butter and borax, heat. In a well-heated clay pot, slowly mix both solutions. Stir with a wooden spoon until a thick mass forms. If it's too thick, you can add jasmine oil.

Recipe 3. 1/3 cup beeswax, 2/3 cup cocoa butter, 1 cup sesame oil, 3 tablespoons almond oil.

In a clean enamel bowl, heat the wax in a water bath, add all the oils listed in the recipe, stirring thoroughly. Pour into a well-heated clay dish, stir until cooled.

Recipe 4. 5 tablespoons of sprouted wheat oil, 0.5 cups of sesame oil, 2.5 teaspoons of beeswax, 3 tablespoons of hazel decoction, 10 tablespoons of lanolin, 1.5 teaspoons of borax, 0.5 cups of water.

Melt the wax in a clean enamel bowl in a water bath and add the oil listed in the recipe. In another clean enamel bowl, mix water and borax and heat. In a well-heated clay pot, slowly mix the solutions until a thick mass is formed.

Recipe 5.1.5 tablespoons honey, 3 teaspoons cocoa butter, 5 teaspoons flaxseed oil, 3 tablespoons lanolin.

In a clean enamel bowl in a water bath, melt all ingredients, mixing. Slowly pour the mixture into a well-heated clay dish and add 4 tablespoons of warm water, stir until it cools.

Recipe 6.3 tablespoons beeswax, 1 cup wheat germ oil, 0.5 cup carrot oil, 1 tablespoon aqueous solution of apricot tree resin, 3 tablespoons lanolin, 1.5 cups distilled water, 1.5 teaspoon borax.

Melt the wax in a clean enamel bowl in a water bath and add the oil listed in the recipe.

In another clean enamel bowl, mix water and borax, heat it and quickly pour it into the first bowl. Pour the solution into a well-heated earthenware bowl, stir until it cools slightly, then add the apricot tree resin solution. Stir with a wooden spoon until a thick mass forms.

Recipe 7. 5 tablespoons avocado oil, 0.5 cups sesame oil, 0.5 cups almond oil, 10 drops lavender oil, 1/3 cup olive oil, 4 tablespoons sunflower oil, 5 tablespoons beeswax, 5 teaspoons lanolin, 0 .5 cups water, 0.5 teaspoon borax.

Melt the wax in a clean enamel bowl in a water bath and add the oil listed in the recipe. In another clean enamel bowl, mix water and borax and heat. In a well-heated clay pot, slowly mix both solutions. Stir with a wooden spoon until a thick mass forms.

Recipe 8. 3 tablespoons coconut oil, 0.5 cups almond oil, 10 drops orange oil, 3 tablespoons beeswax, 5 tablespoons rose petal infusion, 1.5 tablespoons lanolin, 2 tablespoons aqueous solution of apricot tree resin.

Melt the wax in a clean enamel bowl in a water bath, add the oil listed in the recipe, mix with the heated infusion of rose petals. Pour into a well-heated earthenware bowl, stir until it cools slightly, then add the apricot tree resin solution. Stir with a wooden spoon until a thick mass forms.

Recipe 9. 1 teaspoon of infusion of rose petals, 3 drops of camphor alcohol, 5 teaspoons of oatmeal (oatmeal).

First you need to make a warm compress from linen fabric on the face. Mix the ingredients in a well-heated earthenware bowl and apply directly. Keep for 15-20 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.

Recipe 10. 5 drops of camphor alcohol, 1/3 glass of tomato juice, 2 tablespoons of honey.

Make a warm compress from linen fabric. Mix the ingredients in a well-heated clay bowl and apply to the face. Keep for 15 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.

Recipe 11.7 teaspoon honey, 1 onion, 1 tablespoon green or yellow clay.

Make a warm compress of linen cloth on your face. Finely chop the onion, squeeze the juice into a well-heated earthenware bowl, add cosmetic clay and honey, stir well. Apply directly. Keep for 15 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.

Recipe 12. 1 chicken egg white, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon carrot juice, 1 teaspoon white cosmetic clay, 1 clove garlic.

Make a warm compress of linen cloth on your face. Squeeze the juice out of the garlic. Mix protein with white cosmetic clay and honey in a well-heated clay bowl, add carrot and garlic juice, apply to face. Keep for 15 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.

Recipe 13. 0.5 cups cottage cheese, 5 teaspoons kelp (or fucus) ash.

Burn the dried seaweed on a clean ceramic plate or dish, grind the ash thoroughly. Make a warm compress of linen cloth on your face. Mix ash and cottage cheese in a well-heated earthenware bowl to form a paste, apply to the face. Keep for 15 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.

This mask cleanses and whitens the skin well.

Recipe 14. 1.5 cups puree from boiled plum pulp, 1/3 cup almond oil.

Mix plum puree with almond oil in a well-heated clay dish to form a paste. Make a warm compress of linen cloth on your face, then apply the paste to your face. Keep for 15 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.

The mask smoothes, nourishes the skin, helps fight acne.

Recipe 15. 0.5 cups almond oil, 3 tablespoons apricot oil, 0.5 cups lemon juice, 3 tablespoons lanolin.

Mix almond and apricot oils with lanolin in a well-heated clay bowl, add lemon juice. Stir with a wooden spoon until a thick mass forms. Make a warm compress from linen cloth and then apply the paste to your face. Keep for 15 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.

Recipe 16. 1.5 cups rose water, 2 tablespoons dried geranium leaves.

Pour rose water into a well-heated earthenware bowl and soak geranium leaves in it for 8 hours. Stir with a wooden spoon until a thick mass forms. Make a warm compress from linen cloth, then apply the paste to your face. Keep for 15 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.

The mask softens the skin and smoothes out wrinkles.

Homemade hair shampoos

If you have the time and desire to prepare nutritious fortified hair washes, use our recommendations. Of course, homemade shampoos do not have the same presentation as branded ones, but they also have a number of serious advantages. Firstly, you know exactly what components are used here, whereas when you buy a beautiful bottle with translucent liquid, you are, in fact, purchasing a “pig in a poke.” Even if you like the shampoo after the first use, no one knows how chemical additives (which are necessarily present in most shampoos) will affect the condition of your hair.

Shampoo with rum. 2 yolks, 2 dessert spoons of linseed oil, 2 dessert spoons of rum.

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Lubricate hair and leave for one hour. Rinse off.

It will be useful for people with dry hair and will also help get rid of dandruff.

Toning shampoo. 0.5 cups dried burdock leaves, 0.5 cups dried nettle, 1 liter of water.

The grass is soaked for a day. The infusion is brought to a boil, boiled for 5-7 minutes, then poured into a ceramic bowl and infused under the lid for 30-40 minutes.

Egg shampoo. 2 yolks, 1 glass of warm water.

Beat with a mixer or a whisk. Hair is thoroughly lubricated and left for one hour. It is advisable to wrap your head warmly with a terry towel. Then rinse your hair well with warm water.

Gelatin shampoo. 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of powdered gelatin, 1 spoon of any mild shampoo.

The egg is thoroughly mixed with gelatin until smooth, which

diluted with a small amount of shampoo. The mixture is applied to the hair, left for 15-20 minutes, and washed off with warm running water.

Improves the appearance of hair, makes it thicker.

Wash balms for hair

Recipe 1. 1 egg, 2 tablespoons castor oil, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, 3 tablespoons of any mild shampoo.

In a well-heated clay bowl, mix oil and vinegar, add an egg, beat thoroughly, add shampoo. Stir and apply to hair and scalp. Wrap your head in a warm towel, hold it over the steam, then rinse.

Makes hair shiny, soft, thick, and easier to style.

Recipe 2. 1 egg, 1 teaspoon honey, 2 teaspoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons any mild shampoo.

In a well-heated clay bowl, mix oil and honey, add an egg, beat thoroughly, add shampoo. Stir and apply to hair and scalp. Massage, hold for 15 minutes, then rinse with warm water.

Recipe 3. 1 egg, 2 tablespoons cognac, 3 tablespoons shampoo.

Mix everything in a well-heated clay bowl and beat thoroughly. Apply the mixture to hair and scalp and massage. Keep for 15 minutes, then rinse with warm water.

Recipe 4. 1 medium-sized onion, 0.5 cups of rum, 3 tablespoons of shampoo.

Finely chop the onion, put it in a well-heated earthenware bowl, pour in rum and leave for 24 hours. Remove the onion and add shampoo. Stir, apply to hair and scalp, massage. Keep for 15 minutes, then rinse with warm water.

A good remedy for hair loss.

First aid

The bath is a powerful procedure and, like any strong remedy, it is far from safe. It is very easy to get burned in a bathhouse, especially if you accidentally come into contact with metal objects. That is why it is strictly forbidden to wear metal jewelry on the body in the bathhouse. For the same reason, all nails must be deeply “recessed” into the wood. You can get burned by touching a heated stove, by boiling water, or by too harsh steam. Electrical appliances pose an even greater danger - they must be taken outside the steam room. If the bathhouse is heated with a wood-burning stove, it is possible that carbon monoxide will enter the room. Previously, people in Rus' “got burned” in bathhouses quite often. Finally, in a steam room that is too humid, it is very easy to get heatstroke, and if you overestimate your strength and do not follow the rules for using the sauna, fainting, heart attacks, and even cardiac and respiratory arrest are possible.

This is why it is so important to choose the right thermal regime, but even in this case you need to carefully listen to your body. Feeling tired, lethargic, rapid heartbeat, slight dizziness, nausea - signs that you have overdone it, exceeded your capabilities. You need to immediately stop the bath procedure, go to a cooler room, drink warm herbal tea, and perhaps lie down for a while.

The bathhouse is a generally accessible procedure, and the intensity of the pleasure derived from it is so great that it sometimes makes you forget about basic precautions. Combining a variety of aspects of the impact on the body, the bathhouse really heals, but it can also cripple those who risk their own health for no reason.

However, even if all the rules are followed, no one is immune from accidents. Therefore, it won’t hurt to have a small first aid kit when visiting the bathhouse and “arm yourself” with the necessary supply of information.

The first aid kit should contain: ammonia, linseed or lavender oil, several nitroglycerin tablets and valerian tincture, 2-3 mustard plasters, potassium permanganate, bandage. With these simple tools at your disposal, you can provide first aid yourself in the event of heat stroke, burns, fainting, or carbon monoxide poisoning.

First aid for heatstroke

Heatstroke occurs when the body overheats due to a violation of thermoregulation. Most often this happens in a steam room that is too humid, when stuffiness and high humidity prevent normal sweating.

Symptoms: dizziness, nausea, general weakness, lethargy, rapid heartbeat, severe headache, heaviness in the head, a sharp increase in temperature (sometimes up to 40 “C), tinnitus, shallow, rapid breathing. Possible loss of consciousness.

A prolonged increase in temperature during heat stroke is very dangerous, as it can lead to irreversible consequences. It is necessary to immediately move the victim to a cool, well-ventilated place (if possible, to fresh air), lay him down with his head elevated, wrap him in wet sheets, put a cold towel on his forehead, and give plenty of fluids.

First aid for carbon monoxide poisoning

Carbon monoxide poisoning leads to oxygen starvation brain, causing circulatory and respiratory problems. Prolonged stay in a room with carbon monoxide can lead to the most serious consequences.

Symptoms: headache, dizziness, heaviness in the head, pulsation in the temples, tinnitus, nausea, vomiting. In more severe cases - rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, general weakness, legs become “wobbly”, in this state a person often cannot walk without assistance.

The victim should immediately be taken out into the fresh air, a cotton swab with ammonia should be brought to his nose, rub his whiskey with the same alcohol, and give him a glass of strong tea to drink.

First aid for burns

We have already talked about the causes of burns in the bathhouse. Most often, first- or second-degree burns occur due to improper water supply, when a sharp stream of hot steam hits the body, but this rarely leads to severe burns.

Symptoms: The skin turns red, the burn site swells, and blisters appear.

The victim should immediately apply a gauze bandage soaked in ammonia or a two percent solution of potassium permanganate. Flaxseed and lavender oils are good for burns. If you don’t have a single anti-burn agent at hand, urine compresses (in other words, from urine) are a great help. In this case, the blisters go away very quickly and painlessly (which should never be punctured!), and after healing there are practically no scars left.

First aid for fainting

Fainting, that is, a sudden short-term (from a few seconds to 2-3, less often up to 10 minutes) loss of consciousness, can happen not only to a sick and weakened person, but also to a completely healthy person. Usually, fainting occurs after a long stay in a stuffy room, with a rapid change in the state of the body (therefore, after lying in the steam room, you cannot get up quickly and sharply). An interesting detail: people of “air” signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) are more likely than others to faint; they tolerate stuffiness, heavy, stale air worse than others.

Symptoms: pallor of the skin (especially of the face and lips), loss of coordination, weakness of the pulse, breathing, nausea, feeling of suffocation, lack of air, hearing impairment, vision, short-term hallucinations are possible before loss of consciousness.

The victim should be immediately taken out into the fresh air or into a cool room, laid down, his legs raised, allowed to sniff ammonia, and rub his temples with it. Massage your arms and legs vigorously, or rub them with alcohol. Sometimes it is recommended to put mustard plaster on the back of the head. Cool drinks work well.

Cardiac and respiratory arrest

This happens quite rarely in a bathhouse. Reason: incorrect steaming regimen, neglect of medical recommendations in cases where the steam room is contraindicated. Excessive hypothermia can lead to cardiac arrest, and complications of various diseases, mainly cardiovascular, are also possible.

Symptoms: lack of breathing, loss of consciousness, pale or bluish skin, dilated pupils, lack of pulse.

First of all, you should immediately call " ambulance"and immediately begin artificial respiration, otherwise after 5 minutes your actions will be practically useless.

Why not sometimes pamper yourself and dedicate a few hours to a spa at home: completely relax and recuperate, recharge yourself in a great mood and surprise others with a cheerful, radiant appearance. We suggest setting up a spa salon at home, especially since it is not at all difficult.

Mandatory attributes of a spa at home

SPA treatment has the most beneficial effect on the body, creating a balance between harmony and healing. Each set of procedures is always beneficial for the soul and body, which every girl must afford, including at home. Each complex must include all subsequent stages to achieve the maximum beneficial effect.

Relaxation

Light scented candles in the bathroom. Turn on pleasant music or turn it off completely, whichever you feel more relaxed, put soft towels nearby. In case you get thirsty, you can prepare fruit water: cut up any fresh fruit, citrus fruits would be ideal, and fill them with cool water. Take your bath slowly, you can add some sea ​​salt, aromatic oils, herbal tea or milk - it will give the skin a special velvety feel. Gently massage your neck and head - you will immediately feel the fatigue and tension go away.

Gentle cleansing

Prepare a coffee scrub in advance: mix 3-4 tablespoons of ground coffee with a spoon of olive oil, add a little of your favorite shower gel and, if desired, a spoon of honey and a few drops of aromatic oil. Apply the scrub all over your body, massage for a few minutes and rinse - your skin will become amazingly smooth. Instead of coffee, you can also take granulated sugar or small oatmeal.

Hydration and nutrition

Mix cosmetic clay with water, green tea or milk, apply to face and neck and leave for 10-15 minutes. Rinse with warm water and gently pat skin dry with a towel. You can put cucumber slices or tea bags on your eyes (they must first be brewed in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and cooled in the refrigerator). After the mask, apply cream to the skin and lightly massage your face.

Perfect skin

To warm your feet and make your skin soft and tender, an oatmeal mask with spices is great. Mix small oat flakes with warm water to a thick paste. Add a little cinnamon, red pepper, grated fresh ginger, a spoonful of honey and olive oil, and a few drops of orange oil. Cover your feet with the oat mixture. After this, wrap your hands in a towel soaked in hot water, close your eyes and relax for 10-15 minutes. Rinse off the mask with warm water, lubricate your hands and feet with cream and massage them thoroughly. If you don't want to make a mask, just soak your feet in warm water with the addition of aromatic oils.

SPA procedures for a bath or sauna

Visiting the bathhouse and sauna is a special ritual that helps you relax and recuperate. Such sessions are especially useful for appearance, since all cosmetic spa treatments in the bathhouse and sauna become even more effective. We offer several recipes for homemade spa cosmetics.

Fragrant steam

Inhaling steam in itself has a healing effect, and if you use essential oils and a decoction of medicinal plants, the benefits will increase significantly. To prepare the decoction, you need to boil 50 g of herb in 1 liter of water, leave for 15-20 minutes and add water to 3 liters. Blend with essential oils prepare faster: just add 8-10 drops of oil to 3 liters of water. The mixture should not have too strong a smell, otherwise you may feel dizzy. In the bathhouse, the broth can be splashed directly on the stones, and it is better to place water with essential oils in a flat container next to the stove in the sauna or the heater in the bathhouse. We offer several recipes with different herbs.

1. Juniper has antiviral properties, helps against colds, strengthens the immune system. Cones are used for decoction at the rate of 50 g per 1 liter of water.
2. Lavender and chamomile soothe, relax, and help with insomnia. Plant flowers are used for decoction.
3. Mint helps with headaches and helps relieve tension after heavy exertion.
4. Bergamot soothes the skin and increases its elasticity. For cosmetic procedures It is more convenient to use bergamot oil.
5. Spruce and pine They have antimicrobial properties and help with diseases of the respiratory system. The needles of these trees are used for decoction.

Cleansing and exfoliation

After a session in the bathhouse or sauna, you can cleanse your skin with a simple and effective scrub: mix 3 tablespoons of honey with 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Apply the mixture to the face and body, massage lightly, leave for 4-5 minutes and rinse with warm water. To cleanse areas with thicker skin (elbows, knees), you can add a tablespoon of granulated sugar or ground coffee to the scrub.

Hydration and nutrition

After applying the scrub, it is best to moisturize the skin with a mask. The most universal option is a mask made from fermented milk products and fruits, berries or vegetables. Mix cream, sour cream or kefir with fruits or berries, mashed into a paste (apples, bananas, strawberries, cucumbers are suitable). If desired, you can add a little honey, it will provide additional nutrition. Apply the mask to the face and body, leave for 10-15 minutes and rinse off.

Rest and peace

After all the procedures, dry the skin with a soft towel, wrap yourself in a cozy robe and brew aromatic herbal tea.

And now the best part. Just sit comfortably on the sofa with a cup of herbal tea or a glass of juice and read a book that has been waiting on the shelf for a long time, look through an art catalog or albums with old photographs. Prepare a light fruit salad. Let nothing bother you for the next hour or two.

We wish you a wonderful day!

We suggest you look:

How to make face and body scrubs with your own hands

How to make chocolate at home