How to properly go to the bath: what to take with you, recommendations, contraindications

doctor, head of MINDVITA Academy of Health and Biohacking

“It is important to know how to properly prepare for a visit to the bathhouse in order to maximize the benefits for the body and get real pleasure from this ancient cleansing ritual.”

Steaming is one of the popular and beneficial traditions that has been around for centuries. It helps not only to relax, but also to strengthen the immune system.

Table of Contents

Preparation before visiting a bathhouse

Today there is a wide choice of baths and saunas. The most popular are Russian, Finnish, Japanese, Irish, Roman steam room, Turkish hamam. Everyone will be able to choose the right one for himself. Recommendations for preparation for all are the same.

Many people ask the question – is it worth taking a shower before visiting? It is not just recommended, but also necessary. Why? Because it helps to cleanse the skin and prepare it for steaming.

It is worth drinking warm tea or just clean drinking water to moisturize the body from the inside. During steaming, a person loses a lot of fluid. Therefore, he is more thirsty than usual. But you can not drink cold drinks, it is completely recommended to exclude the addition of ice in them.

It is not necessary to go on a full stomach. If possible, refuse a dense meal before the bathing procedure. However, on an empty stomach is also impossible. The optimal option will be a light snack or a full meal in a few hours.

Do not forget to take with you a special cap or towel to protect your head from overheating, and hair – from the hot effects. Remove all accessories beforehand. We are talking about watches, glasses, jewelry. They are strongly heated and can burn the skin.

How to properly visit the steam room?

Steaming is a procedure for warming up the body and relaxing ligaments and muscles. The main rule is to enjoy yourself. It is important not to overdo it, loading your body.

When you enter the steam room, it is better to start from the lower shelves. Here the temperature is lower. Gradually move higher if you feel comfortable. The optimal temperature inside should be around 70-90°C, and the humidity should be around 40-60%. These parameters may vary depending on the type of sauna and individual preferences.

If you are a beginner, start from a sitting position, as the temperature is higher in the upper layers of the air. As your body gets used to it, you can lie down on a shelf to ensure even heating of the whole body.

Remember the important points:

Do not overheat. Watch how you feel and at the first signs of discomfort leave the steam room;
use the broom gently, light patting will help to improve blood circulation. Movements should go from the feet to the head;
after the bath, be sure to take a cool shower or dip in a pool of cold water. This will help to consolidate the effect of steaming and strengthen the immune system.

It is important to listen to your body. Every body is unique, and what suits one person may not suit another. Start with short sessions. Gradually increase the time spent depending on how you feel. If you have chronic diseases or contraindications to visiting the bath, be sure to consult your doctor.

In case of shortness of breath, tinnitus and dizziness, leave the steam room immediately.

Pay attention to clothing, if you wear it in the bath. It should be made of natural materials. This also applies to slippers. Choose a sheet or towel made of cotton, such a fabric absorbs moisture well and dries quickly.

How to choose a broom for the bath?

Brooms for baths are divided into three types.

Deciduous brooms

They include branches of birch, oak, linden, maple and eucalyptus.

In Russia, the most popular is a birch broom. It is a classic. It helps to fight acne, rashes, stretch marks. It also has antioxidant properties. If you have such diseases as bronchial asthma, kidney disease and musculoskeletal system, safely choose it. The maple has the same functions.

Oak broom helps normalize blood pressure. Like linden, has a bactericidal, analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect. Excellent copes with headaches, insomnia and irritability.

Eucalyptus leaves have disinfectant properties, which is important for various skin diseases, neuralgia and muscle inflammation.

Coniferous brooms

We are talking about juniper and fir. They fight the spread of bacteria, sanitize the air. Effective in respiratory diseases. Essential oils in their composition have an anti-stress effect. Also fir is recommended for those who suffer from joint pain.

Herbal brooms

These are nettle, wormwood, mint and bamboo.

Nettle helps to heal wounds and scratches, improves immunity. It performs diuretic and anti-inflammatory functions.
Mugwort perfectly disinfects the air, fights migraines. Also helps to optimize the water-salt balance in the body, increases metabolism.
Peppermint has an inhalation effect, increases concentration and attention. If you suffer from insomnia or you are tormented by pains of various kinds, then safely choose such a broom.
Bamboo is perfect for anti-cellulite massage, as well as for fighting stress.

Proper cooling procedure

After a warm steamy room comes the time of cooling down. This stage is extremely important, because it is it that helps to consolidate all the positive effects of the procedure. The optimal choice is a dip in a cold pool. The water temperature should be low enough not to shock the body.

Bathing in an outdoor pool is possible and even necessary. This is a great opportunity to cool off in the fresh air. Just remember – before taking a dip, be sure to take a few deep breaths and exhales in the fresh air to prepare your body for the sudden change in temperature.

After the cooling procedure, give your body time to adapt. Do not rush to get dressed or immediately return to the steam room. Wrap yourself in a towel or robe, drink tea. So gradually restore the thermal balance of the body.

Nutrition and drinking regime in the bath

In the bath should avoid alcohol and heavy food. Alcoholic beverages increase the load on the cardiovascular system. This provokes an increase in blood pressure. Hot drinks can lead to dehydration. Digestion of fatty food requires additional efforts from the body.

As for smoking – it is strictly forbidden not only because of the obvious health risks, but also because of the danger of burning in the steam room.

In the bathhouse it is allowed to drink not only tea and water. You can use small amounts of bread kvass, compote, berry morses, fresh juices, honey drinks with the addition of mint and lemon.

Following simple rules, you will make your vacation not only pleasant, but also as safe and useful as possible. So each of your visits to the sauna will be filled with joy and a sense of harmony with yourself.

Contraindications to steam bathing

Steaming has an effect on the whole body. There is a category of patients who need to visit the sauna with caution. It is about the presence of hypertension, severe neurotic diseases, chronic inflammatory processes, oncology.

Consult a doctor if you have the following diagnoses: heart failure, thyroid hyperfunction, myocardial infarction, hypertension stage III.

It is strictly forbidden to visit the steam room to those who have diseases accompanied by an increase in body temperature, chronic diseases in the acute phase, atherosclerosis with vascular damage, infectious diseases, tuberculosis in the open form and epilepsy.

Children are allowed to visit the bathhouse from the age of seven, but strictly under the supervision of parents or other adults. Remember that up to three years old sweat glands are not developed: poorly working thermoregulation mechanisms, that is, the child’s body overheats faster. Therefore, this procedure is not recommended for babies.

Pregnant women should not visit the sauna in the first trimester. If a woman has regularly visited the steam room before, the procedure can be continued with the permission of the attending physician, but the room temperature should be no higher than 80℃. It is also worth refusing the upper shelves.