Since ancient times, the bathhouse has played an important role in human life. There you could relax, carry out the usual rituals, just chat leisurely and discuss the news. Now the sauna is the place where all procedures are carried out, since over time it partially replaced the Russian bathhouse. Many people still do not understand what a sauna is and how it differs from a bathhouse.
Definition of “sauna”
Finnish sauna in Finnish it means “sauna”, in lately this word is firmly rooted in Russian, English and Polish. This room, usually covered in wood, contains a large stone oven that heats up to 120 degrees. The heat in the sauna comes from highly heated stones located in this stove. In Finland, the ancestor of the sauna, the ritual of visiting this place is sacred. It is believed that it heals not only the body, but also the soul.
They consist of several rooms - a locker room, a shower room, the steam room itself and a relaxation room. In the relaxation room you can cool down, drink tea and chat. Nowadays, many saunas are equipped with swimming pools. In order for the healing effect of the steam room to be more noticeable, you need to make several visits to it.
How is a sauna different from a bathhouse?
Many avid steamers do not know, the main difference is that the steam in them is different. In a Russian bath, steamers use wet steam, which is formed by pouring water over the stove or stones. Sauna is dry hot air, the minimum temperature in it is 90 degrees, and the humidity level ranges from 3 to 8%. If the humidity in the sauna exceeds 25%, we can say that the person is in a sauna. After all, sweating in a sauna occurs not due to humidity, but due to high air temperature.
The temperature in a Russian bath is no more than 70 degrees Celsius, which is much lower than in a sauna.
Another difference between a Russian bathhouse is that there are tanks with cold and hot water, so washing procedures take place here. A sauna is a room in which you only steam; everything else is done outside. As mentioned above, many saunas have swimming pools; Russian baths do not have them.
It is impossible to imagine a Russian bath without this pleasure, but in a sauna this pleasure is not available. Very hot dry air can simply cause a broom to crumble.
What types of saunas are there?
The popularity of saunas is growing, and with it their variety is increasing. Nowadays, no matter what saunas have been invented, it all depends only on the imagination and creativity of their creators:
- Sauna tent - stones are heated outside, on a fire, and then, using an iron bucket, they are transferred to the center of the tent, into a pre-dug hole.
- Butterfly sauna is new look steam rooms, whose homeland is Japan. The advantage of the idea is that a large wooden vessel containing a stove that heats water can be transported anywhere. You can take this sauna with you on vacation if you suddenly want to take a steam bath.
- Ice sauna - reviews indicate the popularity of this type of steam room. It is created from ice up to half a meter thick. Installed inside wooden shelves, and the roof is made of spruce wood. It is clear that when heated in such a structure, it begins to form thick fog. This sauna can be used in severe frosts up to fifty times.
What procedures can be performed in a sauna?
It has long been known that people go to the sauna not only for pleasure, but also for medicinal purposes. Through opened pores under the influence of steam, the body is cleansed of toxins and harmful substances. Therefore, the most effective cosmetic procedures are carried out in the sauna.
First, the skin is cleansed with a scrub, and then various masks are applied. After this, the skin will look fresh and healthy. To tighten pores, many women use natural ingredients - cucumber, lemon or oatmeal.
The sauna is very good at helping you fight excess weight. For these purposes, wraps with white clay or honey are successfully used. After wrapping, the steamed skin can be massaged with a coffee scrub - mix any cream with a tablespoon of crushed coffee beans, and then apply a moisturizer.
The sauna is effective means to get rid of cellulite. Usually in such cases blue clay or other cosmetics are used that help in the fight against orange peel.
Besides cosmetic procedures, in the sauna you can carry out a number of recreational activities. For example, massage. With the help of anyone essential oil you need to thoroughly rub the spine and joints, this will help get rid of radiculitis and osteochondrosis.
Visiting rules
A place where you can relax and improve your health is the Finnish sauna. Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to steam in order to enjoy and relax, and what to take with you.
To visit the sauna you must take rubber slippers, a special hat, a thin sheet, shower gel or soap and terry towel. Before entering the steam room, you need to take warm shower, this will help protect your skin from drying out, and put a felt hat on your head to prevent heat stroke.
First, you should sit on the bottom shelf of the steam room, lie on your back and relax. Spend no more than 10 minutes in this position, then slowly get up, sit for a minute, get out and take a cool shower. After the first procedure, it is recommended to rest for 15-20 minutes, drink tea or water, and then repeat the procedure.
The total time spent in the steam room depends on the health and well-being of the person. If your heart rate increases, you can reduce the time you spend in a hot room.
What should you not do in the sauna?
To feel comfortable in the sauna, you should avoid the following actions:
- go to the sauna immediately after eating;
- use alcoholic drinks- this provokes vasodilation, causes additional stress on the body and can be fraught with various adverse consequences;
- smoking indoors;
- take a warm shower after the steam room;
- sit on the very top shelf touching your head to the ceiling;
- enter the pool without taking a shower.
A visit to the Finnish sauna gives a person the opportunity to rest, relax and replenish vitality.
How to steam in a Finnish sauna according to all the rules?
The recommendations of various specialists and simply bathhouse lovers sometimes differ radically. The fact is that the vast majority of foreign publications are naturally related to research into the effects of the sauna on the body, since the Russian bath in many ways still remains a national feature of our country.
Therefore, we will talk about procedures taken in an atmosphere with a temperature from 50 ° C to 100 ° C and relative humidity air no more than 20%.
Such conditions are created in any structure equipped as a Finnish sauna, but they can also be maintained in a traditional Russian bathhouse. It should be remembered that the recommendations below relate to a dry air bath, since an increase in air humidity leads to other effects (sometimes directly opposite), less studied by doctors, and therefore the therapeutic aspects of a bath with high humidity are not discussed here.
Scientists in different countries the world is increasingly paying attention to healing effect dry air bath (sauna). Over the past 40 years, a lot of publications on this topic have appeared in the world. Data different sources are studied, summarized and supplemented by scientists and specialists. The most comprehensive recommendations on this matter come from the Finnish Sauna Society.
The temperature in the sauna usually ranges from 60 C to 100 ° C. The air is relatively dry, but its humidity can be raised by splashing water on the stones. Steam in a Finnish sauna, contrary to popular belief, is not prohibited. The air should not be completely dry, as this may be harmful to the respiratory organs. The sauna ends with a shower or a dip in a cool pool.
Most Finns believe that a sauna is not a sauna without a refreshing swim in a cool lake, of which there are thousands in Finland. Some even allow themselves to plunge into ice water river or pond with a temperature of about 3-5 ° C. If you have a broom (broom), you can also use it.
How long can you stay in the sauna?
This time is purely individual. You need to listen to your feelings and your body. For the first time, experts advise staying only a few minutes, although this depends on the temperature: for example, if the latter reaches 70 - 80 °C, then about 5 minutes, and if 100 °C - no more than 3 minutes. After this, having cooled down a little and taken a shower, you can go for more long time- 5 -10 minutes. Whenever you feel like you need to take a break, get out immediately.
How often can you visit the sauna?
If a person is absolutely healthy, he can visit her as often as he wants. If you do this every day, you need to use moisturizing creams or lotions for your skin so as not to dry it out. If you don’t hold endurance competitions and don’t set records for the duration of stay in the steam room, then the sauna is absolutely safe.
Rules for visiting the sauna
Allow at least 1.5 hours for the sauna.
Leave your clothes in the locker room. Don't forget a change of clean clothes to wear after the sauna. Take something to sit on (small towel, sheet). Don't forget to cover your head with a felt hat or wool cap. Take a shower or soak in the water before entering the steam room. This will pre-cleanse the skin and eliminate the smell of sweat in the sauna, which is completely unacceptable here.
So, first they take a shower. Without drying themselves, they enter the sauna. After sitting for a few minutes, wait until the pores of the skin open. After this, they move to a cool room to cool down and take a shower before a new entry, which will be longer. You need to completely relax, enjoying the warmth. People go to the sauna to get priceless moments of peaceful relaxation.
Enter the steam room for the first lap. Recommended temperature 80-90 °C. At first the air will be relatively dry. To give off steam, you need to splash water on the stones. It is not recommended to use a broom the first time, because the skin, as a rule, is not yet sufficiently steamed and can be easily injured.
Leave the room as soon as you feel discomfort. Now you need to cool down - take a shower, swim in the pool or just sit in the relaxation room or on the fresh air. You can drink if you feel thirsty, but remember that alcohol and sauna are incompatible.
Go to the steam room again. Now you can allow yourself to sit longer or climb higher. The couple can also be allowed in more. You can also use a broom.
Cool down again.
Repeat the cycle as many times as you like. The same can be said about using a broom: as long as you don’t feel any discomfort, you can continue. For most people, 2-3 visits are enough, but some allow themselves up to 10. All this is very individual.
Return to the steam room briefly to dry your skin. Wash yourself. After this, return to the steam room again (preferably at a lower temperature). Finally, cool off your body in the shower or in the pool. Dry with a towel or simply dry at room temperature. You can even just lie down, close your eyes and relax for a while.
After the sauna, you can drink a refreshing drink and eat something light and salty.
Before putting on clothes, be sure to give yourself time to cool down. Otherwise, sweating will continue. However, you need to be careful not to freeze, since the body is more sensitive after a sauna.
Finnish sauna sister Russian bathhouse, their ancestor is the same log hut, heated black. In our country in recent years It has become fashionable and prestigious to visit such establishments, enjoy the steam while pouring hot stones over a fire, and then throw yourself into a snowdrift or a swimming pool with cold water. Construction of a bathhouse Finnish technology is enough challenging task, which requires certain material costs and time. Before you start construction, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to get in the end.
Sauna in the life of Finns
First, I would like to tell you the legend of where the sauna came from, according to the Finns themselves. Somehow the roof of one Finnish home leaked in the rainy autumn, and drops of water fell on the hot stones of the hearth. As the water evaporated, it filled the housing with a pleasant steam, and the residents really liked it. This is how the first Finnish bathhouse appeared.
Sauna is a word in the Sami and Finnish languages. The tradition of visiting a sauna originated 2 thousand years ago and is deeply rooted in the national way of life. The oldest of the saunas were pits dug into the slopes and covered with stones heated on one side.
Over time, this technology improved, and the sauna turned into a quadrangular wooden house with a stove without a chimney and an earthen floor that served both as a simple living room and a bathroom. The stove heated up, as a result of which the room was filled with smoke, which soon left a special smell and disappeared.
The origins of the Finnish sauna are rural, but gradually this establishment has become part of city life. The first city saunas appeared in courtyards outside homes, and then in apartment buildings and detached houses with terraces. Shared or public saunas have also begun to appear in most cities. The sauna played a huge role in family life Finns: most women until the thirties of the last century gave birth in sterile conditions of saunas
Today there are more than 2 million saunas in Finland, which can serve 5.3 million people. For Finns, the sauna is still a sacred place where peace reigns; here you cannot drink alcohol, sort things out or quarrel, since, according to the Finns, “steam dissipates in anger.” Finns believe that if you don’t visit the sauna, you will not be clean and will not get rid of filth and vices!
The mechanism of action of the Finnish sauna
A Finnish sauna is a dry heat bath in which the air has a high temperature of up to 90-110 degrees Celsius and low humidity - close to 10-25%. It is precisely because of the low level of humidity that the heat is more easily tolerated than in a Russian bath and Turkish hammam. The sauna provides complete relaxation of body and spirit, strengthens the immune system, improves emotional state, increases performance.
The physiological mechanism of the sauna according to Finnish technology consists of warming up the body to the point of profuse sweating, when, thanks to dry air and high temperature Moisture actively evaporates from the surface of the skin, protecting it from overheating. Activation of this mechanism is responsible for a good therapeutic result, stimulating the work of the sweat glands and the thermoregulatory functions of the body. As a result, waste products are released along with sweat. And the wood from which the sauna is made only enhances the therapeutic effect of the visit on human health.
After steaming in the sauna, an important and mandatory procedure is to cool the body. The most commonly used are a shower, a natural pond or a swimming pool. Temperature changes put the body in extreme conditions. Such “stress” increases the body’s immune defense and conducts a kind of training for the cardiovascular system. It is recommended to visit the Finnish sauna no more than once a week.
Advantages of a Finnish sauna
Hot air drives blood flow to the skin and muscles, which helps relieve depression and stress. Since the air in it is hot and dry, it is very beneficial for the lungs and bronchi. Naturally, the benefits of a sauna can only be felt if all its benefits are used in moderation, taking the body’s signals into account. Otherwise, in particular, if you spend too much time in a hot steam room or become overly hypothermic afterwards, you can seriously harm yourself.
Regular visits to the Finnish sauna improve metabolism in the body and help get rid of excess weight. An adult loses in one visit large quantity sweat 0.5 - 2 kg, and along with this - its breakdown products, lactic acid and numerous toxins. For some diseases that are associated with disorders of blood pressure and breathing, for diseases of the musculoskeletal system and kidneys, for injuries, sprains and dislocations, a visit to the bathhouse is recommended. integral part main course of treatment.
To get the effect of visiting a Finnish sauna, you need to adhere to certain rules. The first and most important thing to understand is showering without soap. You should not get your head wet so as not to cause it to overheat. It is best to lie on the bottom shelf in the steam room, with your muscles fairly relaxed. If you're thirsty, a cup of herbal tea made from lemon balm, currants, rose hips, strawberries and hawthorn will help quench your thirst. After visiting the steam room, you should take at least a thirty-minute rest.
Construction of a Finnish sauna
But let's move on to the construction and installation of a Finnish sauna. The construction of a building is a responsible task that does not tolerate savings on building materials and needs a serious approach. If you want to build this building durable and of high quality, then be sure to follow the rules described below.
Planning a Finnish sauna
A real Finnish sauna is small in size, as evidenced by the photo of a Finnish sauna. This is due national traditions- arrive in the steam room in a small group of up to 3 people or individually. Even large Finnish families wash separately in the sauna, and not together: men separately from women. Therefore, a steam room is built with an area of 5-10 square meters. And the entire bathhouse occupies about 30-40 square meters. Distinctive feature Finnish saunas have low ceilings: standard designs provide a height of only 2.1 meters, so doors of standard sizes can be used.
But our Finnish bathhouse has a Russian adaptation, so most often the steam room is a little larger - about 15 square meters. Moreover, a shower or washing room is made minimum sizes- about 5 square meters, but the rest room is usually combined with a locker room, vestibule and dressing room. To usable area To take even smaller baths, you need to install an electric heater.
Construction materials
Construction Finnish sauna doing it yourself is a very delicate matter. Walls can be built from brick, wood or stone. But the choice of wood species for internal lining depends on literally your health. For example, pine cladding of a space with planed boards without creating a vapor barrier layer will be harmful to health, because vacationers will inhale resin fumes. Ideal option The wall timber is Finnish polar spruce.
To cover the walls of the sauna, it is customary to use lining made of deciduous wood - birch, aspen and linden. The main advantage of this material is its ability to withstand high temperatures. Do not decorate the walls with plastic under any circumstances! Such material can be seriously damaged by heat. MDF panels are also not suitable, because they are also not able to withstand high temperatures. And any type of wood is suitable for equipping the dressing room.
Since the Finnish sauna is a small building, the foundation for it can be made from almost any materials, from reinforced concrete to rubble stone on cement. Also, the foundation can be made of stone or brick pillars that are located in the corners of the sauna. If the Finnish sauna project includes large size buildings, it is customary to lay additional pillars between the corners of the building.
Frame and walls of the sauna
Speaking about the construction of sauna walls, it should be noted that they can be made from beams or made frame method. It is advisable to overlap the outer wall cladding so that the room is reliably protected from moisture and wind, and, consequently, from the formation of fungus. Before installing the frame and wall cladding, you should determine the location of the heater. It is recommended to install a mount under it, so this procedure is necessary.
The frame of a Finnish sauna must be strong, because high temperatures can destroy the structure. For this purpose, you can install the timber vertically at a distance of half a meter from each other. The frame is connected with self-tapping screws. Insulation, which is used as mineral slabs or mineral wool, is inserted into the cells of the sheathing. These materials do not require additional fastening, so their use allows saving cash and time. Heat-reflecting foil is fixed on top of this layer.
Ceiling and floor
The ceiling of the Finnish sauna steam room is made of beams that have a cross-section of 60-80 millimeters along with a lining of linden boards. The beams are cut into the crown of the log house and the frame frame. The permissible distance between the beams is about 60-100 centimeters. When starting to build a sauna, it is worth remembering about thermal insulation, since the design of such premises should provide for the highest possible tightness with optimal air exchange. The upper ceiling is vaporized, and the thermal insulation layer of the ceiling should be one and a half times greater than on bath walls because the temperature is always higher at the top of the sauna.
The floor serves as the coldest place in the sauna. Wooden floors always remain wet, which is why the beam becomes slippery over time, emitting a damp smell. Therefore, it is more advisable to equip a Finnish bath with a concrete floor with a coating ceramic tiles. Place a layer of bitumen felt under the screed as insulation. To prevent the steamer’s feet from becoming overcooled during procedures, it is customary to lay wooden flooring or thick mats.
Benches and shelves
Make shelves and benches from aspen or birch. Secure the planks together with a small gap using stainless screws or nails. Their caps are sunk into the wood to a depth of 5-7 millimeters to prevent burns to vacationers.
Shelves should be made at least 60 centimeters wide and placed one above the other to minimize the space. The last shelf is placed at a height of 105 centimeters from the ceiling in order to be comfortable even in a sitting position. Moreover, for even greater convenience, small shelves for the feet are located under the sunbeds. The design of your building also needs to provide a small window for lighting.
Doors and windows
In a Finnish sauna you can install a glass or wooden door. But it is best to give preference to the latter option, since the tree will make the room enclosed. Insulate wooden doors in the manner described above. The gaps between the doors and the frame should be padded with felt. If a vestibule is provided, then the doors can be installed directly into the steam room without thermal insulation. Handle with inside make it wooden.
If not the entire area of the room is occupied by a steam room, then you can make windows in the building after watching a video about a Finnish sauna. If the window is provided for the purpose of natural light or ventilation, then it should not be positioned very high in order to reduce heat loss. The size of such a window should not be impressive - a maximum of 500-700 millimeters.
Ventilation in the sauna
When installing a sauna, do not forget to take care of ventilation. Start with the material you used. For wall cladding, as mentioned above, do not use wood. coniferous species. Otherwise, the released resins will stain everything. For this purpose, take deciduous tree. Cover the heads of the screws that connect the frame with putty, because you can get hurt on the hot metal. Do not leave a gap between the boards.
The steam room should be performed with special ventilation, ensuring that there is no risk of oxygen burnout. The air in the steam room is constantly moving, and optimal ventilation will be when the air is taken from the rest room, then it is heated in the oven and cooled in the steam room, and the exhaust is organized in the rest room, in the washing room or outside.
Similar requirements apply to ventilation system, force the developer to develop a Finnish bathhouse scheme, within the framework of which a forced circulation air. Ventilation duct At the same time, it is customary to install it in a steam room in a special way: the heated air should rise to the ceiling unhindered, where, gradually cooling, it should descend into the outlet channel, which is located under the lower bench, past the paired sunbeds. It is circulation, performed in this way, that can increase the efficiency of the entire system and provide excellent heating of the steam room with different temperature levels.
If you have not provided for ventilation, then you can make it from corrugation with air removed from the room and exhausted. It is recommended to hide the electrical wiring in metal corrugation or cable ducts, and best of all - under the casing. The lighting must be installed on the frame before finishing the steam room. It is worth buying lamps closed type, not forgetting that in such a room there is high humidity.
Heater stove
When it comes to choosing a heater stove, everything is decided solely by the taste of the owner, his financial capabilities and preferences. Can be purchased wood stove, if you can regularly provide the sauna with firewood, and if the size of the steam room allows it. But most developers prefer an electric heater.
This device is equipped with an air circulation system that ensures uniform heating of the steam room. When choosing a heater, it is recommended to proceed from the volume steam room. It should be remembered that one kilowatt of power is enough to efficiently warm up 1 meter of cubic space. Therefore, if the volume of the steam room is 15 cubic meters, then the power of the heater stove should be 12 kilowatts.
An electric heater or stove should be installed in such a way that it is positioned as efficiently as possible in relation to the shelves and does not expose visitors to the risk of burns. In addition, you need to carefully insulate the walls and ceiling of your sauna. It does not matter in which corner it will be placed heating element. In any case, it should be fenced with railings or a cage for additional protection.
Steam is generated in a Finnish sauna by pouring water over the hot stones of the stove. If we take into account that the procedures require minimal air humidity, then it should be raised solely to facilitate breathing, and the installation of a steam generator is not necessary because of this, and is carried out only in situations where the steam room will be periodically switched to Russian bath mode.
Now you have learned how to build Finnish sauna. Recently, Finnish saunas, which have a centuries-old history and are considered a truly sacred place in their homeland, have become increasingly popular among Russians. And this fact is not difficult to explain, because in such a room the air temperature easily rises to 120 degrees Celsius, which helps cleanse the human body of waste and toxins, and, therefore, improve its health.
First of all, you should cleanse your body by getting into the shower. This is both hygienic for the person himself and respectful towards others. After washing, wipe dry. Only then can you enter the steam room. There should be a sheet on the body natural material and a felt cap that protects the head and hair from overheating, and the ears from being burned by hot air.
When putting on swimming trunks or a swimsuit, a person creates additional stress on the body, since such clothes are most often sewn from synthetic materials.
How many times can you go to the Finnish sauna?
There are no clearly regulated norms in this matter. It so happened that people enter the Finnish sauna mainly three times. If the body can tolerate more, then no one will prohibit it.
How to steam in a Finnish sauna?
In order not to harm your health, it is important to perform each step correctly:
- During the first visit, you should not sit or lie only on the bottom shelf or immediately on the top. Its essence is to evenly, slowly, warm up the entire body and achieve sweating. So, in the first case, the procedure will not make sense, and in the second it will lead to rapid heat stroke, since the hot air is at the top. Do not sharply increase the temperature and frequently water the stones. Everything should happen gradually. You cannot breathe through your mouth in a Finnish sauna. After the first entry, which lasts no more than five minutes, you should take a cool shower, and only then plunge into the pool. It is enough to rest for about a quarter of an hour.
- When the body has warmed up well and adapted to the high temperature, you can steam longer the next time. Rest and a cool shower are required. Moreover, the temperature of the water in it should be lower each time.
Is it possible to eat and drink the day before and during a visit to the Finnish sauna?
Before going to the Finnish sauna, you can have a light snack no later than two hours in advance, so as not to overload your heart. In the steam room itself, the consumption of any food, and especially alcohol, has a detrimental effect on health. After the procedure, you should not immediately run to the refrigerator.
But you can drink, and even need to. Since increased sweating occurs, the loss of fluid must be replenished so that the body does not have time to notice it. You can drink a couple of glasses of water before the procedure. At the end of it, the amount of liquid should be greater. It is recommended not to drink between sessions cold water, which promotes stronger sweat production.
A proper stay in a Finnish sauna will have an extremely beneficial effect on a person, relaxing him and helping him feel rested.
Our site is dedicated to modern bath complexes that meet all the requirements of visitors. Here you will find in a few minutes a list of services that suits you and your friends. All establishments are divided into certain sections and criteria by which visitors can easily navigate. Modern saunas are multi-storey establishments with several types of steam rooms, spacious living rooms, relaxation rooms with beautiful furniture. The range of services is very diverse: from traditional wellness treatments to exotic steaming programs and unusual species massage.
Now inexpensive Finnish saunas are almost as popular as Russian baths, despite their differences from each other. They use dry air at high temperatures (almost 100 degrees); they do not even require steam supply with brooms, but they can also be relevant for such a steam room. Benefits of a Finnish steam room there is no doubt: metabolism improves, weight normalizes, waste and toxins are removed from the body. After a hard physical activity or training in the gym, it will come in handy, because dry steam removes lactic acid and relieves muscle pain.
The ceilings in Finnish saunas are lower and there is constant ventilation. Since you will sweat a lot in the steam room, you can rest assured that you will tolerate low humidity well. Moreover, water procedures await you later. Rent a Finnish sauna it became much easier. You can cool off in a cold shower or a swimming pool with a jacuzzi; in more elite establishments a cold plunge pool is offered. Hardening procedures are also available there. On this site you can choose aromatherapy and even spa therapy, and select the necessary services such as secure parking.
Most saunas have a banquet room, restaurant or bar with delicious dishes different cuisines, barbecue provided. You are given the opportunity to relax to the fullest, to combine business with pleasure. Restore your strength and energy in one of bath complexes our city. You can find out the location and calculate the optimal route using a special Yandex map.
