Home > Beautiful body > How to go to the sauna correctly
Sauna is a holiday for soul and body. Anyone who has at least once experienced this state of complete happiness and lightness, that feeling of external and internal purity that only a visit to a sauna or Russian steam room gives, will strive to find every opportunity to turn a visit to the sauna into a weekly ritual.
In order for a visit to the sauna to be beneficial and not cause a loss of strength, you need to know how to go to the sauna correctly, how to alternate between entering the steam room and rest, as well as the duration of both.
My “experience” in visiting the sauna is 16 years, so I can give useful advice on how to choose the right “equipment” for the sauna, how to steam properly and relax comfortably between visits to the steam room, what it is advisable to take with you from cosmetics and home remedies.
The most important thing when visiting a sauna is not to overheat your head and dry out your hair, not to get thermal burns and not to slip on a wet and slippery floor.
To prevent this from happening, choose the right cap and slippers for the sauna, and when using aromatic oil solutions, spray this solution on benches and walls, and not on stones or coals, in a small amount, “fan”, to avoid thermal burns from the steam.
The ideal sequence of using services in the SPA center
You probably already know that you need to be quiet in the spa, turn off your cell phones, and respect the privacy and personal space of others. But do you know the correct procedure for using SPA and wellness services?
Many people make the mistake of, for example, going straight to the sauna while wet after swimming in the pool, or going straight to the steam bath after the sauna. We invite you to explore the ideal sequence to help you in the future, enjoy your spa the right way and therefore, let's start from the beginning!
Salt room – Hotel “Radan”, Prolom Banya
Upon arrival at the SPA center, while we are still dry, we first use the salt room . According to research, one stay in it is equivalent to 3-4 days spent at sea, given its benefits for the respiratory tract. Adults can spend up to 40 minutes in the salt room, and children - 20 minutes.
After the salt room you can use the swimming pool . The water temperature is usually around 28-30 degrees, with the exception of the thermal water pool, which is often warmer.
Swimming pool – Hotel Iris, Zlatibor
You yourself will choose whether you will just relax in the pool, or swim to your heart's content, if the size of the pool allows it. After leaving the pool, go straight to the shower .
With the help of a shower, we cleanse the skin of chemicals and impurities found in the pool, since we do not want their fumes to accompany us later in the sauna. Don't forget that you also need to take a shower before entering the pool, but this can be done in your room before coming to the SPA center. This way we wash away traces of perfumes, deodorants and other contaminants from the body.
Next come warm benches, the so-called caldariums and tepidariums . They are usually used to relax muscles and warm up the body before entering the sauna. Their surface temperature is about 36-40 degrees. It is worth using them for 15-20 minutes.
Tepidarium – Hotel Jelak, Lukovska Banja
When our body gets used to the higher temperature, it’s time to visit the sauna dry and with a towel . In a sauna, the body releases harmful substances from the body and excess fluid. This takes about 15 minutes. After leaving the sauna, you should shower again, but it is recommended to use cooler water due to blood circulation. We advise you to never use hot water to shower after a sauna, it will do more harm than good to your body. It is important to cool down after the sauna.
Sauna – Grand Hotel, Kopaonik
For additional cooling, it is recommended to take a short swim in the pool.
And then - His Majesty, Jacuzzi ! It is a favorite for many, and there is nothing sweeter when, after all of the above, you receive an underwater massage in hot water. Stress and tension no longer exist.
Jacuzzi – Hotel Merkur, Vrnjacka Banja
At the very end, you can use the steam bath, and then take a shower again and relax on the sun loungers with a good book.
Steam bath – Premier Aqua Hotel, Vrdnik
Smartphones, although not prohibited, are usually not used in a SPA center, in order to completely relax and unwind from all worries and information.
Now you know exactly in what order you should use wellness treatments at the SPA center. When you try our tips, write to us about your impressions.
If you have your own favorite routine and ritual, feel free to share with us in the comments.
Visiting the pool after the steam room
What could be better than cooling off in the pool after a steam room with brooms? Every sauna (and it doesn’t matter whether it’s a Russian bathhouse, a Turkish hammam or a Finnish sauna) must have a swimming pool or a plunge pool to lower body temperature. It has long been proven that temperature contrast has a beneficial effect on human health, leads to tone, promotes hardening, real training of the body and the ability to withstand negative environmental factors. And besides, it is a completely natural need to cool the body after warming up procedures in the bathhouse. Therefore, in this article you will learn all the useful information when choosing a pool and the rules for visiting it.
Many people believe that visiting public swimming pools is unhygienic. To ensure that the water is always clear and clean, special filters are installed to prevent the formation of harmful bacteria in stagnant water. The filtration system traps and traps particles that cause cloudiness in the pool. As a rule, they operate in a periodic mode, so the water can justifiably not be changed for a long period of time - up to three years. Therefore, you should not worry about the fact that you can “catch” an infection - every self-respecting sauna keeps this system in perfect order.
Usually, small pools are installed in saunas, on average 4x6 meters, because the main task of visitors to the pool is to cool down and invigorate, and not to engage in active physical activity. In this case, the temperature can reach 24 degrees, which will cause a refreshing effect. And if the pool has a hydromassage, then you will get double the pleasure! Therefore, we advise you to choose a pool with hydromassage: improved blood circulation, increased skin elasticity and muscle massage are guaranteed to you!
Often saunas also have a Jacuzzi. The water there is 10 degrees warmer. And there is also the possibility of hydromassage. But you should know the rules for being in a jacuzzi. First you need to take a good breath after leaving the steam room, come to your senses and only then plunge into the water. On average, it is recommended to stay in the jacuzzi for no more than 15 minutes at a temperature of approximately 40 degrees, and with repeated “entries” you can increase the time to half an hour.
As for the rules for visiting the pool itself, you need to take into account that immediately after the steam room you absolutely cannot take a plunge right away, but cool down a little and take a shower. Only then can you swim in the pool for a few minutes. We repeat: Only a few! Because the body can become hypothermic and a cold will simply take hold of you. After swimming, it is recommended to take a warm shower again to return your body to normal temperature.
To make bathing even more pleasant and healthy, you can grab a variety of essential oils in the spa pools: tea tree, lemon balm, thyme, chestnut, eucalyptus or frankincense. Natural oils are absorbed into steamed skin and have a healing function: they help cope with depression, insomnia, colds and other diseases.
Thus, visiting the pool after steaming is one of the main components of going to the sauna!
How to properly visit the sauna.
Over the years, our group has developed a certain order of entering the steam room, almost unchanged, since it turned out to be very successful. Therefore, I decided to share my experience on the pages of my website.
So, first entry into the sauna. It is advisable that the body is already clean after a shower, but the hair is still dry: wet hair, when the temperature in the steam room is still the highest, can cause overheating of the scalp.
It is necessary to enter the sauna after wiping your body dry with a terry towel: droplets of water that remain on the body under the influence of high temperature (90 - 110 degrees) can cause micro burns. In addition, if everyone comes in wet, then by the end of the session the Finnish sauna will turn into a Russian steam room. Dry steam is important in a sauna - it promotes intense sweating and the removal of toxins.
First entry into the steam room.
The first visit is the longest and depends on how long you can withstand, what rack you are on, what your general health is and whether this is your first visit to the sauna or whether you are already an “experienced” sauna attendant. On average, the first visit to the steam room lasts 10-15 minutes.
The most important thing is to spend time with health benefits and in your psychological comfort zone. Therefore, focus on how you feel: avoid overheating and subsequent headaches after the sauna.
Sometimes, after a long break from visiting the sauna, or when you visit the steam room for the first 2-3 times, burgundy-crimson spots with a “marble” pattern may appear on the body. Do not be discouraged: this phenomenon will pass after several sessions, as soon as you cleanse the body of toxins and improve the condition of the blood vessels with contrasting temperatures.
The vessels must be trained gradually, by regular visits to the steam room and subsequent contrast showers, so that over time, with experience in visiting the sauna, the individual time of your visit to the steam room and the condition of the blood vessels will increase.
After the first entry into the sauna, you take a shower and you can exfoliate your face and décolleté. And then, while resting, apply the first mask to the face and neck. As a rule, this is a cleansing mask made of white or blue clay. And be sure to drink hot tea or mineral water to replenish the loss of moisture in the body and increase subsequent sweating. Rest between visits to the steam room lasts 10-15 minutes.
The second entry into the steam room, like the subsequent ones, lasts 5-10 minutes.
After the second visit, you can exfoliate your entire body with scrubs that can be easily prepared in advance at home: coffee grounds, a mixture of salt and shower gel, or simply crushed sea salt. If your body skin is dry, add almond or peach oil to the salt.
As homemade peelings, you can also use corn flour mixed with salt or pre-soaked with hot water, oatmeal mixed with salt and honey during the first entry into the sauna. But it’s more convenient to use flakes, crushed in a coffee grinder, until oatmeal forms.
After peeling, during the second rest, you can make a mask for the whole body from blue clay: it perfectly removes toxins and saturates the skin of the body with useful microelements.
For the face and neck, you can make a nourishing mask made from cottage cheese, any suitable for your skin type, oil, citrus juice, honey and yolk.
Third visit to the sauna.
After the third visit to the sauna, you can wash your hair and apply a nourishing hair mask. And for the skin of the face, make a moisturizing mask: from strawberries, grated apple with honey, cucumber or tomato, with aloe juice, watermelon, peach or apricot - it all depends on what you like and suits you.
To remove toxins and improve sweating, during rest, you can apply a mixture of sea salt, honey and olive or almond oil to your damp body after a shower. Before entering the sauna, wash off all masks, and do not forget to pat your body with a towel to keep it dry.
After the fourth and subsequent visits to the steam room - a contrast shower and complete rest. If possible, order a massage of the whole body or face and neck, or at least the shoulder area. As a rule, all saunas have massage rooms - such a massage, when the body is clean and warm, will bring the greatest benefit.
Sauna after fitness: benefits and contraindications
Why go to the sauna/hammam?
Traditional visiting a steam room is an integral part of the culture of many peoples. This is not just a place for ablution and healing. Here it is customary to meet with family and friends and spend time having pleasant conversations. Do you agree? Then I will surprise you: visiting a sauna or hammam in a fitness club is significantly different from going on a hike!
Undoubtedly, the bath is one of the best ways of hardening. The positive effect of visiting the steam room stimulates the strengthening of the immune system and ensures the prevention of many diseases, namely:
- Affects blood circulation, improving microcirculation of deep vessels, vessels of the distal extremities;
- Provides exfoliation of dead skin particles;
- Normalizes the secretion of the sebaceous glands of the scalp;
- Speeds up metabolism;
- Relieves inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx;
- Improves the functioning of the respiratory system;
- It is an excellent prevention of diseases of the musculoskeletal system;
- Promotes psycho-emotional balance;
- And helps you achieve certain fitness goals.
Contraindications for visiting the steam room
Speaking of benefits, I am obliged to warn club members about possible contraindications to visiting a sauna or hammam. Please be careful about your health and consult a doctor before thermal procedures if you have any of the following.
- Angina pectoris, ischemic heart disease (coronary heart disease), hypertension
- Increased body temperature (above 37.50)
- Oncological pathologies
- Open wounds, inflammatory skin diseases
- Period of exacerbation of existing diseases of internal organs
- Acute infectious processes
- Varicose veins, presence of blood clots, thromboembolism
- Epilepsy
- Mental illness
- Early postoperative period
- Pregnancy and during menstruation
Who needs a steam room in a fitness club??
Sometimes I recommend to my clients who want to increase joint mobility after an injury to visit the hammam sauna before each workout to passively warm up the muscles, prepare for myofascial or manual massage and more gently develop the affected joint (if there is no severe pain).
Those who want to lose weight and shape their figure should not go to the steam room after intense physical activity. Since after such a workout the body is dehydrated, blood pressure rises and the pulse quickens, visiting a sauna can lead to vasospasm and the corresponding consequences (the most dangerous are stroke and heart attack). Why put additional stress on the heart? Remember - in everything you need moderation and common sense.
For those who exercise to maintain physical fitness and strive to increase physical activity, I would recommend one short visit to the steam room after non-intense physical activity. This is a good opportunity to quickly and effectively restore trained muscles, speed up the process of removing waste products, relieve fatigue, etc.
Club members who have set the goal of gaining muscle mass should avoid visiting the sauna or hammam after training, as these visits can reduce the rate of muscle growth. During training, you spend time and energy to work your muscles, “bring” blood to them, and in the steam room there is an outflow of blood to the skin. And the desired effect is lost.
In all cases, I recommend monitoring your blood pressure before and after visiting the steam room. And if you have any questions, be sure to contact your trainer, supervisor, or doctor.
I always recommend setting aside one day a week for going to the sauna, hammam or steam bath. It is important that there is no training or other serious load on this day. Then the positive effect of the thermal procedure will not harm your health.
