Avid steam lovers appreciate the bath for its truly healing properties. However, even they are somewhat wary of the so-called smoke sauna. And, as it turns out, in vain.
Bath in Russia
Initially, the inhabitants of ancient Russia called the steam room a soap house. The word "bath" appeared in our everyday life only in the XI century. Moreover, since that time, the bath has been used not only for washing and washing, but also for treating all kinds of ailments and even for fighting parasites.
Then, in order to make the water for washing warm, the heated stones were removed from the oven and thrown into an appropriate container. Straw and branches of coniferous trees were spread on the floor and on the stove. Thanks to the plants located on the stove, the air in the bathhouse was filled with a pleasant and healing aroma, and the dry grass on the floor prevented slipping.
The frame itself was usually dug into the ground as deep as possible. Thus, the room retains heat better. In every Russian bath of that time, you could find long poles. Clothes were hung on them. While the owners washed, the smoke, which has a disinfectant and bactericidal effect, destroyed lice and other harmful insects from their clothes. Why smoke? But because then our ancestors steamed in baths, which were heated exclusively in black.
What is a smoke sauna?
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In order to understand what a black bath is and how it differs from a regular bath, you should study its structure. Firstly, in such a steam room there is no pipe through which smoke is removed from the room. The smoke just comes out of the stove, passes through the stones and circulates around the floor, ceiling and walls. That is why all the inner surfaces of the bath become black with soot. Hence the name.
Secondly, in the bathhouse in black, in contrast to the "white" one, there are unusually low doors and windows, sometimes glazed in 3 layers. This is done to keep warmth in the room longer.
And, thirdly, the smoke sauna is heated in a completely different way than white. First, the bath is heated for 3-4 hours with the window and door tightly closed. Then they take out the burned-out embers and ash and ventilate the room in order to remove the dangerous carbon monoxide. After that, the window and door are closed again, they wait another 1.5 hours and only then go to the steam room.
The benefits of a smoke sauna
The main difference between a black bath and a regular bath is that the heat remains here much longer, and the main heat is concentrated at the floor, and does not rise to the ceiling. Due to which the legs are constantly warmed up, which has a beneficial effect on the body.
In addition, the smoke that accumulates in the room has disinfecting properties, since it contains a natural antiseptic. Thanks to this, it is almost impossible to get infected with fungal or any other infections in the smoke sauna.
In addition, the smoke completely neutralizes all unpleasant odors, and when burning, wooden logs release substances useful to the body. That is why, from the inside, the bathhouse is always filled with aromas without additional funds, such as essential oils or herbal infusions. Therefore, washing in a smoke sauna is not only useful, but also pleasant.
Yulia Popova