The Real Russian Sauna (Banya)
A Russian sauna is more formally known as a Russian banya, which is a type of steam bath. These baths generally are composed of three separate bathing areas consisting of an entrance, a washing area and a steam room. When a person enters a banya, there is a place provided in which to hang or lay clothing. The next room entered, the washing room, is where a person can wash up using steam-heated hot water. The water heater consists of a fire box, a rock chamber and a water tank. In the third area, the steam room, water is poured over the hot rocks to produce steam.
In the steam room itself, people sit along a series of wood benches. After they are seated along the benches, water is poured over the hot rocks and the people began the process of sweating. Once a good sweat is worked up, it is often the custom to cool off by leaving the sauna and jumping into ice cold water. Then, a person goes immediately back into the Russian banya where a small amount of water is poured over the heated rocks. The minimal steam that is produced consists of small vapor particles, which are more beneficial to the cooled-off body. Often, a person will leave the sauna a second time, jump into ice cold water again and return for a third cooling off session.
What makes a Russian banya so special and unique is the consistency of its steam. A banya differs from a traditional sauna because it produces wet, moist steam as opposed to the hot, dry steam of a regular sauna. The banya steam stays warm and moist because water is continuously poured over extremely hot, radiating rocks. Immediately after the water is poured, a person immediately starts to feel his pores open up and he starts to sweat profusely. Toxins in the body start to dissipate at this point. The longer a person can stay in the banya, the better. It is essential that the sweating process continues until all of the toxins have been released. New users of a Russian sauna often have to attend several sessions before they can endure the heat for longer periods of time.
Privacy Policy And Terms Of Use
|