Visiting a steam room is a steam room steam rooms or called. He is the physical building, health, body cleansing and improving the well-being. Steam room bathing or the steam room can also be a social event, you will meet in the steam room. Thus, today’s steam room bathing contribute to overall well-being.
In German-speaking steam rooms naked, as a rule be entered (the exception is the so-called textile steam rooms). In many public steam rooms, there is no segregation of the sexes, but some days are offered to women, men rarely, days. Modern spas sometimes have more or less separate areas for men and women. In Finland, there is usually segregation, especially in public steam rooms.
In cases where the operator of the steam room people deliberately want to have as clients of sexual motivation, it is called a contact steam room or steam room club. In most steam rooms is too open sexual behavior of both the operators and by the vast majority of the other bathers undesirable and may lead to a ban.
In the Scandinavian countries, as well as the Russian space – there: Banya – Steam room has an enormous role in maintaining social contacts, it is customary among businessmen to meet in the steam room and there to make business decisions. Viewed over total Scandinavia, takes this meaning from the steam room, however, to the southwest and is particularly strong in southern Norway is no higher priority more than for example in Germany.
Both popular in the steam room and in the Russian banya is the carrying of bundles of birch twigs mostly (Finnish: Vihta or vasta, Russian: Wenik), with which the entire body is “cut down” to stimulate the blood circulation. These branches are, in contrast to birch rods, not stripped of leaves and thus produce no pain. In the summer, are often used fresh branches, twigs in winter, either, which were dried in early summer or frozen clumps that can be bought in Finnish supermarkets. Dried branches are soaked in hot water before use. The resulting water is suitable as a flavored infusion.
Medical effects
The steam room should be the need of hardening against colds and can also be used as a therapeutic application in several diseases, such as disorders of the autonomic nervous system. However, it is unclear whether these effects were ever detected in a medical study.
The increase in body temperature to 39 ° C [2] during the sweating phase (artificial fever) within the body causes the same thing that causes a real fever, namely the destruction of pathogens by increased temperature.
The sequence of heat with the subsequent cold bath relaxes the muscles and in addition to several physiological effects such as lowering blood pressure, stimulate circulation, metabolism, immune and respiratory especially a beneficial effect on subjective well-being.
Steam room bathing is also used for skin care and slow down the aging process, immediately after entering the steam room room reacts to skin, blood vessels dilate, blood flow increases and the surface temperature rises to about 15-minute stay to 40-42 ° C. In the cooling phase the blood vessels narrow again with cold water applications (training vessel).
The sweating and the repeated water treatments also cause a very thorough but gentle cleansing body and the top stratum corneum of the skin swells, loosen dead skin cells and can be easily rinsed off. For very dry skin structure through activation of the sweat and water retention is improved in the horny layer.
People with inflammation, with acute infectious diseases is with heart and circulatory diseases, venous thrombosis or varicose veins generally discouraged from visiting a steam room, a hammam, a banya, or a steam bath. Where appropriate, older people consult their GP.