Features, device and visit to the hammam

Hammam: what it is and what it is for - these questions arise for those who for the first time decide to visit an unusual Turkish steam room with a low heating temperature. Today, such a spa complex can be arranged in a country house, hotel. Towels, doors, sunbeds and other equipment for the Turkish or Moroccan hammam can be easily purchased outside the Middle East, but the culture of receiving water procedures in such an institution should be studied separately and in more detail.

Hammam is a type of bath complex common in the countries of the Middle East and Central Asia. Also, this word denotes the procedures that are carried out within this analogue of Roman terms. Outside the eastern countries, the hammam is better known as the Moroccan or Turkish bath. It differs from the sauna in a lower heating temperature - only 45 degrees in the hottest room... In addition, in Turkey and Morocco, the steam room uses a humidity mode close to 100%, which allows you to properly nourish the skin with useful substances, rejuvenate and heal it.

Hammam is a traditional Arab invention, especially relevant in the climate of the Middle East. However, there is an opinion that here, too, the tradition of wet steaming was simply adopted from the Romans, who knew a lot about quality ablution.

After that, maintaining the purity of the body turned into an urgent need for local residents, they often came to the bathhouse after visiting the mosque or before that. Whole closed clubs for men, women's day was specially appointed, every week.

The traditions of visiting the hammam at especially important moments of life are preserved to this day. A bachelorette party and a bachelor party before the wedding, 40 days from the birth of a child, circumcision and the end of military service are just a small part of the reasons for gathering family and friends in Turkish baths.

For the inhabitants of Russia, such exoticism became relevant about 30 years ago, in the 90s of the XX century. The luxurious halls of public baths in the oriental style made a strong impression on the first participants in foreign voyages. Soon the first hammams appeared in Moscow, and they were focused on a female audience, men did not immediately appreciate the innovation.

Whether a hammam is needed, whether it is useful for children and adults, is said a lot by both experts and novice lovers of wet steam. This bath works a little differently from the Russian steam room and the Finnish sauna. But its benefits are completely undeniable and are as follows.

• Detoxifying effect. The special atmosphere of the hammam ensures full opening of pores, removal of toxins, and provokes perspiration. It is worth paying attention to the fact that with prolonged and regular exposure to wet steam, the skin condition really improves, acne and acne disappear, and the tone increases. After visiting the Turkish bath, the tan remains, looks more even, and lays down better.
• Weight loss. Your own home hammam allows you to provide a more effective effect of lymphatic drainage and massage procedures. With its help, it is possible to remove cellulite, reduce the volume.This is not to say that the Turkish bath greatly accelerates weight loss, but it definitely helps to make it much more pleasant and comfortable, and ensures the consolidation of the result.
• Decrease in skin oiliness. The increased secretion of the sebaceous glands causes a lot of problems. With the regular passage of the procedure with wet steam, you can achieve a narrowing of the pores, normalize many processes in the body. The condition of the skin and hair becomes significantly better, excessive oiliness is eliminated.
• Fighting colds. In the absence of elevated body temperature, the Turkish steam room can be considered an integral part of a successful treatment. In the hammam, you can conduct aromatherapy sessions, ensure uniform heating of the respiratory system, as when setting cans and mustard plasters, but do it in combination. Such a home steam room will turn out to be a really good solution for children who are not too fond of medical procedures.
• Relaxation and anti-stress. A visit to the hammam promotes deep relaxation of muscles, helps to get rid of clamps, excessive release of lactic acid. It is this method of relaxation that ensures a successful fight against fatigue, overwork, and depression. Even with severe stress, a couple of hours in the hammam will help bring the mind and feelings into balance, relieve the feeling of anxiety and tension.
• Relief of joint pain. The Turkish bath with its soft, delicate heat provides a beneficial effect on the condition of the musculoskeletal system in case of arthritis, arthrosis, osteochondrosis. Recovery from injuries and fractures, the fight against salt deposition in such conditions is faster and more effective. You can consider the procedure for visiting the complex as part of physiotherapy.
• Fight against chronic respiratory diseases. Bronchitis, tonsillitis, laryngitis, constantly occurring against the background of colds, can disappear completely and without a trace if you make a regular visit to the Turkish bath your good habit. Wet steam combined with warming up, the use of aromatic oils works better than any physiotherapy. At the same time, a person enjoys the procedure, has a pleasant time.

The harm of a Turkish bath is directly related only to individual restrictions set for specific people.... For example, it is forbidden to carry out procedures with steam if a person is in an acute painful condition: with an increase in body temperature, the development of inflammatory processes, the presence of chronic diseases in the acute phase. A visit to the bath is also excluded when tumors of any type are present in the body - benign, malignant. A pathogenic neoplasm can begin to grow, since warming up provokes cell division.

You should not visit the hammam while carrying a child. Such procedures are prohibited for people with lung diseases: tuberculosis, bronchial asthma. You should not visit the Turkish bath after a heart attack, stroke, problems with blood vessels, endocrine system, liver disease.

Hammam is one of the most gentle bath procedures... The air heating temperature, depending on the room, here varies from +30 to +60 degrees Celsius. The process of warming up occurs gradually, without "shock therapy", with a gradual opening of the pores. At the same time, the humidity level varies from 80 to 100%. When building a Turkish bath, it is necessary to observe the correct temperature transitions when changing rooms. The hammam resembles a gallery, each room of which has its own heating mode:

• + 28-30 - degrees in the locker room;
• + 40-50 - in the room with sun loungers;
• + 40-50 - on marble benches chebek-tashi;
• up to +70 - in steam rooms-niches, the temperature in them is different, for every taste.

A modern hammam may well be accommodated in an ordinary country house, in a country house, in an apartment. It is not even necessary to develop a project for a full-fledged bath complex - ready-made shower cabins with a bathtub and a steam generator can easily cope with the imitation of the principle of operation of a Turkish spa in a regular bathroom. For those who have sufficient free space, there is an opportunity to create a full-fledged hammam in a private house. In an apartment, standard ventilation simply cannot cope with such loads.

The real Turkish hammam begins with interior design. Glossy ceramic finishes are used here - mosaic, with intricate decor or painting. The loungers, called "chebek-tashi", are made of marble, like the seats in the steam room, they are equipped with an individual heating system. The lounges have low round tables and sofas, tea and fruit are served.

There is a marble stone in the center of the main hall... This room is characterized by the creation of a ceiling dome that allows condensed moisture to flow down the walls. In the modern version, a moisture-resistant fan with condensate drains, connected to the ventilation system, is used to remove excess steam.

Besides, wooden parts and structures are not used here - only natural minerals or ceramic tiles in decoration. You can use for decoration wall panels made of artificial stone or transparent natural onyx, matte marble, travertine. The lighting in the hammam is also special. Lamps are located in the steam room and other halls at different levels, creating a special atmosphere.

Even in a small shower area, a steam Turkish bath can look quite realistic.: simply the sun loungers will replace the seats, the ablution bowl will be transformed into a modern piece of equipment with the effect of a tropical rainstorm, glass doors will help to maintain the desired temperature inside. A fragrance that dispenses essential oils will be responsible for relaxation. How the home hammam works is worth talking in more detail.

Moreover, Turkish baths with wood-fired boilers deserve it. The layout of their halls is similar to a human hand with five fingers. And each has its own purpose, which must be taken into account when designing. They visit the halls in the same way - in a strictly routine manner.

It is separate for men and women - this is how it is done in traditional hammams. This is mainly due to the traditions of Islam. In addition, this division allows for the decoration of each of the parts of the building in different colors and designs. In fact, in the Turkish hammam, even entering it at the same time, men and women cannot intersect - all rooms in the right and left wings are mirrored and isolated.

The room for changing clothes is called "jamekan". Here they take off their daily attire and take sheets, slippers, and traditionally place a fountain in the center of the hall. It is not accepted to be naked, unless it will be necessary for SPA procedures. This is worth considering when visiting public hammams.

Hararet, or steam room, - the central room of the hammam. The temperature here reaches its maximum, reaches 55-60 degrees. In the center of the room there is a marble "belly stone", and around it there are benches made of natural stone, where the main procedures are received, you can relax and warm up properly. Inside the harareta, a special hot tub can also be installed - a kurna, which replaces the pool.

Around the central hall are located showers for ablution after a steam room. From here, from the hararet hall, you can go to kulchan... This room belongs to the auxiliary rooms. Here they rest, organize tea-drinking, communicate after ablutions.

The bathing room usually borders on the dressing room, and the steam room is located behind it. There is showers, toilet access... The temperature regime inside reaches 30-35 degrees, which allows you to prepare the body for further steaming, helps to open the pores.

Hammam rules of conduct exist for all guests - both local residents and visitors. If we are talking about Turkey, Morocco, other Muslim countries with strict religious canons, it is imperative to make a separate visit for men and women. It is worth knowing in advance where which entrance to the baths is located. Visitors inside are bound to turn into a sarong wherever nudity is not required.

When visiting a common room with benches, be sure to lay a towel before lying down.... All rooms must be in special slippers... After warming up you can't get up abruptly, you should carefully take an upright position, without unnecessary haste. At the entrance to the Turkish bath, it is customary to leave alcoholic beverages and other stimulants outside its doorstep. After a meal, at least 1-1.5 hours should pass; it is forbidden to visit procedures on a full stomach.

There is a certain list of items traditionally used in hammams during water procedures. Today it is not necessary to take a complete set with you. If you want to preserve the authenticity of the procedure, you should definitely take care of purchasing the following accessories.

• Peshtemal, or pes-te-mal... This is a fringed towel that is usually wrapped around the body. It is made of silk or cotton, it is made wide - from the armpits to the middle of the thigh, a striped ornament or a single color is allowed. In total, 3 towels are used in the hammam, from 1 to make a head turban, from 2 - a cape for the shoulders, the latter is wrapped around the body.

• Nalin. This is the name of wooden clogs, which provide good adhesion to the surface, they do not heat up, they are comfortable for the skin. Such products are often richly decorated, supplemented with silver or mother-of-pearl decorative elements.

• Bowl for ablution. It looks like an ordinary basin, but it is made of metal - copper, silver, gold-plated coating may be present. In Turkey, you can buy original bowls for ablution with ethnic ornaments, richly decorated, turning the procedure of visiting the hammam into a real ritual.

• Soap storage container... It is made of metal, with handles on top, like a bag, and holes for water to drain through the bottom. Not only soap is put here, but also a mitten or glove for scrubbing the skin, a washcloth, and a comb.

• Keze. This is the name of the same mitten for self-massage of the body. With its help, you can easily provide scrubbing of the skin surface, removing dead, keratinized particles from it. The degree of hardness of the washcloth can vary, sometimes several different keze are specially chosen - for light or deep peeling.

• Cosmetical tools. These include rose oil, intended to be applied to the surface of the body after procedures. Henna as a hair mask is taken together with a special bowl, in which the powder is diluted to a mushy state. Also in the hammam, oriental beauties perform eyebrow dyeing.

It is important to note that it is not customary to use the Turkish bath on your own. Special people work here - tellakwho conduct massage sessions, apply masks, perform other procedures in compliance with all precautions.

When visiting the hammam, in order to achieve the best healing effect, it is imperative to follow a certain sequence of actions. The correct order is shown below.

1. Rinsing in the shower or another source of running water.
2. Moving to a heated marble lounger - to open pores. The procedure takes about 20 minutes until the body feels relaxed and comfortable.
3. Peeling. The body is rubbed with hard washcloths, preferably natural - from loofah, providing a fairly intense massage effect. With the correct observance of the order of actions, it is possible to achieve an intensive separation of keratinized skin cells.
4. Removal of the effects of peeling. I need to take another shower.
5. Lathering with a special olive oil soap. It has a beneficial effect on the body and helps to prepare for massage effects. In the classic hammam, a massage session can take up to 60 minutes.
6. Washing off soap suds. After that, the body can be allowed to rest by moving from the thermal bath to the relaxation room.
7. In a room called "Kulhan", tea parties are held, men here can smoke a hookah or just chat with each other.

Only by following all the recommendations related to visiting the hammam, you can fully enjoy the procedures.

It is worth noting that a real Turkish bath is still different from compact showers with steam generators that simulate the atmosphere of a steam room. But even such a mini-spa at home can be very beneficial for spiritual and physical balance.

For information on how to build a hammam with your own hands, see the next video.