Bath massage with brooms

Author: Ivan Kisil, master methodologist, certified consultant in the field of spa & wellness, member of the American Association AMTA SPA therapist, teacher of international massage technologies (Kiev)

Source: KOSMETIK international journal, No. 4 (58) / 2014, pp. 90-95

Excursion into history

The ancient Greeks and Romans attached great importance to the bathhouse. It had such a strong effect on the body that even the sick returned the joy of life. Therefore, it is believed that the word “bath” comes from the Latin word “balneum,” meaning “expulsion of illness, sadness.”

The veneration of the ancient Greek goddess of health Hygiene (hence - hygiene) among the Greeks was so great that special laws were issued regulating visits to public baths.

The most popular in ancient times were the Roman baths - thermal baths, which were luxurious structures with a capacity of up to two and a half thousand people. The water there came from thermal springs through an extensive system of pipes, as a result of which the floors in all bathhouses warmed up so much (up to 60–70 degrees) that it was impossible to stand in them without special wooden sandals that protected the feet from the heat.

In Roman baths, hot air with low humidity (10–20 percent) entered through holes in the walls and was brought to the floor. There were separate special washing and massage rooms.

The peoples conquered by Rome adopted many of the customs of the conquerors, including the construction of baths, the direct heirs of which were the famous Turkish baths. But, unlike Roman baths, in Turkish baths they poured water on the floor, heated to 70–80 degrees, which created steam. The humidity in them could reach 60–100 percent. The bath ritual ended with a long tea party, which had a beneficial effect on the condition of the body.

The development of the bath business continued until the 14th–15th centuries, when in Western Europe, under the influence of church prohibitions, baths practically ceased to exist. Moreover, it was not only commoners who were forbidden to wash - even members of the royal court did not bathe for years. The spread of epidemics and numerous pathogenic bacteria and viruses was terrifying. And only from the 16th century baths began to be built little by little again.

In Rus', baths also appeared in ancient times. Initially, they were heated “black”. Smoke poured into the steam room, causing the walls to become covered with a thick layer of soot. Such a bath was allowed to warm up until the coals burned out, then the room was ventilated from carbon monoxide. Water for washing was heated in clay pots on a stove. “Soap” was prepared in a separate pot - alkaline ash water (“lye”). Heating bathhouses “white-wash,” when smoke comes out through a chimney, began in the 19th century. And the first medicinal baths and thorough works of Russian scientists on the use of baths appeared in Moscow and St. Petersburg back in the 18th century.

Bath recommendations

A bath in a spa is a special procedure. It requires some preparation and some knowledge of the bath ritual.

Before entering the steam room, it is necessary to perform hygienic treatment of intimate parts and legs. To do this, you should wash in a warm shower without soap or a washcloth, so as not to harm the skin by removing the protective fatty lubricant. Otherwise, exposure to hot steam will dry and irritate the skin.
Before the steam room, you should not wet your head with water: the possibility of overheating increases. When entering the steam room, you must wear a protective headdress made of dense natural material, such as felt or wool.

It is useful to have a light snack before the bath. Fruits, vegetables, tea - that's enough. Alcohol is strictly prohibited. It is not recommended for older people (over 65–70 years) to visit the steam room.

For a person who is going to a bathhouse for the first time in his life, it is advisable to limit himself to one 5–7-minute visit and the bottom shelf. Further, the time spent in the steam room can be increased each time by 1 minute, bringing it to 10 minutes. The total time spent in the steam room, depending on tolerance and health status, is 15–35 minutes with 2–3 visits. After each run, it is recommended to cool down and rest for 25-30 minutes.

You need to start your stay in the steam room from the bottom shelf so that the body warms up at a relatively low temperature. Gradually, depending on how you feel, you can move to the middle and top shelves.

In the steam room, it is preferable to remain in a lying position - this promotes proper blood circulation. It is advisable for the head to be in a slightly elevated position, on a wooden headrest. You need to try to breathe through your nose, this warms up the nasopharynx well and cools the inhaled air.

Cooling is an equally important phase of the bath procedure. The most gentle type is to stay in a cool room where the air temperature does not exceed 18–20 °C. Swimming in a bath or pool is an effective way to cool down, but in this case there is an additional load on the cardiovascular system, so blood pressure may increase. Before diving into the pool, you should take a shower to wash off sweat. You should immerse yourself in water up to your neck, leaving your head dry. After a bath or swimming pool, you should take a warm shower or a warm foot bath to circulate blood to the skin.

It is advisable to replenish the loss of fluid and mineral salts by the body by drinking juice, mineral water or fragrant healing herbal tea, which the spa specialists will offer you, taking into account your wishes.

Indications and contraindications

Systematic visits to the bathhouse train the hemodynamic system. With a slight decrease or increase in blood pressure, it normalizes, but more often there is a tendency to decrease, sometimes to a significant one. For such people, a cold shower is recommended after the steam room.

However, contrast procedures can be dangerous for people with cardiovascular disease, especially hypertension. Here it is worth dwelling on a number of ailments for which a bath is contraindicated.

First of all, general recommendations. The bath procedure will have to be abandoned in the acute stage of any disease, elevated temperature, exacerbation of chronic diseases, the presence of malignant tumors, severe anemia and a tendency to bleeding of any location.

In addition, there are a number of diseases for which visiting a bathhouse is harmful. These include:

• stage III hypertension;
• systolic pressure is more than 200 mm Hg. Art.;
• acute cardiac lesions of an inflammatory nature;
• cardiomyopathy;
• acute thrombophlebitis;
• bronchiectasis;
• pulmonary tuberculosis;
• myasthenia gravis;
• epilepsy;
• multiple sclerosis;
• Parkinson's disease;
• hydronephrosis;
• chronic hepatitis;
• condition after miscarriage;
• complicated pregnancy.

broom variety

The steam bath was an indispensable attribute of Slavic culture. To aromatize the steam, water with herbal infusions, honey, kvass, and vegetable oils was splashed onto the hot stones. And without a fragrant broom there was nothing to do in the bathhouse! Moreover, each broom had its own purpose for certain ailments. A broom is used to build up the heat, massage the skin and muscles, and a lot in the bath depends on how good, the “correct” broom is chosen for the steam bath.

Birch broom

The most popular in Rus', it was an indispensable companion when going to the bathhouse for a cold or aches throughout the body. It was good if the skin needed to be cleaned. The best birch brooms are made from tree branches growing near water, so they are flexible and unbreakable.

Side shoots are cut off in the first half of summer, according to popular wisdom, on Trinity Sunday. Before cutting a shoot, you need to pick a leaf from the branch and lick its upper part. If rough is not suitable (this is the so-called wilderness), a broom from such branches will turn out to be rough and hard. But when the leaf on top is smooth, tender, velvety, as if covered with fluff, that’s what you need for a broom!
Birch leaf is porous, capable of “sticking” to the body and absorbs sweat during soaring. Birch broom calms the nervous system, is useful for lung diseases, relieves pain, and accelerates the healing of wounds and abrasions. You can use mixed brooms: oak, eucalyptus, currant branches, as well as wormwood and oregano are added to birch branches.

Oak broom

It was considered indispensable for hypertension: the oak spirit does not allow blood pressure to rise and, thanks to the healing substances secreted by the leaves, reduces it - in addition, oak relieves excitement of the nervous system. We also used this broom for oily skin: it dries it slightly, making it elastic.

Brooms are harvested in June - August, and the grove is chosen in a damp, darkened forest where large burdocks grow. Oak branches plucked from quiet places are especially strong and their leaves do not fall off.

Tansy and rowan broom

Helped with low blood pressure and loss of strength. It was believed that after steaming with such a broom, you could at least start dancing.

Coniferous broom

It gained particular popularity in Siberia. They said that any illness is afraid of him. For rheumatism, they took a fir broom with them to the steam room; the walls in the steam room were often sprinkled with an infusion of pine needles - its aroma calms the nerves and relieves fatigue.

Juniper broom

It has antimicrobial properties and relieves pain.

Linden broom

It helps well with ailments of the bronchopulmonary system. Such profuse sweating could not be achieved with any other broom. If you had headaches, you also steamed with a linden broom.

nettle broom

This is a kind of sophistication. Usually it was used for pain in the lower back, joints, and muscles. It’s just that they didn’t prepare it for future use, like others. One could pamper oneself with such a broom only during the time of nettle flowering, when its leaves were in their very juice and were incredibly fragrant. Nettle brooms contain a lot of iron, vitamins and other useful substances. Young branches steamed in warm water cause a slight tingling sensation, the body turns pink, but there are no blisters. These brooms are good for pain in the lower back, muscles, and joints. The nettle broom is not steamed in hot water, but moistened with slightly warm water.

Currant broom

This type of broom, although inferior in strength to birch and oak brooms, is more aromatic and very beneficial for the skin, as it contains many vitamins.

Preparation of brooms

When preparing brooms, it is important to follow a few simple rules:

• Branches should only be cut in dry weather. Branches should not be harvested early in the morning when dew falls. If you break this rule, leaves wetted by rain or dew will darken and curl during drying. In addition, moistened leaves quickly deteriorate and fermentation may begin in them. The leaves from such a broom will fall off after the first entry into the steam room.
• Branches harvested from the forest should not be washed before drying. Reason – point number 1.
• For harvesting branches, you should choose forest lands remote from industrial zones, highways and large populated areas.
• Before drying, the branches are withered for 1–2 hours, after which the broom is collected.
• Dry the brooms hanging or on lattice shelves, turning them over every day until the leaves are dry. It is necessary to dry in the shade, in a well-ventilated area. After this, the brooms are placed tightly in stacks of five pieces. They flatten, taking on the shape of a fan.

Storage and structure of brooms

In villages in Rus', brooms were stored in stacks - there is an optimal microclimate for preserving the broom even in spring. Typically, brooms are stored in dark, well-ventilated rooms: 2–3 volumes, temperature – 2–4 °C, humidity – 70–80%, 50 brooms per 1 m2. For small volumes, it is recommended to store brooms in refrigerators.

Branches for brooms are collected at different times of the year, depending on the tree. A good broom has the shape of a fan. Length 600–650 mm, width 400–450 mm, weight 200–350 g. The broom consists of 25–35 branches, the maximum branch diameter is 5 mm, the leaf diameter is 25–30 mm dry, fresh up to 60 mm.

To avoid problems during work, special attention should be paid to the handle. Thinner branches should be located outside, all knots and irregularities should be taken inside the handle. The handle must be cut, tightly and firmly tied with sisal cord along its entire length. Handle length 150–200 mm, diameter up to 45 mm.

Preparing brooms for the procedure

Fresh leafy broom . The broom is rinsed under running cold water, then washed in warm water, and then placed in hot water (80 ° C) for 10–15 minutes. The broom is ready for use.

Coniferous broom . Wash the broom in cold and then in warm water. Then steam in boiling water (90°C) for 20–30 minutes.

Dry leaf broom . Shake off the weak leaf. Wash the broom in cold running water. Then soak in cold water for 4-5 hours. Remove, wrap in a damp cloth and refrigerate for 10–15 hours. Before the procedure, immerse in hot (60 ° C) water. This method is as gentle and preserves the broom as possible.

Second option: shake off the weak leaf. Wash the broom in cold running water. Then soak in cold water for 30–40 minutes. Place in a bowl of warm water (25–35 °C) for 10–20 minutes, then scald with hot (70–80 °C) water. Hold for 5–10 minutes, covering with another basin.

Third option: shake off the weak leaf. Wash the broom in cold running water. Then soak in cold water for 5-10 minutes. Place in a bowl of warm (25–35°C) water for 15–20 minutes, then steam in hot (70–80°C) water. Hold for 10–15 minutes, covering with a second basin.

Fourth option: shake off the weak leaf. Wash the broom in cold running water. Soak in warm water for 5-10 minutes, wrapping in gauze soaked in cold water. Hold a wrapped broom over the heater at a height of 10–15 cm from the stone. Pour cold water (0.5 l) through a broom onto the stones. If you do not follow the steaming sequence, neglect washing and soaking in cold water, the broom leaf will sag and quickly fall off. This is an emergency steaming option. This broom is enough for one go.

Water from the basins after soaking the brooms is not poured out, but is used for rinsing after steaming.

Massage with leafy brooms

Masterly use of a bath broom is not just a craft, it is akin to art. It originates in the distant history of the Slavic peoples. Broom massage is performed in a steam room (bath, sauna), the temperature in which is above 30 degrees and the steam is dry. To achieve the desired humidity, brooms are dipped in cold water. A portion of dry steam is obtained by spraying the hot stones of the heater with brooms. Brooms should always be wet.

Procedure protocol

The client is in a supine position. When carrying out manipulations on the front surface of the body, it is necessary to cover the genital area with a towel, and for women, also the chest, in order to protect the delicate areas of the body from injury.

The procedure begins with a non-contact massage: a broom is used like a fan, from the feet to the head. Brooms capture hot air (dry steam) from the upper layers and drive it towards the body. The art of contactless steaming is the highest aerobatics of bath art.

The movements are performed in the following sequence:

• Stroking is the initial stage of massage with brooms. The brooms are placed on the heels, then slowly, lightly touching the foliage, slide along the calves, thighs, buttocks, to the lower back, then from the hands through the arms to the thoracic spine. Similar actions are performed in the opposite direction.
• Then the same stroking is repeated, without pressure, but now contacting the entire surface of the broom. When performing stroking movements, heat is pumped into the body.
• Compress: a hot broom is pressed tightly for 2-3 seconds on the lower back, thoracic region, shoulder blades, arms, legs, face. At the same time, the broom is lifted up and, capturing hot air, made 2-3 blows to the body, raised again and pressed to the body for 2-4 seconds - a compress is made. The compress is especially useful for pain in muscles and joints.
• Whiplash - delivering light blows in all directions. Stroking the body alternates with light sliding blows with a broom. In this case, first the person lies on his stomach, then on his back, and then again on his stomach.
• Whipping involves more noticeable blows than whipping (but not painful). At the same time, the broom rises, capturing hot steam, and then falls with several whipping movements. Reception of whippings increases blood circulation, promotes subsequent temperature contrast, more intense sweating and activation of metabolism; helps open skin pores and flush out various toxins through them. Exposure of the skin to phytoncides (volatile substances contained in broom leaves) neutralizes the effect of various pathogenic microbes. Essential oils that get on the skin improve metabolism and prevent premature aging of the skin. The blows are delivered to the torso, arms, and legs.
• Rubbing is usually done after a short whipping during the second or last entry into the steam room. To do this, take the broom by the handle with one hand, and with the palm of the other hand, press the broom onto the body and rub it in a circular motion. After rubbing, you should first sit down, then stand up smoothly and carefully (you may feel dizzy).
• Patting: after each light blow, the broom is firmly fixed at the point of impact.
• Poultices: a broom is pressed against the body for a longer time than a compress. Use a broom to capture the heat and press it to the body for 10–20 seconds, and cover the first with a second broom. Advancement is carried out along the back with alternating brooms.
• Stretching: the brooms are pressed in the lumbar region, then one is led to the head, and the other to the soles - diagonally. Then repeat the same movements crosswise. Good to use for lower back pain.
• Pressing: the broom is pressed firmly against an area of the body, most often to the problematic one.
• Kneading: knead the muscles with your hands through a broom.
• Traction of joints with a poultice : a poultice is made in the joint area, then brooms are placed in the articular fold of the movable joints and the limb is bent in this joint through the broom.
• The final stage of massage with leafy brooms is stroking. The procedure for carrying it out is similar to stroking at the beginning of the massage.