My friends and I have a tradition... Sauna therapy for body and soul

My friends and I have a tradition...

Sauna therapy for soul and body

Let's leave the debate about the benefits and harms of the sauna. This article is for those who have no contraindications to the sauna. And then visiting the sauna can become a wonderful tradition that successfully combines business with pleasure.

Maundy Thursday

My friends and I have been going to the sauna for many years. Every Thursday. Why Thursday? Well, you know, there is such a popular sign - Maundy Thursday, that’s why we chose this day. Thursday is also convenient purely psychologically. By this day of the week, fatigue, stress and other negative emotions accumulate, and the body urgently needs relaxation. The very thought of the upcoming sauna makes the environment less stressful and makes it very easy to survive all the negatives of Thursday. And Friday after the sauna passes in one breath, work is easy, as if it were Monday. And at the same time there is an understanding that the weekend is ahead. In general, Thursday, in my experience, is a very convenient day for a sauna.

Sauna is a whole action

We book a sauna for 3 hours. If you tried less, you don’t have enough time for everything, but if you try more, you get bored. 3 hours is optimal. It turns out from 18-30 to 21-30.

Be sure to shower first. But without soap, but with gel, so as not to dry out the skin. And don’t wash your hair, it’s better to keep your hair dry, this will protect your head from overheating. By the way, after a shower, be sure to wipe your body dry. We put on a special cap and go to the sauna.

In the sauna, we show a sense of proportion, so the first entry is for no more than 10 minutes (for some, less, depending on who is comfortable). In the sauna itself, we also adhere to the rule of gradualness to get used to the high temperature, so first we lie down on the bottom shelf, then on the top. The horizontal position in the steam room is important for a number of reasons: to ensure the same temperature regime for the whole body, and to achieve relaxation of all muscle groups. By the way, lying down is psychologically more comfortable than sitting. Actually, the sauna is the only place where we spend time in silence, all for the same maximum relaxation. Afterwards, take a cool shower to wash off the sweat. And only then - a cold pool. And after that, another shower, but this time well warm, for about two minutes, so that it becomes pleasantly warm. This takes another 10 minutes. Then rest for about 20 minutes. During the first rest, we brew tea and make body masks. And, of course, we communicate. During rest, communication only contributes to positive therapy. This is how the first part of sauna therapy goes.

The second part follows the same program: entering the sauna, cool shower, cold pool, warm shower, 20 minute rest. During the second rest we do face masks. And, of course, we communicate.

As for mask recipes, we have tried a variety of them and continue to experiment. Here are just a few of the recipes that most people liked:

For face:

1. 1 tbsp. dry seaweed, 1 tbsp. cottage cheese
2. 1/2 apple, 1 tbsp. honey, 1 yolk, 3 tbsp. l. olive oil
3. 1 egg yolk, 1 tbsp. brewer's yeast, 1 tsp. sunflower oil

For body:

1. 200g honey, 250g salt
2. 250-300g cream or sour cream
3. 500 g kefir, 2 egg yolks

For hair:

1. 1 egg, 2 tbsp. l. castor oil, 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp. glycerin.
2. 1 egg, 1 tsp. honey, 2 tsp. olive oil

And finally, the third part of sauna therapy: entering the sauna, a cool shower, a cold pool, a warm shower, during which you can wash your hair. A 20-minute rest after this is according to the individual program. Someone goes for a massage, someone goes to the jacuzzi, someone goes to Charcot's shower, someone swims in the pool. This ends 2 hours in the sauna. We devote the remaining hour to applying nourishing creams to the face and body, as well as to intimate conversations while drinking tea. We prefer herbal teas, alternating different infusions based on the combination of healing properties + taste sensations. The most popular among us are from strawberry leaves, from linden and raspberries, from currants and hawthorn and a collection of mint and lemon balm.