Projects and construction of a Russian bath

Russian bathhouse is the historical name of a bathhouse, the heating of which is based on direct steam coming from a stove heated with wood. The average air temperature in such a steam room is 60–80 degrees. But for each person you can choose the most comfortable vaping mode. A Russian wood-fired bathhouse is considered very useful for various diseases, and is simply designed to bring joy and pleasure to a person.

Interior design option for a Russian bath

Main differences from other baths:

Temperature conditions. For Turkish it is 40-60 degrees, Finnish - more than 80, for Russian - 60-80;
Type of steam. Dry or wet;
Soaring culture. With brooms, a massage scrub, or just sweat and take a shower;
Design. With heated floors, with stoves made of wood and brick or metal.

When building a Russian bathhouse, it is important not only the stove itself, but the entire structure of the building as a whole. The best option is to build a room from solid logs. Ideally from the so-called wild. There are other types of bathhouse designs, classified based on the materials from which they are constructed.

Frame baths

It is believed that frame baths are the easiest to build. You can even build a structure according to such a project with your own hands.

Project of a Russian bathhouse built using frame construction technology

The technology is based on connected frame panels, which, when installed on a prepared foundation, form load-bearing walls. Next, a ball of insulation is laid. Boards are laid on it. If you do everything according to the drawings, then this construction method will not take much time and labor.

The main tool of the bath industry

Popular wisdom says: “A bathhouse without a broom is like a rocker without a bucket.” Well, how? Right. It seems like everything is there, but there’s no point. Going to the bathhouse and not getting your share of a kind of scorching massage is akin to a crime. The secrets of the Russian bathhouse, which so excited the minds of Europeans, are inseparable from the broom, a seemingly simple, outrageously tool, but what an effective one. The Russian bathhouse always rested on three different brooms, like on three whales.

Oak broom is good for oily, thick skin. It cleanses it perfectly, relieves inflammation, opens pores;
Birch - indispensable for muscle inflammation, myositis, rheumatoid conditions;
Juniper - has perhaps the most pronounced antibactericidal properties. It comes in handy for various colds.

A Russian bathhouse is not only a steam room, but also post-bath exercise, usually in the dressing room.

Aerated concrete baths

Baths made of aerated concrete or foam concrete allow you to save firewood for heating and have high thermal insulation properties.

Example of aerated concrete bath

It is convenient to cover walls made of these materials with self-adhesive foil. Thanks to this, the room quickly warms up and maintains the desired temperature for a long time.

But most often baths are built of wood. These are both cobblestone and log structures. Let's take a closer look at the process of building paired rooms from these materials.

Bathhouse project

Based on the area, steam rooms can be divided into small, medium and large. The layout of the bathhouse will differ depending on its size.

Little ones

Small bathhouse projects are usually designed for small families and for personal use. Such bathhouses have an average of 16 m2. Their drawing provides for combining a locker room with a rest room. Small buildings are most often built by people with their own hands.

Project of a small bathhouse for a couple of people

Average

The design of such a structure is on average 20 m2. The drawing provides for a steam room, a shower room, a relaxation room, which is also a dressing room, and possibly a small veranda. In a typical project, these rooms are located sequentially next to each other.

Large

The area of large baths varies between 30–40 m2. Here the locker room and rest room are located separately from each other. There is also a spacious veranda. The listed bathhouse projects are usually ordered by people of average income.

For wealthier people, as well as for commercial use, there are designs for more spacious and varied buildings.

For example, with large or small swimming pools, with several relaxation rooms and steam rooms. Such baths can accommodate a large number of vacationers at the same time.

Preparation for construction: drawings and dimensions

When drawing up a bathhouse design, you should not forget that the steam room and washing room will be used by several people at once. Therefore, the area and dimensions of the bath should be determined without making serious mistakes.

The second version of the bath differs in the arrangement of the shower

In order for each user to be comfortable in the bathhouse, he needs to allocate at least 1.8 m² in the dressing room and 1.5 m² in the steam room. The average total usable area of a bathhouse for a family is 10 m². In this case, the most space should be in the dressing room, and less in the steam room and washing department.

So that people of any height can wash in Russian, the ceiling should be built at a height of 2.4 meters.

When determining the height of the ceiling, it is taken into account that the building will soon settle

At the construction planning stage, it is necessary to reflect in the drawing the area for arranging the vestibule. This room may be needed as a place to block the path of cold air from the street.

For a vestibule, 2.32 square meters is enough. m

Where to build a bathhouse on the site

When choosing a bathhouse project, you should also take into account the location of construction. An excellent option if there is a natural pond nearby. You can also make an artificial lake or pool. Of course, there is such a way out as putting a font or a bucket of cold water, but this will not replace complete immersion after a hot steam room. The soil and surface of the site are of no small importance for construction. Based on these factors, it is determined which foundation and structure is best to use for a Russian wood-burning bathhouse.

Main features and benefits

Russian bathhouse is a room where people wash and steam with a broom. The temperature in the steam room is 50-70 degrees, humidity is from 60%. Most baths also have a dressing room where they undressed, dressed and rested between visits to the steam room.

Recognized gurus are still arguing about the design of the classic Russian bathhouse. Some argue that traditionally the real place was considered to be a washing room, a place where our ancestors washed themselves “by the method of splashing with the palms of a gang or dousing with a ladle.” After all, the first baths in Rus' were called soap houses. A separate steam room in the bathhouse began to be allocated only later.

Others insist that only a “black bath” with its special aroma of smoke can be authentic Russian. Still others are sure that only with brooms and a stove with a closed heater.

In Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary, a Russian bathhouse is “a building or a place where one washes and steams not just in dry heat, but in steam.”

Taking all this into account, the following features of the premises can be recognized as historically determined main features of a modern Russian bath:

Brick oven or similar with stones

Spilling floors

Burst ventilation

Pie steam

The main element and secret of the special atmosphere of the Russian bathhouse has historically been a brick heater. The stones in it were red-hot, but they were separated from the steam room by a brick wall, so the temperature in the steam room reached a maximum of 60 degrees.

Before the steaming process, the oven door was closed and water was splashed on the stones. Thus, superheated steam was formed in the room. It hung over the shelf like a thick, thick cake.

But brick ovens are gradually losing popularity. Nowadays they are replaced in baths by open heaters made of cast iron or steel. They quickly raise the temperature in the steam room, but produce harsher steam.

To achieve an ideal microclimate in the room, advanced bath attendants use new technologies, combine materials and select special fillings for the heaters.

Burst ventilation is used to illuminate the air in the steam room. It is a window from the steam room into the dressing room. In between visits, the window is opened and the air is renewed.

Sometimes, instead of a window, a hole is used in the wall at a height of about a meter from the floor. To freshen the air in this case, boiling water is splashed on the heater and a bucket of cold water is poured over the shelf. From such a contrast, exhaust air is instantly drawn into the vent and the microclimate in the steam room becomes fresh again.

The bathhouse is not only body hygiene, but also health-improving procedures for the body.

Visiting a steam room is beneficial for all systems:

Cardiovascular

When warmed up, all blood vessels dilate, blood flow accelerates and its composition changes for the better. Metabolism improves, stagnant processes in tissues are eliminated. Contrast dousing, rubbing with snow or even a fresh cool breeze after steaming relieves vascular spasm. All this is useful for vegetative-vascular dystonia.

Urogenital

The bath will help women recover after childbirth, cope with ovarian dysfunction and some diseases of the uterus. You can take a steam bath 3 – 4 months after giving birth. It is useful to visit a steam room during menopause to relieve symptoms. Regular thermal procedures help maintain sexual function and are a good prevention of impotence.

Digestive

Exposure to high temperatures reduces the acidity of gastric juice, which helps relieve the symptoms of gastritis and normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

excretory

Under the influence of steam, the pores of the skin open, and active sweating occurs. Sebum and toxins are removed from the body. The epidermis itself receives enormous aesthetic benefits from this.

Muscular

The removal of toxins and salts and improved blood circulation lead to a visual tightening of all folds. Excess lactic acid, which interferes with the conduction of nerve impulses, is also removed through the pores. There is a feeling of relaxation and painlessness in the muscles.

Material selection

The construction of a Russian bathhouse from logs or beams requires the choice of high-quality material. So, the most suitable would be larch, spruce, and pine. All this wood is characterized by longevity and ease of processing.

Larch. A very hard wood. It can last up to 300–400 years. When constructing baths, it is often used only in the lower balls due to the fact that it is quite difficult to process. Bathhouses made from larch logs do not require special protection with antiseptics. Since this breed is quite expensive, it has not been used very often lately;
Pine. A Russian wood-burning bathhouse is most often built from this type of wood. Pine logs are mostly straight, hard and easy to process: trimming, planing, making the necessary notches. The resinous species of this tree have a natural barrier against water;

Pine bathhouse project
Spruce. In the construction of wooden structures it is used less frequently than pine, but is also quite common. It has a slightly loose structure, which has a more favorable effect on thermal insulation. A little more difficult to process than pine;
Other types of wood. When building a bathhouse from logs or timber, you can also use less common wood materials, aspen, for example. The main thing is that the tree is alive and healthy.

How to take a steam bath correctly

In order for a visit to the bathhouse to bring maximum benefit, you need to be able to steam properly.

The benefits of the steam room. By steaming, you bring undeniable benefits to your body:

Cleanses itself of toxins and impurities.
Reduce the effects of cellulite.
Improve your immunity and vascular condition.

Contraindications:

You should not enter the steam room if there are any rashes or ulcers on your skin.
If you have cardiovascular disease or pulmonary insufficiency, it is better not to enter the steam room.
Pregnant and breastfeeding women should also avoid using the steam room.

In order for the steam room to bring maximum benefits, you need to use brooms, without which a visit to the steam room becomes pointless.

Foundation for a bathhouse

The main task of the foundation is to take the loads of the walls and protect them from excess moisture. A Russian wood-burning bathhouse is often built near a reservoir, so when creating a bathhouse project, you need to calculate a foundation that will be protected from landslides and subsidence.

Strip foundation. It is considered the most universal type of base for a bath. Can be built on most soils.

When drawing up drawings of such a foundation, the dimensions of the building, slopes, possible subsidence, and water depth are taken into account.
Columnar foundations. Since we are building a Russian bathhouse with our own hands, this is an ideal option for us. It will save money on the purchase of materials. A columnar foundation is ideal for structures made of logs and timber. Rarely used when using heavy materials for construction. Pillars made of metal and concrete are placed at the corners of the building and at the intersections of walls. For small bathhouses, you can also use wooden columns - the so-called chairs. Pile foundations are usually used on loose and flooded soils.
Monolithic foundations. A continuous layer of cement with crushed stone is laid under the area of the entire building. Excellent protection from excess moisture, subsidence, and has high reliability.
Foundation for the stove. We should not forget about the base for our stove. Since it is the basis of a good bathhouse, all elements must be carefully thought out and reliable. Typically, brick and sheet steel are used to build a stove. Depending on this, the foundation for it will be selected. It is preferable to fill the pit under a brick oven with sand, fine gravel, a metal frame and fill it with concrete. The top edges are treated with several layers of tar. If the furnace is metal, then the pit is filled with crushed stone, then there is cement and a ball of roofing felt or other waterproofing material and a concrete pad on top.

Step-by-step construction of an object with your own hands

Construction is taking place in stages:

along the perimeter of the future building and under its load-bearing internal walls, pits are created to form a strip foundation;
sand is poured onto the bottom of the trench, the finished “cushion” is pressed and watered;
the pits are filled with reinforcing bars and liquid concrete, the layer of which is smoothed with cement mortar;
Before pouring concrete, formwork is constructed from boards
the base for a brick kiln is formed from concrete;
several layers of waterproofing material treated with bitumen mastic are placed on the platform;
assemble the frame, connecting the beams using the method “at the corners in a paw, and the ends in half a tree without a trace”, laying insulation between them and installing dowels through each row at a distance of 20 cm from the edge;
The corners are connected in 4 steps, and the ends are connected in 3 steps
prepare a platform for the floor, that is, pour a 10 cm layer of sand, press it, and then cover it with a 10 cm layer of crushed stone;
the crushed stone is covered with sheets of roofing felt, the edges touching several centimeters;
cement is placed on the roofing material, creating a screed with a slope, thereby arranging the flow of waste water towards a sewer pipe built into the ground and leading to a separately dug hole;
a facing material is glued onto the hardened cement screed, and a wooden sheathing is placed on top of it;
Wooden sheathing on the floor prevents your feet from touching the cold floor
floor beams are attached to the upper bars of the walls in a horizontal position;
the installed beams are connected with iron brackets to the rafters - thick beams;
fasten the rafter legs to each other using ridge beams;
the rafters are covered with rolled waterproofing sheets and wooden flooring - the basis for the roofing material;
create a ceiling, that is, lay out boards every 2.5 meters for non-load-bearing walls;
A vapor barrier film is laid on top of the ceilings and thermal insulation material is placed.

Walls

For the construction of a Russian bathhouse from logs or beams, as mentioned above in the article, coniferous types of wood are best suited. Usually they take logs from 200 to 220 mm. The dimensions of the timber are 150 by 150 mm.

This is what a beam for building a bathhouse looks like

It can be edged, glued or profiled.

The Russian wood-burning bathhouse was originally built from chopped logs. Now this material is used either by villagers or by those who strive for everything natural. If you are building a bathhouse with your own hands, then it is most economical to cut down the necessary trees. Or you can order a log house project with installation, and then complete the further details yourself.

The process of building a bathhouse from logs and from timber is somewhat different. It is easier to build a bathhouse yourself using the last mentioned material. The construction of a building from logs requires a lot of knowledge and skill.

FAQ

Is frequent visits to the bath dangerous for people with dry and sensitive skin?

Frequent visits are definitely dangerous. Experts advise protecting such skin from sudden changes in temperature and from stressful situations, which result in the release of sweat. And the bathhouse is one of those things. But it is worth keeping in mind that a Russian or Turkish bath, the steam of which is saturated with moisture, is less harmful to dry and sensitive skin than a Finnish sauna that burns with dry air.

What happens if you don’t remove your makeup before visiting the bathhouse?

Nothing good! If we are talking about eye makeup, then it will simply inevitably “float” and you will look accordingly when leaving the steam room. But powder and foundation left on the face can be even more dangerous, since they seriously disrupt the natural processes of air exchange and sweating of the skin, leading to clogged pores. Just lipstick won't hurt. It will even help protect your lips from drying out.

Is it true that you need to sing and scream in the bathhouse to warm your throat?

It's not about warming up, but about emotional release. Of course, you can scream in the forest, but in a bathhouse it will be a hundred times more effective. We forbid ourselves from shouting in life: it is uncivilized, indecent. Why not express your feelings in the bathhouse!

If after a bath there are only branches left on the brooms, is that good or bad?

One of two things: either the broom was bad, or they hovered too vigorously. It’s bad when leaves from a broom fall into the heater: then you have to breathe in the fumes of burnt leaves.

Is it possible to take children to the bathhouse?

Children's age is not an obvious contraindication for a bath, but everything is individual and it is worth consulting with a pediatrician. Children under 3 years old should not be taken to the bathhouse, since they are not yet able to regulate their own body temperature and describe their own sensations, and this is very dangerous. The standard recommendation for older children is the minimum time for visiting the steam room (a few minutes, no more than five). As for the temperature regime, the “classic” Russian bath, 50-65 ˚C with a humidity of up to 65%, is tolerated normally by the child’s body.

Bathhouse made of logs

Initially, you need to select the required material. The lower and upper diameters should not differ by more than three centimeters. The wood should not have any cracks, large knots, or blue stains.

Log sauna project

The construction process itself involves laying logs on logs, with notches made at the ends to fit tightly. This design is called a crown. Where the window is planned, five crowns are made at the bottom and two at the top. On the door sections there are two at the bottom, five at the top. The crowns are fastened together with wooden brackets approximately every 1.5 meters. The bottom ball of the logs is called the frame. The hardest and best types of wood are chosen for it.

Often, to protect against getting wet, a gasket is made from a board, which is treated with various antiseptics or wrapped in several layers of roofing felt.

A trim crown is placed on the gasket, which is pressed together from below to make the fit tighter. Crushed stone or bricks are placed under another log, which naturally stands a little higher, thereby eliminating the gap above the ground. Next, the crowns are laid one after another. On the upper logs the joints are made oblique.

An example of laying logs for a bathhouse

After the walls are erected, they are caulked. This can be done in two stages. The first time was when the frame was built, and the second time after drying and shrinking the logs - about a year and a half later. Caulking a house is laying insulation made of fibrous material - tow, moss - between round pieces. The insulation is driven in using special tools so that its edges protrude at least 50 mm on both sides of the wall.

Finishing

Finishing work begins after the structure has settled. First of all, all surfaces inside the bathhouse are coated with an antiseptic composition.

Interior finishing involves performing tasks such as:

installation of sheathing directly on walls and ceilings;
laying insulation and vapor barrier material into the gaps of the sheathing;
flooring of lining or other facing material.

Lining is laid on the ceiling and wall

If the most popular construction raw material for the interior decoration of a bathhouse has become only lining, then many materials are in demand for cladding the external walls of a building:

vinyl or metal siding;
plastic lining;
block house imitating the appearance of a log house;
edged or unedged boards, characterized by a low price.

The material extends the service life of the structure

Finding stones for a sauna room

It is customary to use igneous rocks in the steam room. Formed during a volcanic eruption, they are resistant to extreme heat. Igneous rocks that have a positive effect on human energy include:

polished or chipped jadeite, the main feature of which is beauty;
talc chloride, capable of absorbing moisture and, evaporating it, creating the desired steam in the bath;
basalt that can withstand high temperatures.

In addition to benefits, this stone gives aesthetic pleasure

Metamorphic rocks can be placed on the stove, which tend to normalize blood composition and improve well-being. We are talking about stones such as:

white quartz, called hot ice, which releases ozone when cooled rapidly;
crimson quartzite, the second name of which is the royal stone.

This stone goes perfectly with brickwork

To create steam in a bathhouse, you can use fully crystalline rocks, for example:

dunit;
serpentinite

These stones are able to regenerate cells of the nervous system, increase immune strength and have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the thyroid gland.

The length of such a stone is about 20 cm

If you want to break away from tradition, then it is better to use cast iron stones - balls produced by industry - as steam generators in the bathhouse. They instantly heat the room and retain heat for many hours. True, cast iron stones are subject to rust after a short service life and carry no useful properties for humans.

You definitely cannot place sedimentary and siliceous rocks on the stove. Their structure is porous, which means that when they cool sharply, they become covered with cracks and small particles scatter in an area of one meter.

Exploitation

The main requirement for using a bath concerns the creation of the desired temperature. In the steam room, this physical quantity should be within 55–77 degrees. The temperature indicator is selected individually, that is, it depends on the preferences of the bathhouse owner. It is customary to heat the washing room to 40°, and the rest room to 20°.

In order for the bathhouse to serve for a long time and properly, you need to use it according to the rules:

put exclusively any dry fuel into the firebox, except for firewood made from coniferous wood;
keep the combustion chamber door closed, thereby avoiding the escape of hot sparks;
do not let the chimney heat up until it turns red;
do not touch hot surfaces, including the walls of the water heating tank;
monitor the cleanliness of bathhouses;
ventilate the sauna sectors after each fire for four hours;
try not to splash water on glass surfaces indoors (windows and doors);
Clean and inspect the chimney for holes at least once a quarter.

The owner of the bathhouse will have to carefully care for wooden surfaces. Elements inside the bathhouse made of wood should be coated with special products twice a year to protect against fungi and rot. External treatment of the wooden walls of a building is recommended after two years of operation. To do this, it is better to use antiseptics that contain wax.

Wood deteriorates over time and therefore needs careful care

In order for a Russian bathhouse stove to provide the required amount of heat, you must be able to regulate the draft force. To do this, open the chamber door more or less to accumulate ash. Excessive draft will cause the furnace to heat up too much, and this will speed up the time of equipment failure. If the force forcing air into the firebox is normalized, then the stones in the bathhouse warm up to a standard temperature.

When firing the stove, you should monitor the operation of the chimney. The consumption of firewood can be minimized, and the efficiency of heat supply can be increased, just by not completely covering the chimney damper. But this is allowed to be done only after the ash chamber is completely closed.

Video: building a bathhouse from scratch

You can get true joy from building a Russian bathhouse. It is clear that this work is impossible without skills and labor, but the result evokes pride. This feeling is even stronger if the object was built on its own.

Author: Ksenia Zubkova
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Bathhouse made of beams

Again, we initially select good material. The timber should not have wormholes or traces of being eaten by beetles, it should look perfectly even and smooth. The easiest way to build is to order a ready-made project with detailed drawings and numbered beams. It will be a little harder to do it with your own hands, but the joy from constructing the structure will be greater. The foundation, as in the version with logs, must be finished with various waterproofing materials.

Slats are laid on it, the purpose of which is to protect the base from subsidence and the timber from rotting. The space between the foundation and the tree is filled with foam. After this, the first crown is laid. For it you need to choose the thickest and most reliable materials. So, if our main beam measures 150 mm by 150 mm, then it is better to take 200 x 200 mm for the lining. The following crowns are stacked one on top of the other, strictly maintaining a horizontal level. There are three ways to fasten the beams together:

Nails without heads;
Wooden quarter-deck;
A spring unit called “Strength”.

The top balls of the crowns are not attached, since they will need to be removed to lay the floor. If desired, each level can be caulked for better heat retention.

Traditional Russian bathhouse - history, features, structure

The idea of building a bathhouse by the Slavs was largely adopted from neighboring eastern and western peoples, who in turn benefited from the experience of the ancient Greeks, Romans and Arabs. It is possible that the Slavs adopted the construction of baths from the Scythians. Among the Scythians, baths were a kind of yurt. In such a yurt, long poles were installed, their upper ends were tilted towards each other, and felt was stretched over them. A huge vat was placed in the middle of the bathhouse, half filled with hot water, and hot stones were thrown into it. Hemp seeds were sprinkled on the stones. And such a strong and fragrant steam rose.

Interesting evidence has been preserved that the monks in the Pechersky Monastery decided to build baths according to the ancient Greek principle and take therapeutic procedures there. Such baths began to be called institutions “for the infirm,” and this name was reflected in the Charter of Grand Duke Vladimir in 966. A little later, in 1091, on the same principle in Pereslavd, Bishop Ephraim achieved the construction of “Greek” medicinal baths. In which he personally “took advantage” of the suffering.

The ancient Russian bathhouse had many names: mov, movnya, movnitsa, soapnya, vlaznya. The name “bath” is later. It comes from the Latin name. Russian bath for sure. It was different from similar eastern institutions, which was noticed by the Arab writer Abu-Obeid-Abdallahal Bekri, who visited the ancient Russians at that distant time. In his travel notes, he described in some detail a “house made of wood,” caulked with “a certain matter that forms on trees,” meaning moss or tow.

A stove, he said. - this is a “hearth of stones”, which the Russians “heat” and “water on”. Birch broom - “a bunch of dry branches. Which... sets the air in motion and attracts it to itself.” And then “... their pores open. And excess comes out of their bodies, and rivers flow from them.” As you can see, the eastern traveler quite accurately described the simplest village bathhouse, as well as the way to steam with a broom and even the “result” of this action: “and rivers flow from them.” Over time, the ancient Slavs began to build baths from stone. Thus, there is chronicle evidence that the first stone bathhouse was built in Pereslavl in 1090. Rus' managed to maintain its love for the bathhouse even in those times when the Mongol-Tatar troops sought to enslave the free Russians. It is known that the “filthy” Tatars themselves developed a taste for the Russian bathhouse and they liked swimming in the ice hole.

It is known that Peter I himself had great respect for the Russian bathhouse and was a great lover of taking a steam bath. He devoted much of his energy to the construction of St. Petersburg, the first Russian capital. The state treasury did not charge any fees for the construction of baths in St. Petersburg! Moreover, anyone could build a bathhouse. It was important to build them “as much as possible in stone and away from residential areas.” The widespread spread of Russian baths, begun by Peter I, was further developed. For example, during the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, the court physician, a Spaniard by birth, Antonio Nunez Ribero Sanchez began writing a special book about Russian baths. He published it in 1774. in Paris, where he lived the last years of his life. The book was called “About Russian steam baths, since they help strengthen, preserve and restore health.” As the author writes, although in Russian baths there is much less luxury than, say, in the same Roman baths, the Russians “produce in one room what the Romans did, and the Turks and Easterners still produce in four or five.” The author attaches great importance to the quality of the bath steam and the method of its supply: “This renewal of steam is carried out every five minutes. In Roman and Turkish baths, steam comes from watering the hot floor, under which there are pipes. But since they are not replaced by fresh air, one can easily conclude that these baths have shortcomings, which are completely averted in Russian ones.”

Over time, in large cities such as St. Petersburg and Moscow, spacious stone bathhouses began to slowly replace small log cabins. And this was quite natural, because... population growth required that all citizens could use the services of these sanitary and medical institutions. In Moscow, for example, there were about 60 large baths. Moreover, they had their own constant circle of visitors. Each one attracted a permanent public who preferred the traditions of this particular bathhouse and would never exchange their “bath club” for any other. There were baths for each class: for the nobles. The Moscow intelligentsia, the merchants, the middle class and, finally, for the common people.

Two baths were considered the largest and most prestigious: Central and Sandunovskie . By the way, the name came to them much later, and then the baths located on this place were called the Lamakina baths - their mistresses and organizers. Both baths stood near the Neglinnaya River and were wooden. In the central one, the common people were washed and treated: small merchants, loaders. Drivers, blacksmiths. The peblika in the baths of Avdotya Lamakina was “more noble.” The bathhouse had an interesting feature: everyone could take water for washing from Neglinka for themselves using a special “crane”.

Features of the device and design of the first Russian baths

The first Russian baths were located in small wooden huts with or without a pipe. Those baths where the stove did not have a chimney were heated “black” . That is, all the soot and soot were deposited on the walls of such a hut, and it was precisely the inhalation of such dry “black” steam that also deposited on the skin. It was considered medicinal and good for health.

Such baths had a dressing room where there were tubs of clean water. They poured themselves on her after visiting the steam room. Bathhouses with a chimney were more reminiscent of modern Russian bathhouses - they had an outlet for soot and excess hot steam, so the air in such bathhouses was much cleaner and softer. And tubs of water stood and heated right in the steam room.

Another type of bath is also known in Rus'. It was called “home” or “stove”. Such a bathhouse was common among poor families who did not have a separate building, as well as among residents of those regions of Russia where there was a shortage of forests, for example in the steppe. Instead of a spacious bathhouse with a dressing room, benches, shelves and a stone bathhouse, an ordinary Russian stove served. Mandatory in every hut for cooking, and in the cold season - for heating the home, it was specially built large and roomy. The internal space of the Russian stove was enough for one or even two people to fit in it. To begin with, the home stove was heated well. There was always something on the farm that could be prepared for future use - for example, bake pies and bread. This created a special grain smell in the oven - a delicious grain spirit. which then enveloped the body of the soaring person. First, the stove was properly cleaned, sweeping away soot, coals and other debris, and then fresh straw was laid inside. Having put everything in order, they placed a tub of hot water in the very depths of the oven, put a broom in it, as well as tied bunches of straw or meadow grass. Then they closed the oven with a damper to prevent excess heat from escaping, and began the steaming procedure.

Russian bathhouse construction technology

The structure of the baths actually remained unchanged for a long time, and it remains so to this day. Of course, time and technology leave their mark, but the foundation remains the same. Initially, the baths were a small wooden hut, cut down from solid logs - in the forest zone or a clay hut in the steppe zone. They tried to place bathhouses near reservoirs so as not to experience difficulties with water. In the old days, the structure of a black sauna was as follows: about a third of the entire room was occupied by a fireplace-stove. Below, in a niche of stones, a fire is lit, which heats the stones placed on top, and also heats the bathhouse. When the stones are hot, the fire burns out, the heat is removed, the room is ventilated, the benches are washed, the bath is infused and steamed, pouring water over the stones to create steam.

The first baths were made even without a bathhouse, at most a cold entryway, where they undressed. In the bathhouse they washed, steamed, luxuriated, the procedures took a long time. Therefore, the temperature in such baths was low and rarely reached 60*C. The main heating was from the stones by obtaining steam from it. The bath house was built the same way and was very small. There were only two small rooms with a rather low ceiling. The height of the ceiling corresponded to the height of an adult man. The small size of the bathhouse made it possible to heat it properly. The main difference between a black-heated bathhouse and all others is the absence of a chimney.

The door to the bathhouse was made very strong, without cracks. To ensure that it closed tightly and there was no draft, a wooden step was made in front of the door. The first room of this bath house is called the dressing room. It was equipped with maximum amenities. In the dressing room there was a bench and a clothes hanger. The dressing room is significantly smaller in size than the bathhouse itself, from which it was separated by a thin wooden partition. They preferred to make such a partition from linden or pine. The partition had a door that closed tightly, thereby preventing smoke and steam from entering the dressing room. In one of the corners of the bathhouse there was a stove on which large round stones-boulders lay. Next to the stove there was a tub with a large supply of water. The bathhouse had one small window, and it was located above the stove. Thus, the bathhouse could be ventilated as needed. As already mentioned, the stove in the black bath was without a chimney, so the smoke and soot went directly into the steam room. Naturally, after the first attempt to heat the bathhouse in this way, the walls and ceiling of the steam room became sooty, and this soot was completely impossible to remove. It was for this black color of the walls and ceiling that the bathhouse began to be called black. After the sauna is heated, all windows and doors are opened so that the smoke comes out and the air in the steam room becomes fresher.

Wood ash was first used to wash hair! Or rather, not the ash itself, but the so-called lye, which was made from ash. Only then did they begin to wash their hair with eggs; it is this ancient method that has survived to this day. And now many beauties, wanting to preserve the beauty and shine of their hair, wash it with an egg in the old fashioned way. Isn’t this the best confirmation of the wisdom of our ancestors, when a modern person thoughtfully refuses fashionable patented cosmetics, preferring instead folk remedies that have been tested for centuries! If we want to trace the entire “path” of development of the Russian bathhouse, it will be like this: first - a Russian stove, in which they could steam after cooking and baking bread. Then the cramped mouth of the stove “expanded” to the size of a dugout, which was heated in the black way. The heater as such had not yet appeared; instead, in the center of the dugout there was a pile of stones, on which they splashed water. Smoke came out not only through the entrance hole of the dugout, but also through cracks in the roof. Then the cramped and low dugout “grew up”, becoming a small house, half dug into the ground. Such black baths were heated by stoves and already had a separate stove and several shelves. And only after this the Russians began to equip their black baths with chimneys so that the smoke would not accumulate in the steam room, but would go outside. This is how white baths appeared - first wooden, and then stone.

But with the advent of the white bathhouse, the black bathhouse did not lose its position - they began to exist simultaneously. To this day, in many villages you can find bathhouses that are heated both white and black. Russians have always been very democratic and therefore tried to take into account the interests of all residents of a village, town or city, building two types of baths. After all, there are still people who like black saunas much more. They claim that the steam in a black bathhouse is more fragrant and beneficial than in a white one, because only in a bathhouse heated in the old way does a special, some ancient feeling of home comfort and warmth remain.

Probably, these were the feelings that primitive hunters experienced when they returned from hunting: all the hardships are behind them and they can finally relax and unwind, enjoying the peace. And modern man, whom civilization has freed from the harsh need to fight wild animals and the elements for his existence, sometimes simply needs to feel like an ancient hunter and warrior, capable of hard physical labor. After all, let’s be honest, our male contemporaries have become more effeminate compared to their courageous ancestors. And the black bathhouse , with its primitive sensations, apparently awakens in them some kind of ancestral, genetic memory, which, as it were, returns them to those harsh times. And it's so great! Having briefly felt like a warrior, a man tries to retain this feeling within himself: when he knows that a lot depends on his courage and determination, he behaves completely differently. He actually becomes more courageous, some special calm dignity appears in him, that brutality that is gradually being lost in our refined, civilized society. That's for sure. Tested in practice! And besides, after such a bath something happens to the body: it becomes more obedient, almost animal-like flexibility and grace appear, and the whole body becomes ten years younger! Marvelous! And doctors have found a scientific explanation for the “life-giving” properties of the black bath: it turns out that the smoke contains special antiseptic substances that destroy pathogenic bacteria and microbes. This is why the black sauna is so beneficial.

The air in such a bath is always saturated with oxygen. It is no less hot than in a black sauna, but not as hot and tart. In such a bathhouse, combustion products are practically not felt in the air, and only the aromas of wood, broom and medicinal decoctions predominate. There is no doubt that those who experience breathing difficulties due to any illness cannot do without a white-heated bathhouse. The pure aromatic steam of such a bath has a cleansing effect on the lungs. Breathing in an aromatic bath is similar to inhalation. Such baths became the prototypes of modern baths, which inherited their healing power from traditional Russian baths. Among bathhouse lovers there are a lot of creative and inventive people who use their knowledge to bring the ancient design of the bathhouse as close as possible to modern conditions. And this is very important, because more and more often people use not a bathhouse, but a bath or shower.

Most people now have little opportunity to have their own wooden bathhouse. But the state provides support for the construction of public baths. Many enterprises, stadiums and holiday homes have first-class baths. They are lined with wood and give wonderful steam. Often buildings that were not originally intended for these purposes are equipped with bathhouses.

There are baths in basements and stone buildings. In such cases, it is somewhat more difficult to achieve real vigorous steam, especially if the walls of the bathhouse are tiled. In addition, public baths usually attract a lot of people. Evaporation from many hot bodies affects air humidity. Baths with high humidity are more difficult for humans to tolerate than dry baths. The temperature in them is not high. Of course, the steam effect in such baths remains strong, but it is more difficult for the skin to cleanse itself and “breathe.” There are often public baths in which there is no heater, and steam enters the steam room through a pipe from the utility room where the stove is heated. Technical delivery of steam to the steam room is the brainchild of civilization. It is good because by moving the valve you can reduce or increase the steam supply.

Many people love baths very much, but public baths do not bring them the desired pleasure. Such people should not give up their dream of owning a bathhouse. Try to find a way out: build a bathhouse based on your means and territorial capabilities. The minds of many engineers were occupied by the design of a modern bathhouse. This is how options for installing a bathhouse in a city bathroom appeared. With some effort and skill, a bathhouse in a city apartment can be of excellent quality. First, you should think about wall paneling in your bathroom. Birch boards can be used for this.

Knock down removable shields from the boards. Thus, you can turn your bathroom into a bathhouse by “dressing” the walls in fragrant wood. Secondly, make a wooden shelf and mount it into the wall above the bathtub. You can make the shelves removable or foldable. You can’t do without a heater in a real bathhouse. This can also be arranged in a city apartment. Place the mini-electric oven flush with the shelf. Place the required number of round stones in a metal bowl and place on the electric stove. The heat from the heated oven affects the stones. By spraying hot stones with water, you will get real steam.

In the case of a mini-electric oven, you should be especially careful and careful. When organizing such a bath, ensure the safety and serviceability of the electrical wiring and sockets. A “bare” contact in contact with water can cause a short circuit and even a fire. Plug sockets and switches are absolutely not suitable for such a bathhouse. They are too dangerous. In order to avoid serious problems during the design and construction of a bathhouse, contact the services of fire service specialists.

The air of a city bath can be given a fragrant and healing aroma of plants by placing a bouquet of herbs near the ceiling. You can also pour a herbal tea into your bath. The healing aroma, rising, will affect your body and make breathing easier. Another way to steam in a city bathroom is quite simple, but effective for some diseases of the musculoskeletal system or if you want to lose excess weight. For this you will need two wooden frames. They should be knocked down with a “lattice”. One of them will serve as a bed. The second will serve as a seat back. The frames should follow the shape of the bathtub and be firmly fixed in it. Fill the bathroom with a small amount of hot water - about 5-6 liters. Secure the frame made of a “lattice” at a distance of 20-25 cm from the water. The person wishing to take a steam bath is placed on this frame. A second frame is installed under the back and head. Thus, the person is above the water, which floats. To complete this bath design, you need to cover the bath with a thick sheet. Do this carefully so that no steam escapes. Thus, only the head does not take a steam bath in such an extravagant bathhouse. The steam in the enclosed space of the bath is quite tart, and this enhances the healing effect of the bath on your body. The proposed design is quite economical. Of course, it can’t compare with a real bathhouse, but still something! A real Russian bathhouse is now a great luxury. There are few people left willing to heat the stove with wood or coal. In addition, most people have a bathhouse in their country house. Therefore, they have little time for “bath preparations”. You can speed up the process of heating a bath using new technologies. Perhaps precisely because most bathhouses now run on electricity or gas, it is possible to take a steam bath in a black-heated bathhouse only in villages. The traditions and knowledge that a “black” bathhouse washes white are still alive there.

Country bathhouses are also a good way out of the “bathhouse” crisis.
A bathhouse in a country house can be very tiny, designed for 2-3 people to steam in it. Wealthy people can afford a grandiose bathhouse with a relaxation room, a swimming pool, a shower, etc. You can build a separate bathhouse or place a bathhouse under the same roof as a summer house. You can use any material for the construction of a bathhouse, based on your own considerations in this regard. It is enough to cover the steam room with wood, and then the aroma of the wood will become the spirit of your bath . You can also avoid problems with high air humidity. A small bathhouse is built in Russian traditions: a dressing room and a steam room . A more expanded version of the bathhouse includes a larger number of rooms, the first of which is the hallway. Street shoes and outerwear are removed in this room. The next room is the dressing room, or dressing room. Here a person is freed from underwear. There is only one way from the dressing room - to the bathhouse directly. In some cases, it is arranged taking into account all the bathing preferences of the owner. In the central hall of such a bath there is an average temperature and little steam. There are benches or beds. You can wash yourself in this room. It is also better to do a massage here, because the air temperature here is very suitable for this procedure.

From here you can enter the dry heat and steam cabin. The steam room is heated with hot air, it enters through pipes and is regulated by a valve. In addition, there is a heater in the steam room, which is heated using an electric stove, so you can always use the steamer if you wish. The wonderful Russian tradition of plunging into cold water after a bath is also implemented in the modern version of the bath. If possible, you can arrange a swimming pool next to the bathhouse. Its design should allow you to frequently change the water in the pool. It should also have a heating system - this will help you create the desired water temperature in the pool. In addition to the pool or instead of it, you should build a shower at the bathhouse. Build a special shower stall for it with cold and hot water supply. It is very convenient to use a mixer tap in the shower, which allows you to take a shower with water at the desired temperature.

The relaxation room is a place to have a pleasant time after the bath. The arrangement of this room remains the owner's priority. What can you not imagine relaxing after a bath without? A TV, a refrigerator with beer, a samovar, a sofa and much more can be found in the relaxation room at your request. Time has not left the bathhouse without technical changes. The properties of the bath remain the same, but the design itself changes, adapting in detail to the new time. This applies not only to the mass of amenities with which modern people are accustomed to surrounding themselves. Changes have also occurred with the stove. Not everyone wants to make the bath heating process gas or electric. There are also those who like to take a steam bath and prefer the stove.

The modern version of the sauna stove has become more complicated due to the details. The firebox must have a blower, which makes it easy to remove ash from the stove. The blower became much longer than it was before. It also provides draft, without which the fire in the stove would be weaker. Chambers with stones, which are used to generate heat, are protected by a layer of sand.

Sand protects stones from rapid cooling and reduces heat loss. The structure of the bathhouse chimney is very similar to the indoor chimney structure. The only difference is that the chimney recess above the stove itself is made wider and filled with stones. The more stones, the hotter the sauna will be.

The stove has been laid by master stove makers for a long time. And now there are no shortage of such specialists. Therefore, if you do not consider yourself a master of the stove business, seek help from a person who knows this delicate matter.

Sometimes ignorance of the exact technology of building a bathhouse does not lead to the results that were expected. So, when building a bathhouse on your summer cottage, you need to try to provide for all the surprises and not fantasize with construction technology, but strictly follow the instructions of specialists and always remember the folk wisdom:

“THE WHO DOES AT CHAPTER, AT LEAST GIVE UP EVERYTHING”

“QUICKLY MAKE PEOPLE LAUGH. BRAVE DANILO FORGES, AND BLOWS, AND HIMSELF DOESN’T KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN.”

But having already built the bathhouse, it will be possible with a clear conscience to collect bath accessories and heat it hotter, as they say, “on the first run.”