“You see, every year on December 31, my friends and I go to the bathhouse. This is our tradition…” (From the film “Enjoy Your Bath or the Irony of Fate”)
Needless to say, love for the bathhouse is in the Russian blood. The first documentary mention of the bathhouse is found in the chronicler Nestor. And in Russia, companies have recently been actively appearing that popularize the so-called bath tourism. In Sochi (Rosa Khutor) annual festivals of bath art are held. In general, there is something for a Russian person to worry about.
The most famous in Russia, of course, are the Sandunovskie baths. Every fan of bathing leisure knows about them. Finnish saunas and Turkish hammams have also been tested by Russians for a long time. What else could our man surprise himself with?
Daikoku-Yu (Tokyo, Japan)
The Japanese bathhouse is not at all like ours. There are three types in total: furako, ofuro and sento.
Furako is a heated wooden font. One half of the font is intended for swimming, and the second is equipped with a heating element that brings the water temperature to 45-50 degrees. The average time spent in such a bath is no more than 15 minutes. After furaco, you must rest for at least an hour. During this time, the body and spirit should reach a state of complete harmony.
Ofuro is arranged in the manner of a wooden bathtub filled with warm and moist cedar or linden sawdust. As a rule, people go to ofuro after furaco. You need to sit in such a bath at neck level for about half an hour, close your eyes and imagine how your body is freed from toxins, imbued with the energy of cedar and literally becomes younger before your eyes.
Sentois a pool with hot water (50-55 degrees). They go here after the washing department. In addition to the actual swimming, people here drink aromatic tea, contemplate bonsai trees and have pleasant conversations.
The most famous bathhouse in Japan has long been considered Daikoku-Yu, which has existed since 1927 and is considered a pearl among Japanese bathhouses; From the outside it looks like a real Buddhist temple. Here you can try both furako and ofuro with sento.
Read also:
What to do in Tokyo: 8 most interesting places in the city
Japanese onsens
Dragon Health Spa (Seoul, Korea)
The Korean bathhouse is not for the weak! No self-respecting Korean goes to the bathhouse for less than 12 hours. Dragon Hill is a whole Disneyland, where there is everything from a bathhouse and a cinema to a golf club. You won’t need money here. At the entrance you are given an electronic bracelet, which, firstly, serves as a key to the locker, and secondly, it replaces your cash and credit card. The bathhouse has eight pools with water of varying temperatures, a dry and wet sauna, spa rooms, ice and salt rooms, cafes and cinemas. No one will be bored here!
See further: 10 reasons to visit South Korea
Orbeliani,
Tbilisi, Georgia
Orbeliani is a sulfur bath, glorified by Pushkin. Inside there is even a sign with a quote from the poet that the Tiflis baths are the best baths in the world.
As for architecture, it is noteworthy that the Orbelian bathhouse is the only above-ground bathhouse in Tbilisi, while all the others are located underground.
They say that in Tbilisi, going to the bathhouse is considered one of the ways to fight a hangover. Whether this is actually true is unknown, but it is a fact that a sulfur bath is healing, especially for skin diseases. However, be prepared for a specific smell. Sera, after all!
Take a look at this: Georgia: Eat, Pray, Love
Xiao Nan Guo Tang He Yuan
(Shanghai, China)
The Chinese are also no strangers. The bathhouse in Shanghai has as many as five floors. Everything here is top class. Apart from the willingness to find harmony and the ability to pay for it, you don’t need to take anything with you. At the entrance, instead of sheets, all visitors will be given bright Hawaiian clothes, and on the way to the bathhouse you will be accompanied by the melodies of a mechanical piano.
Here you will find a variety of saunas and steam rooms, massages and wraps. In addition, try taking a milk bath. After all the procedures, you will be invited to play mahjong, taste the best teas and sing karaoke. What a holiday for body and soul!
Every bath connoisseur can talk for hours about its health benefits, but it must be remembered that everything is individual. Do not forget about the precautions and rules for visiting the bathhouse. Even for such a pleasant and useful leisure activity, there are a number of contraindications. You should refrain from visiting the bathhouse:
• during the period of exacerbation of chronic diseases;
• at elevated body temperature;
• for heart disease and hypertension;
• in the presence of kidney stones;
• during pregnancy;
• if there are medical devices or metal structures in the body.
Have fun!
Convenient service for selecting hotels – OneTwoTrip.
Author: Elena Yatsenko
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