❶ Turkish Bath: Procedures, Benefits And Healing Properties Of The Hammam

Hammam is a Turkish bath, widespread among all eastern peoples. The tradition of oriental steam baths goes back to the historical period of the Byzantine Empire. The successor to Ancient Rome, Byzantium continued to use Greco-Roman inventions and traditions in many respects, among which the regular visits of citizens to public baths - thermae - built on the Roman model occupied a prominent place. The Arabs, who had close contact with the Byzantines, adopted from them this in many respects useful custom. Location: Location:

The device of the eastern bath makes it possible to visit it even for those who are traditionally contraindicated in a regular steam bath: for example, people who have problems with blood pressure. There is no intense heat in the hammam, the temperature mainly fluctuates in the range of 38-55 degrees, besides, the air heating in it is uniform, since the heat does not come from one source, but from the heated floor surface, walls and stone loungers.

High humidity, reaching 100 percent, also makes the hammam very comfortable: fresh steam gently envelops the body and relaxes. The process of staying in a Turkish bath is accompanied by five basic procedures.

The first of them is a gradual unhurried heating, in which steam envelops the body, moisturizes the skin and softens the epidermis, warms up all muscles and joints. Warming up occurs in stages: first, a person sits in a steam room, wrapped in puffs of warm steam and begins to sweat a little, then he is offered to lie on a heated stone lounger, while an increase in temperature increases perspiration.

The sufficiently warmed-up body is now ready for the second procedure - massage. The massage therapist's movements may seem rather harsh from habit, but in fact the massage is accompanied by an unforgettable feeling of complete renewal or "rebirth".

A well-steamed and “crushed” body is further subjected to a mechanical peeling procedure using a stiff woolen mitt and natural black soap with expensive argan seed oil. The skin that has passed the preliminary stages of preparation is easily freed from the layer of keratinized old cells, completely renewed, smoothed and saturated with moisture.

After that, you need to lather the body without rubbing the soap into the skin. This is done with the help of the most delicate "satin" foam, which is especially pleasant after hard vigorous rubbing of the skin. This treatment ends with a thorough rinse of the body with water and a dip in a cool pool.

The final and important procedure of the traditional visit to the hammam is to rest after a long process of steaming and cleansing the body. For this purpose, there is a special room with a calm and relaxing atmosphere, where you can have a cup of tea or coffee and chat with friends.

The healing properties of the hammam include, firstly, the rejuvenating effect due to increased metabolic rate and oxidative processes, secondly, cleansing the body of toxins, and thirdly, improving blood circulation and the disappearance of stagnant phenomena of internal organs.

Regular visits to Turkish baths are a wonderful means of preventing and treating many diseases: cardiovascular, colds, diseases of the respiratory system and musculoskeletal system, rheumatism. And also hammam serves the purpose of general strengthening of the body.

The benefits of the healing procedures of the oriental bath are not limited to only the healing effect. The undoubted and obvious benefit of visiting the hammam is also a delightful cosmetic effect, achieved exclusively in conditions typical of a Turkish bath.

The high humidity of the oriental bath promotes deep hydration of the skin and hair. It is also effective for eliminating cellulite. They also fully manifest their healing properties and aromatherapy methods here, enhancing the effect of the main bath procedures. Therefore, many SPA-complexes and fitness centers increasingly include a visit to the hammam in the set of services.