Types of Russian baths

There is a fundamental confusion in terms of "Russian bath", "sauna", "oven - stove. This is not just terminological, theoretical confusion: people often do not build what they want. Contribute to this and all sorts of "marketers" who to sell your goods are ready to enter the customer's misleading. The benefits of thermal procedures humanity knew the millennium. We will not talk about solar baths, massage, a hot shower, the warm clothes. We will only talk about the baths, that is, on the procedures associated with exposure to warm air. Be enriched by scientific knowledge of school physics textbook: state of the atmosphere characterized by the temperature and relative humidity. Relative humidity varies from 0 to 100%. The air temperature in the bath varies from 30 to 150 ° (or it will not bath). Within these limits, and is the whole wide range of different saunas in the world. People have different heat transfer bath. But a pattern: the higher the humidity, the lower the temperature can sustain. And vice versa: the higher the temperature, the lower the humidity can withstand. In other words, temperature and humidity in the bath have an inverse relationship. Different people like different approach and baths: a warmer and drier, others cooler and wetter. It depends on the constitutional features of the human body. These features across the nation and shape bannuyu culture. Probably not coincidentally in a moist and cold in Finland originated dry and hot saunas, and dry and hot in Turkey - a cool, moist Turkish baths. Serious research on this subject could not be found. But something there. The Swedes are four types of saunas: Temperature Humidity Title 1. 90-110 ° 5 -10% Dry sauna 2. 75-90 ° 20-35% wet sauna 3. 45-65 ° 40-65% Steam sauna 4. 40-45 ° near 100% Steam Bath All type names baths translated into English by Swedes, but we have from English into Russian. The names of types can be regarded as provisional. For a Russian man who loves a fast ride and the other kind ekstremalku, these types of baths also exist, but often at the upper limit. For example, in the bath first type of Finns support the 90 °, and Russian 120 ° (I've seen 140). In the bath of the third type (Russian sauna) Russian usually steamed in the regime of 65 ° and 65%, and the "heroes" - 70 ° and 65%. More of these two types of baths are compared in the article "Russian bath - tradition and innovation" (Banbas № 1 (13) / 2001). Baths fourth type, I would collectively called Turkish. There (and not only in Turkey), there are several varieties and all is not easy. The point is how to make steam, but more on that below. Baths of the second type I've long been denied the right to exist, but life has persuaded me. I know in Moscow, two baths second type (Izmailovsky and Rogowski). They have, albeit few, but very stalwarts. I intentionally go round the Finnish sauna experience of the first three types (the fourth they have not). The fact that this detail will be discussed below. A bit of history. Everyone knows that the history of Russian baths began with a bath "black." Some people know that and saunas were once "black". I could not find any differences between the two baths (a thousand-year history has not preserved the then value of temperature and humidity). Structurally, these baths are identical. But since they were the prototypes of completely different baths, one can assume that the Finns were more stoked, but less water is poured, and the Russian vice-versa. Until now, many authors (among them, and dishonest "marketing") did not find differences between the Russian and Finnish saunas. Can sometimes take a steam bath "black", to breathe an incredible aroma, and then cleaned with soap for a long time with soot. You can sometimes put on armor and run around with a spear. But it only occasionally, for exotics. We have to admit that the bath is not only its history but also its evolution. Further, the transition to modernity, we will see how this evolution affected the construction of baths and sauna stoves. But to do this again requires a small digression into the field of physics. Many people know that steam is light and heavy. In the dry sauna, these problems do not exist. Entering the sauna air has a normal atmospheric humidity, but the physical laws when heated loses it, sometimes in order. Once again: the incoming air has a natural moisture and loses it when heated. When the natural moisture of the water molecule as mixed with the molecules that make up the air, or, in physical terms, the maximum water vapor dissociated. There are no big drops, which gives a pair of heavy and harmful to the lungs. If we want to artificially humidify the hot air, we must strive to ensure that in artificial moisture vapor was the most dissociated. With increasing humidity, this problem is becoming increasingly difficult. If the first three types of bath humidification can still be accomplished by evaporation of water from a locally heated surfaces (rocks), for a Turkish bath is no longer working. If you are in his kitchen will warm air heater air to 40 °, and boiling kettles on the stove with the lid open humidify the air up to 80%, this is not a Turkish bath, a gas chamber. Figures of temperature and humidity will be met, but steam is so severe that in addition to gravity and the harm you have not received anything. Practically the same make and import and domestic climate furnace metal furnace with open lying stones. Such ovens are actually heated sauna and steam give good only at low humidities. In this Turkish bath is no steam. There's heated four walls, floor and benches. All this is done in marble. Only then at humidity close to 100% can be obtained light steam by evaporation from large surfaces. But back to our baths. Bath evolution has created two methods of artificial humidification: Finnish and Russian. Finnish - is to pour water on the open rocks, and if this is not enough, use a steam generator, built-in oven or stand alone. Russian - it evaporates the water in a closed volume of the furnace. And now try to compare these methods. It is clear that the higher evaporation temperature, the more light, dry, steam will be dissociated. The effective temperature in the evaporator 100 °, as a spiral in an open kettle (in modern evaporators slightly higher). The temperature of the upper stones of the sauna oven to 300 °. You can certainly heat up more, but then the temperature will rise accordingly in the most doubles as openly lying stones actively radiate heat into space. In a good Russian bath closed stones can be heated to 700-800 °. If the oven is constructed correctly, a steam room is not overheated, and the dissociation of the pair will be the maximum. That's why the built in Russian bath large oven-stove, in which stones are inside the oven for the door. The door is opened only at the time of planting water. In our opinion, only such an oven has the right to be oven-stove. I foresee an objection: you go into the wilderness, in the province, in the village - and see! And I answer: you go in Sandune, at Moustache ... The age-old poverty and ruin Russian heartland led and leads to the fact that the bath in Russia - is not just a bath. This bath-laundry, a bath-dryer (for fungi, clothing). Forever rotten wooden floors and the smell of mildew. Even a new bath for some reason do not hold steam. Only ATTIC - and all! Apparently, on something saved. Now for the furnaces. Before stovemaker a double challenge: a well-warmed stones and not to overheat the amount of steam. For this oven must be very large, massive. Any oven will heat the volume of steam. The question is how. In our view, ideally it should be 40 °. The remaining 20-25 ° get by tossing water. Before the first throwing stones should be well heated and the temperature of dry air in the steam room of about 40 °. Most furnace will warm up for very long. Therefore, we are building a furnace smaller adjustable heated dry air is not temperature-dependent gems. There is another side to the issue. Almost all the furnaces in the public baths of the inertial type, that is when the furnace is heated, toss it could not be. Kiln is fired up all night, and then, thanks to the great weight and special design tricks, keep warm throughout the day until evening. Therefore, during the morning sessions, the pair is usually hot, and in the evening heat is not enough. Our customers are not willing to wait all day until istopitsya oven, and then two hours to cool. Therefore, we are building a furnace that can heat while sweating. Thus, our ovens can be used for the first three types of baths. If the heating of dry air adjusted to the maximum temperature in the steam room will be about 100 °. In this case, you can toss a little water at all, not to get burned. If you adjust the heating of dry air to 70-80 °, it will be a bath of the second type. Humidity can be brought up to 25-30%. And finally, a real Russian banya: 65 ° and 65%. It does not dry and broom and breathe easily.