Traditions and culture of water procedures in China are rooted in the distant past. The inhabitants of the Celestial Empire built their first Chinese baths several millennia ago, long before the advent of Slavic baths. Of course, much has changed since then, but the main essence has remained unchanged - the Chinese perform a cleansing ritual not only to wash their body, but also for complete relaxation, relaxation, and uplifting of the spirit.
Description of the bathhouse
Modern Chinese baths offer their visitors a whole range of services, from washing, massage and ending with all sorts of entertainment and even lodging for the night. This is a kind of indicator of Chinese culture. The buildings in which the baths in China are located resemble luxury hotels in architecture, however, they are so. After all, as mentioned above, many stay here for several days: have fun, relax, stay overnight. The period for which you can stay in the bath is notdetermined by specific hours. You can stay here as long as you want. Only bath services are paid. At the entrance, visitors are offered slippers, bath accessories and a key to the locker where things will be stored.
There are also cheap washing places in China, where showers raise some doubts in terms of sanitation, girls offer their services, including massage. You shouldn't go to these establishments. We will talk about good baths, where centuries-old traditions of hospitality are observed. The most prestigious are the Beijing and Shanghai baths, including those named after Alexander the Great. The service here is top notch. Photos of bath rooms confirm this.
Meeting. Traditions
Chinese baths are a whole ritual. It begins first of all with a meeting of guests. Already in the parking lot in front of the Bao ZhongBao bathhouse, the car number is hung with a cover to preserve the privacy and intimacy of the one who decided to wash and relax in the establishment. At the entrance you are greeted by a friendly, smiling girl who will hospitably accept outerwear.
The administrator, by tradition, gives out a bath set, slippers and a locker key, offers a variety of services that are included in the list of establishments. You will pay for everything later, when you get all the pleasure, maybe even the next day - at the exit. Next is the dressing room. Helpful Chinese themselves will undress you, distribute all the clothes on the shelves and politely show you to the bathhouse itself.
Enjoy Your Bath
The bath starts from the bathroom. It usually contains several jacuzzis. InAll baths have different water temperatures: cold, warm, hot. Everyone chooses what will give him pleasure. After all, the main meaning of the procedures is relaxation, relaxation. According to tradition, the baths themselves are exquisitely decorated, various oils and rose petals are added to the water. Enjoying in the Jacuzzi, everyone feels very comfortable.
Chinese steam room is something completely different from a Russian bath. Our "brother" does not get the pleasure that he is used to in his bath in Russia. In the Chinese bath, steam cabins are simply built right next to the bath. The steam in them is generated by a steam generator, which is completely incapable of producing that hot, dry heat that the Russians are used to.
But it is worth noting that the Chinese are quickly adopting the traditions of other nations, adding them to their lives. So, in one of the baths in Harbin, they came up with an interesting option for lovers of a hot bath: a huge, very heated stone of solid rock is rolled into a large room (steam room) right along the rails. All those in the steam room pour it with water from a ladle, and dry hot steam is formed. This is quite reminiscent of a Russian steam room.
Some Chinese baths have special snow rooms. With the help of a generator, snow is produced there, the temperature reaches minus 10 degrees. After a steam room, a sauna, it is a great pleasure to sit here on cold benches. But still, the main charm of Chinese baths is, of course, special procedures.
Tshou Bay. Massage
After the steam room - the long-awaited Zhou Bei. Chinese translationsimple - "rubbing the back", but in fact it is something more. If you are in Chinese baths, you will remember this procedure for a long time. Lie down on the couch and wait for a strong man with a towel wrapped around his hand or with a hard sponge to come up to you. After dousing with warm water, he will begin to rub your entire body hard and stubbornly, starting from the top of your head and ending with your heels. The procedure takes at least half an hour. If you think that your body is completely clean, then you will be surprised when, after the procedure, there will be a “bunch” of pellets of dead skin cells around you after the procedure. There are no exceptions.
Your hot body will be covered with a cool towel and the tapping process will begin. The rhythm is such that any drummer will envy. After that, the attendant will set all your bones and finally douse your body with cold milk. You can smear yourself with oils, milk with honey and immediately go back to the steam room so that all the beneficial substances are absorbed into the body. After such procedures, the skin becomes incredibly soft and smooth, any young person can envy.
Separate services offer additional types of massage: head, feet, back, whole body. Only the Chinese know the secret with which they stretch their feet, affecting the most important points of the body. After such a massage, many simply fall asleep in a serene sleep. Head massage also has its secrets. You will experience incredible pleasure and relaxation.
Service
"Enjoy your bath!" the Chinese will tell you only at the exit, where the payment for all the pleasures is made. There is no need to rush anywhere, hereno hourly pay. After a relaxing massage, you can fall asleep, you will be covered with a soft blanket and will not be disturbed until you yourself wake up and decide what to do next.
For relaxation and entertainment, you can go up to another floor. Here you can play anything, moreover, all this is included in the price. Some baths even have concert halls where celebrities perform. You can also visit the restaurant, where the menu offers the most delicious dishes.
Female half
Chinese women's bath does not exist separately. In the common baths there are special steam rooms, bathrooms, where only women are allowed to enter. The weaker sex is treated with courtesy and delicacy. In common social places (buffets, cinema halls) you can walk in pajamas or special dressing gowns. Some argue that the men's baths are more luxurious and have more services. However, in the female half there are also all the benefits (bathrooms with a jacuzzi, a steam room, cold pools), and the aunts-banners, despite their fragile appearance, will arrange such a Chou Bay for you that your skin will rejuvenate in one session. After visiting the Chinese bath, you feel like after a full range of good spa treatments.
Central Chinese Baths
In the very center of Moscow in the middle of the 19th century there were the famous Khludov baths. Their full name is the Central Chinese Khludov Baths. At their core, they were ordinary Russians, and they were called Chinese because the building was located near Kitaysky Proezd in Moscow. Khludovskybaths with their interiors were much superior to the well-known Sanduny baths at that time. Unfortunately, only four halls have survived to this day, the rest of the building burned down in a strong fire in 1993. Now the purpose of the place has changed, in the restored premises there is a chic restaurant "Silver Age". Exact address: Teatralny proezd, building 3, building 3. Located between Detsky Mir and the Maly Theatre.
Central baths - a monument of culture
In the 19th century, a large manufacturer Khludov, designed by the great architect Eibushitz, built a whole bath complex. The first complex for the common people began to operate in 1881, the second was intended for the nobility. The enterprise operated quite successfully, and soon the upper strata of society - the nobles, aristocrats - began to take baths.
Until the 40s of the last century, Chinese baths in Moscow were called as follows: Baths No. 1 of the Kominternovsky district. Now the building is classified as an architectural monument. The restaurant here starts working in the afternoon until the very morning, accepting the most famous guests. There are guided tours in the morning hours. Everyone can sign up for a tour, see the splendor of the building and listen to the most amazing stories associated with the building from the guide.
The history of the Khludov baths
The history of Khludov's baths in Moscow is quite simple. The construction of the complex was served by the usual commercial envy of the manufacturer Gerasim Ivanovich Khludov. At first he is indifferentHe referred to the fact that people pour into the famous Sandunovsky baths, both commoners and nobles. When Khludov found out what profit they bring to their owner, he immediately decided to compete with him. Gerasim Ivanovich was the largest businessman in Moscow, made high acquaintances, donated considerable sums to charity. It was not difficult for him to obtain a building permit. He bought a huge plot of land where the Palaces of Georgian princes were located.
The great architect Eibushitz was brought in to work. By order of the manufacturer, he created an incredible project in the eclectic style. Luxury came first. Baths were opened in 1881. Later, "half" halls were opened - Finnish, Russian, Turkish. Their decoration was not much different from the Palaces. The services here were of the highest standard. The most high-ranking persons came here to relax.
By 1917, Gerasim Ivanovich was no longer alive, the Khludov family (daughter) emigrated to France. The Chinese baths were taken over by the Soviets. There are many stories and legends associated with the transfer of valuable property, but this is a completely different topic.
