What is the name of a Japanese bath - public and private? Do-it-yourself Japanese ofuro bath: Construction technology

On appearance Japanese baths ofuro greatly influenced natural conditions Japan. An island washed on all sides with high density The local population taught the Japanese to be zealous and economical owners and to value every centimeter of house space. It is for this reason that the Japanese bath has such a specific, unique type of barrel.

Japanese bath: special conditions and magical flavor of Japan

An elongated font, called a furaco, is designed for bathing procedures in a sitting position. Essentially it is a large wooden barrel with benches inside. The water in it heats up to +45°C.

Attention! It is highly not recommended to pour water above the level of the heart of a person sitting in a furaco. The Japanese, who have trained their bodies in such extreme conditions, are accustomed to high loads on the heart muscle. For a European, especially those with heart disease or those prone to obesity, an improperly prepared bath can result in fainting or a heart attack. Therefore, take care of your heart and do not pour water above the permitted level!

After a hot bath in furako, the Japanese rested and relaxed in ofuro. This common name both the bathhouse itself and special wooden boxes in which warm sawdust or heated small pebbles were poured. The man lay down in the ofuro, and the bathhouse attendant (in the original source, a servant) partially covered his body with this sawdust. The pebbles played the role of a kind of massage mat.

A person in such a dry wooden font rested and relaxed perfectly. His skin and lungs absorbed the healing essential oils that the heated wood evaporated. For this reason, both furaco and ofuro have always been made only from natural wood.

Why was it so important for the Japanese? heat water and wood shavings? The reason lies in the frosts that often approached Japan. The heating in the houses was also very specific, so residents often froze. For them, 10-15 minutes spent in their favorite barrel of furaco was real bliss and the highest happiness. Thus, we warmed ourselves 2 times a day.

How to make a real Japanese bathhouse with your own hands

To make a real ofuro with your own hands, you don’t need much space at all. The furaco barrel should be made only from natural wood, moreover, from such breeds as:
- oak;
- cedar;
- larch;
- pine.

The best are considered conifers. Their wood contains the maximum amount essential oils with medicinal and antiseptic properties. There are 2 ways to install a stove in a furaco:

1. Under the font.
2. Inside the font, behind a special wooden partition.

Since the wood-burning stove is located in close proximity to the wooden parts, only specially treated, heat-resistant wood (thermal pine, etc.) is used. You need to build a Japanese bathhouse with your own hands in this way:

1. DIY foundation

It must be remembered that the ofuro bathhouse together with the font is a very heavy structure. The barrel holds several hundred liters of hot water, a stove for heating it and, in addition, 3-4 people. All this can weigh up to several centners, so an ofuro bathhouse needs a very solid foundation. Columnar or strip is suitable, and if the soil or uneven terrain requires it, then pile.

Drilling holes for piles must be carried out at least 1.5 m deep. Under the font itself there should be monolithic foundation on a sand and gravel cushion (15 cm each layer) and a rigid reinforcing frame. Don't forget about waterproofing! Japanese bath can be located both indoors and under open air. This is not for everybody. Of course, the second option is cheaper and more applicable in a summer cottage.

2. Dimensions of an average furaco

If you decide to build a bathhouse with your own hands, you should first decide how many people will be receiving at the same time water procedures. If the bathhouse is designed to accommodate 3-4 people at a time, the barrel should be made with a diameter of approximately 1.5 m. The height of the wall (side) is 1-1.3 m.

Wooden beams are tightly tied with steel hoops. Don't forget to do wooden partition inside the font, benches for bathers and steps on the outside to make it convenient to enter/exit the furaco.

3. Oven: do-it-yourself or ready-made?

You can also make a stove for a hot tub yourself from galvanized steel, but only if you know how to handle welding machine. Otherwise, you can buy a ready-made stove. It has a special box for loading and burning coal, as well as a pipe that discharges combustion products.

The oven is placed in a small space allocated for it behind a partition. People's bodies should not touch hot steel. The bathhouse must be absolutely safe for guests. In addition, while taking such a unique bath, the bath attendant or the owner of the house located outside must constantly maintain an even fire so that the water in the barrel does not cool down.

4. Do-it-yourself walls for an indoor ofuro

If you like intimacy and privacy, you can place a Japanese bath under the roof. For the second option, take care to lead the pipe from the stove outside the building. Otherwise, your guests will simply get bored. This problem can be solved in another way: simply buy a special electric oven for ofuro. It is installed only from below, under the bottom of the barrel.

You can build a building for a bathhouse from any available materials. Ideally, it would be solid wood, but cheaper timber will do just fine. Any tree will do (larch, pine, etc.). The main thing is that it is well dried and without rot. The walls and roof can be built in the same way as for a classic Russian bath. There is no significant difference here. The walls must be insulated.

5. Bathhouse as is: finishing work and interior decoration

The Japanese bath does not have a steam room. The font combines everything: a swimming pool, a bath, and a steam room. Therefore, it is better to line the walls from the inside with clapboard, aspen or linden.

Very important role safety plays a role indoors. The room with the plunge pool is always very humid and hot. Streams literally flow along the walls, like in a wet steam room. For this reason, there should be no sockets here, as well as any electrical appliances in general. All communications of this kind are brought outside, to the dressing room.

All components must be carefully insulated. Don't forget that the sauna is completely wooden. A spark can cause a fire, even if the outside walls are treated with fireproofing agents.

The inside of the walls should be treated with a special waterproofing compound (it can be purchased at a supermarket selling goods for construction and repair). This important measure will protect the wood in conditions of constant dampness.

The design of the room can be done to your taste. Give preference natural materials(stone, wood) and natural shades(sand, nut, chestnut, etc.). For everything else, you can completely rely on your imagination and sense of proportion, and this small guide will help you build such a colorful and very useful Japanese bathhouse in the shortest possible time.

If you are a Russian person and decide to go to a Japanese bathhouse for the first time, you may be disappointed. There you will not see any steam room, washing room or bath attributes familiar to Europeans. All you will see is a large wooden barrel and a couch in the corner. “What is this?”, you might think, how can you take a steam bath in it. For us, Russian people, a bathhouse is a place where you can have a good steam bath. Although Japanese baths have a completely different appearance and their contents are quite specific, they are still no worse than ordinary ones, and even, to some extent, better. Outwardly they resemble large bath. But if you take this "bath" performed in Japanese style, then your health will improve significantly. It's all about the ability to heal and rejuvenate the human body in such a bath.

There are several types of such baths, and they differ from each other. Let's take a closer look at what Japanese baths exist, what are their advantages and how to use them correctly.

The design of a Japanese bath and its positive aspects

So, what is a Japanese bath? This is a full-fledged complex, which consists of the following basic elements:

  1. Shower cabin.
  2. Japanese bath ofuro.
  3. Japanese bath furako.

The appearance of such a bath is shown in the photo below.

To give you an idea, the Japanese furako bathhouse is a large round wooden barrel, and the Japanese ofuro type bathhouse is a rectangular one. wooden box. I would like to immediately note that there is a certain paradox regarding these names: in different districts of Japan and other countries, the names can be changed: the furaco bathhouse can be called ofuro, and the ofuro box can be confused with furaco. Why is this set of bath procedures so popular? According to medical scientists from Japan, if you undergo the entire complex of procedures in the Japanese baths ofuro and furako once a week, this will have a positive effect on a person’s condition and well-being. They note the following improvements:

  • The sauna has a positive effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
  • The bath helps improve kidney function;
  • The bath is an excellent preventive measure for various kinds diseases;
  • The bath increases the body’s ability to resist stress;
  • baths help get rid of excess weight (especially important for girls);
  • baths help cleanse both the skin of the face and the skin of the whole body;
  • Baths slow down the aging process, rejuvenating the body.

These indicators only indicate that the Japanese bathhouse ofuro, as well as furako, are very useful for humans. Everyone would like to experience these improvements, and it's easy to do. It is enough to buy such a bathhouse or go to a special complex. To fully understand the very essence of Japanese baths, you need to pay attention to the main reasons for their occurrence, as well as the process, the main traditions when bathing in such baths.

Features and customs of using Japanese baths

As the Japanese bath entered the lives of local residents, customs associated with the process also appeared. Without these customs, the Japanese bathhouse ofuro is a simple trough made of wood, which is filled with sawdust. Bathing in the sauna takes place in a special way:


The procedure for taking a procedure in a Japanese bath

  • the first thing you need to do is wash yourself;
  • then go to furaco and stay inside for 10 or maximum 15 minutes;
  • after which you should completely dry yourself and proceed to ofuro, where the bottom layer is covered with hot sawdust or pebbles. The person is covered up to his head with the same sawdust. This procedure in the bathhouse should take the same 15 or 25 minutes.

Advice! To achieve an ideal result, it is important to rest after each procedure, especially with a massage.

The reasons for the appearance of the ofuro and furaco baths

Everyone knows that no matter what people come up with, they do it for a specific purpose. It was not for nothing that the Japanese came up with their own specific bathhouse, since it played an important role in their lives. Here are 4 main criteria that guided the Japanese in their work on creating ofuro and furako baths:


Elements of a Japanese bath

Let's take a closer look at what all the elements consist of. You already know that a furaco is a large oval or round wooden barrel.

What is the Japanese furako bath made of? Several types of wood are suitable for this purpose:

  • cedar;
  • larch;
  • pine.

Inside the barrel there is a bench so that you can sit in the correct position (there may be several of them), a specially designed stove (sometimes the stove is located near the wall, outside).

The barrel is filled with liquid at a temperature of 40-45˚C and maintained within these limits. To optimize the operation of a Japanese bath, a special lid is used to cover the barrel to retain heat during downtime. In addition, the lid protects the furaco from dust, debris and leaves.

Modern types of Japanese baths are heated using a special stove. Its design can be different:

  1. Wood burning stove made of stainless steel.
  2. Gas oven.
  3. Electric oven.

If we talk about the ofuro bathhouse, then it is a rectangular box made of cedar or oak. Inside it are hot wood sawdust or pebbles. A special feature of this design is the heating system located in the floor. Thanks to it, sawdust or gravel constantly has a temperature of 50-60˚C. New models of Ofuro baths have electrical system heating with temperature controller (power from 1.5 to 3.6 kW) and remote control remote control. The parameters of the box are selected taking into account how many members will be in it at the same time. But almost always they are made only for one person, who can easily fit into the bathhouse.

The filler for the ofuro box is waste from the following types of wood:

  • cedar sawdust;
  • larch sawdust;
  • oak sawdust;
  • linden sawdust.

In general, sawdust weighs 45-50 kg. Immediately after the one-time procedure, the wet layer of sawdust that was under the person is changed by filling a new batch. Replacement is approximately 2-2.5 kg. To maintain traditions, wood chips are soaked in flavored oils, mixing everything with dry medicinal herbs.

Tired of the traditional Russian bath? Not attractive Turkish sauna? Do you want something exotic and at the same time simple? The Japanese bath will satisfy all your desires. What is the name of the Japanese bath? Why is she special? Readers will learn this and much more by reading the article to the end.

The Japanese bath is not only a font with hot water, but also a barrel with sawdust and herbs.

What is the name of the Japanese bath, the essence of the procedure

The procedure in a Japanese bath is quite simple. The basis of the steam room is a large barrel of cedar or larch sawdust. Sawdust always has a temperature of 50–60°C. They are mixed with various aromatic herbs, for example, lavender, edelweiss, mint, lemon balm. The steamer lays down in the sawdust and immerses his body there up to his chest. The procedure lasts 10–15 minutes. After such a bath, the body relaxes, warms up evenly and is filled with health. The procedure is especially useful for removing toxins and breaking down fats.

A little history

The Japanese bathhouse is called Ofuro and originated several centuries ago. The damp climate of Japan is conducive to warming procedures. But according to Buddhism, it is impossible to kill animals, which means that the Japanese could not make soap. It was necessary to wash with hot water, so to steam the body it was invented to use not only water, but also hot sawdust.


Ofuro is becoming increasingly popular in Russia.

Traditionally, the Japanese visited the Ofuro bathhouse 2 to 3 times a week. Ofuro is a kind of hot water font. Since there is little space in Japan, the barrels were designed for several people at once. Inside Ofuro there are several seats. The water is heated using a live fire, which is located under the font. The temperature is always maintained around 50 °C. Steamers take the procedure reclining for no longer than 5 minutes. After this, a relaxing massage was done with hard mittens and the body was immersed in sawdust.

Then you need to wrap yourself in a warm robe or blanket and lie down to rest. Warm clothing is necessary for better sweating.

Modern Japanese baths

Times have changed and Japanese Ofuro has not become a necessity. The modern Japanese bath is called Sento. They visit Sento once a week, on holidays, to get aesthetic pleasure. Inside, Sento is more like a vacation spot with exotic fountains, waterfalls and colorful stones.


In a public bath, the Japanese wash themselves in a special room before visiting the pool.

A modern bathhouse consists of a small pool tiled with mosaics, or natural stone. The water in the pool is running at 50–60°C. The pool can accommodate from 4 to 10 people. Hygiene is important to the Japanese, so the water is changed after each procedure.

Before visiting the pool in Sento, they wash themselves. A special room is equipped for washing, with wooden grates on the floor. The Japanese sit on these grates while washing. There are no showers in Sento, so people soap themselves and douse themselves with jugs from special containers.

Sento is a source of health for any resident of Japan. Medical scientists say that according to a number of studies, Sento and Ofuro can relieve rheumatism, cardiovascular diseases, normalize blood pressure and stimulate the kidneys. The body's resistance to respiratory diseases doubles after taking procedures in the bathhouse.

The history of the creation of Ofuro baths is associated with a large number of thermal waters in Japan. In combination with heated sawdust, the bath makes the steam room unique in terms of relaxation and warming up the body. Filling the barrel with a mixture of cedar sawdust and rice bran diluted with 60 types medicinal herbs, is considered the most effective.

How to carry out procedures at home?

You can repeat the Ofuro procedure at home. Water at a temperature of 38°C is poured into the bathtub and your body is immersed there. The water should be gradually made hotter, bringing it to 45–50°C. The procedure must be completed within 10–15 minutes.

Then they are rubbed red-hot with a hard terry towel and wrapped in a shawl or warm blanket. You need to sweat like this for 40–60 minutes. Drink during the procedure green tea with raspberries and cranberries. Then they turn around and dry themselves, put them on warm clothes and lie down under a warm blanket for another 2 hours.


You can try the Ofuro procedure at home.

Of course, warming up in sawdust at home will be difficult, but even a shortened procedure will add strength and restore health to the body. It is most favorable to carry out procedures during an epidemic of influenza and ARVI.

Difference between Ofuro and Sente

What is the difference between Ofure and Sente?

Traditionally, Japanese Ofuro is a font with heated water. Modern barrels are made not only from wood, but also from iron or plastic. These are heated using heating element that create more comfortable temperature and uniform heating. You can buy a barrel in Russia starting from 30,000 rubles. These are often installed in traditional Russian baths. Ofuro is a barrel for private use at home.

Sente is a Japanese public bathhouse. The setting is rich and exotic. Sente is visited for aesthetic pleasure. More details in the video:

Thanks to the Japanese baths, despite the humid and cold climate, people get sick much less often than in Russia. And what is the name of the Japanese bathhouse, you can answer, knowing which one you mean - public or private. The average life expectancy in Japan for men is 80 years, for women 90. Maybe it’s time for us to think about adopting the best from the Japanese?

What is a Japanese bath? Everyone has heard about Finnish, Turkish, Russian, they visit, they know the features, pros and cons. They are public, people build them in their dachas and near private residential buildings. In some cities there are also Japanese baths common use, but there are much fewer of them than any others. Japan is a special country with individual culture and traditions, which means that the baths there are special.

In Japanese baths, instead of steam rooms, they use wooden barrels with hot water.

Soap plants in the Land of the Rising Sun are divided into types: ofuro, sento and furako.

They have different device and purpose.

Ofuro is a large wooden bathtub filled with sawdust and medicinal herbs. This whole mixture heats up, a person is immersed in it for a while, the body is warmed up not because of water and steam, but precisely due to sawdust. The body sweats well, just like in any other steam room that is more familiar to us. Through the pores of the skin, all negative elements leave the body, and thanks to medicinal herbs, the body is strengthened and restored.

Sento are Japanese public baths consisting of washing department and a hot water pool. First, visitors wash themselves well in the first section, and then, clean, they go to relax in the second section. You can stand or sit in it, or you can swim.

Furaco is the most famous type soap dishes from Japan. This is a large vat divided in half. In one part there is a stove that heats the water, and the second is filled with water. A person sits in the water and warms up in it. In some bath complexes and spa centers, the stove is sometimes placed under a wooden vat, and the entire container is filled with water. This way a person can also warm up well, but it will no longer be a furaco.

Features of Japanese baths

The sento consists of a washing area and a hot water pool.

The originality, regularity and tradition of the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun left an imprint on their baths. A classic steam room, like in a Russian soap house or Finnish sauna, you won't see it there. Hot water or sawdust is used to warm the body. For those who like to whip each other with a broom, this will be a minus. But for those who like a sauna or hammam, warm up in hot water You might really like it.

The Japanese visited soap shops to relax, rest their soul and body, and improve their health. But this can be done in any other national bathhouse. However, if it’s customary to go to a Russian one in a crowd, to take a steam bath, and have fun, then to visit a Japanese one alone or together to collect your thoughts, the situation here is conducive to this.

The Japanese ofuro bath is a unique way to wash yourself and maintain your health. For a Russian person this is new and interesting, which is why many advanced spa centers have begun to install wooden baths with sawdust. There are plenty of people willing to visit. In other bath complexes, furaco and ofuro are installed together with classic steam rooms, pools with cold and warm water. This is how people learn about soap shops in Japan and try to wash themselves in them.

In Japanese traditional bath ofuro and furaco are present together. First, a person washes or takes a shower, then sits in a barrel of hot water, and then relaxes in sawdust. After this, he washes off the remaining sawdust and goes to drink tea.

Baths in Japan are built according to the same rules as in Russia. In any case, these are premises with high humidity. Materials for construction must be durable, moisture-resistant, and withstand significant temperature changes.

How to make ofuro with your own hands

Furaco is a round or oval font made of cedar, oak or larch, which makes the water healing.

This is quite possible in country house, bathhouse and even in an apartment, if the space allows. This is the capacity rectangular shape sizes with regular bath. For production you will need:

  • cedar or oak wooden boards;
  • small cedar or linden sawdust and/or small pebbles;
  • various herbs;
  • bath heater with thermometer;
  • drill;
  • self-tapping screws;
  • anti-corrosion impregnation for metal.

First you need to install the heating electrical appliance for ofuro, which is located directly under the bottom. It is necessary that it heats the container to a maximum of 60°C, no more is required. The wood for the bathtub must be thermally and moisture-proof. All this can be bought in stores or companies specializing in the construction and finishing of baths. Next we assemble and install wooden bath. Make a headrest out of boards in the sawdust container, otherwise it will be uncomfortable to sit.

Not only hot sawdust, but also pebbles are used as filler. Small stones have a massage effect and warm the body well. You can add any herbs and plants to them: chamomile, rose petals, mint, etc.

First you need to heat the bath and the filler to the desired temperature, pour pebbles onto the bottom, then a person lies down there, who is carefully covered with hot sawdust and herbs, slightly moistened with water. You can sit in the ofuro for about half an hour. For beginners, the recommended temperature is 40-45°C. If it seems insufficient, it can be easily and quickly increased. After each bath, the filler must be removed and dried, then the ofuro will last a long time.

Installation of furaco

If you decide to make a full-fledged Japanese bath, then you cannot do without a barrel of hot water. It is more difficult to make than a bathtub with sawdust, since it is round. You don’t have to make such a container yourself; you can buy it in a store. Eat simple barrels, and there are vats with a built-in stove.

To make furaco, thermally stable oak or cedar is used. The manufacturing technology is the same as that of a regular barrel; the price of the container depends on its size. Choose one that can accommodate 4 adults. The height of the barrel itself must be 1.20 m, and the diameter must be at least 1.60 m.

It is not necessary to place the furaco indoors; you can make it outside and bask in it in any weather. Japanese traditions, of course, will not be observed, but the main thing is that you like it. The barrel is quite high, so bring a wooden one to it ladder. Furaco ovens are made of stainless steel.

The temperature in the barrel reaches 50°C, the residence time in it is no more than 15 minutes. It is advisable that top part the body above the diaphragm was above the water to prevent overheating of the body. But everyone chooses their own comfortable water temperature.

In an ordinary bath you can make not only a furako, but also a pool of hot water, like in a sento. But for this you need enough space, a powerful heating device for large quantity water. You can make a small pool for the soul, but it will be far from sento. Public baths in Japan are the same furako, only for more of people. The water there warms up to 45-50°C, you can sit for about 10 minutes.

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