Pregnant women visiting a bathhouse in the early stages: all the pros and cons

“With caution”, “do not abuse”, “individually” - doctors’ conclusions regarding baths in the early stages of pregnancy. “Heals,” “Relaxes,” “Removes swelling and varicose veins, relieves pain,” answer supporters of steam rooms.

Let's figure out who can go to the bathhouse in the early stages of pregnancy and who can't.

Welcome to the sulfur baths

One of the most famous and unique places in the capital of Georgia is the sulfur baths. This is a landmark of the center of Tbilisi, known far beyond the borders of this country since the times of the classics of Russian literature.

Crowds of tourists tend to come here in order to steam, relax and unwind. But the most important thing is to try the exotic Georgian bathhouse.

The Georgian baths are fed by the sulfurous springs of the Nitsubidze plateau . Warm water, even hot water, contains a lot of hydrogen sulfide. It flows directly from underground into the vast bath complex, which can be recognized at first glance by its numerous domed roofs. Under the roofs there are halls with swimming pools, into which hot water flows from a sulfur spring. The temperature ranges from 40–70 degrees (the hotter the water, the more sulfur it contains). The bathhouses are located below ground level, lined inside with marble and local stone.

Georgian sulfur baths are a real healing complex . Here you have the opportunity not only to take a steam bath, but also to use the services of bathhouse attendants. Georgian specialists will provide you with a general relaxing massage and other wellness treatments.

Rules for visiting the bathhouse:

Water. Drink plenty of water after the steam room and during rest. Don't be afraid to go overboard! Water can be replaced with herbal tea or decoction. You, like no one else, need fluid. Drink for two.
Shower or pool. The first thing you should do after leaving the steam room is take a cool shower.
Avoid using a broom for the abdomen and lower back area. Why do you need extra risk?
Take breaks between runs for 20-25 minutes. Don't overeat before the bath, but don't go on an empty stomach either. Soup and mashed potatoes with vegetables are an excellent lunch an hour and a half before the steam room. During the break you can eat fruits and yogurt. Afterwards - light dinner.
Spend time with loved ones, avoid loneliness. A husband or girlfriend who knows about your situation will be helpful.
Monitor your pulse: it should be about 120 beats/minute.
Do not jump into a snowdrift, ice pool, or ice hole after the steam room, even if you were into this before pregnancy. Who knows how a pregnant body will react to such procedures.
Go to the bathhouse regularly, but not often. Once a week is enough even for non-pregnant people.
Pay close attention to hygiene: sit on the same side of the towel, put on rubber slippers, and wrap yourself in a long cloth. The bathhouse is a clean place, but is even the slightest risk justified in your situation?
Play it safe: take a first aid kit to the bathhouse with a first aid kit, which you will collect on the advice of your doctor. The body is unpredictable, especially during pregnancy.

The main rule: go back to the beginning of the article and read the first sentence. Remember him.

Why are sulfur baths so useful?

Why is the sulfur bath so attractive for local residents and tourists?

Let us immediately note that the Tbilisi miracle has a pronounced healing and restorative effect:

The comfortable temperature of natural water relaxes the body, removes blocks and clamps.
The presence of hydrogen sulfide in water destroys microbes, heals wounds, and reduces pain of various natures.
Treats skin diseases.
Dilates blood vessels, tones the body.
Successfully fights heart disease and varicose veins.
Stimulates and activates the respiratory system.
Removes toxins from the body.
Has a sedative effect on the nervous system.

Another absolute plus is the opportunity to join the national Georgian tradition of bathing procedures. And also combine an educational tourist program with rest and relaxation in the sulfur baths.

By the way, some beauty salons provide the opportunity to try sulfur-based medicinal cosmetics on yourself. And in many sanatoriums there are pools with water rich in sulfur, but they do not have such a large-scale effect on the body as the Tbilisi sulfur baths.

History of discovery

There is an ancient legend that describes why the city was named Tbilisi, where the famous sulfur baths came from. One day, King Vakhtang Gorgasali and his retinue went hunting.

During a long journey, he discovered a cluster of warm springs in one place. According to his decision, a city was built in this place. Thanks to sources, it received the name Tbilisi, which means “warm” in Georgian.

Even Georgians question the veracity of this legend, since man-made baths were built back in the 1st–2nd century. Most of the fonts were erected in the 16th century. Historians are sure that it was then that the city appeared.

Baths were built on the site of warm springs. In them, local residents not only performed water procedures, but also rested, held meetings, resolved important issues, and played sports.

Are sulfur baths harmful?

Now let's talk about whether sulfur baths are harmful and whether they can cause harm to the human body.

You should always visit the baths with extreme caution. And if we are talking about sulfur baths, then attention should be doubled. And it is even advisable to consult a doctor and jointly determine the frequency and duration of visits to thermal baths.

For some diseases, baths must be visited strictly in doses and with great caution ; there are also categorical contraindications. You should refrain from thermal procedures if you have a history of ailments such as:

Stomach ulcer.
Angina (problems with blood circulation and heart rhythm).
Tuberculosis.
Heart disease.
Bronchial asthma.
Oncology.
Myocardial infarction.

Here's something else you should pay attention to. The air of Tbilisi baths, rich in sulfur, is very unusual for tourists and can even lead to vapor poisoning . The smell of sulfur is easily absorbed into hair and skin and does not disappear for a long time.

And one more minus. Sanitary requirements for sulfur baths are traditionally not high. Bath pools do not have forced drains , and they are cleaned infrequently. Of course, sulfur water kills many bacteria, but not all. So if your body’s resistance to household infections is low, then it is better not to visit sulfur baths in Tbilisi. There will be more harm than good.

If you have no contraindications, the smell of sulfur does not cause discomfort, and the presence of microbes does not deter you, then read the rules for visiting Tbilisi baths.

Who will the doctors allow to go to the bathhouse, and who will have a strict taboo on visits?

The bath (if used in moderation) does not have such detrimental consequences for the health of the unborn child as, for example, alcohol or smoking. Therefore, if there are no individual contraindications, spend a few pleasant minutes in the steam room.

The main thing you need to remember: exposure to high temperature in the early stages is one of the causes of miscarriage and bleeding. Therefore, for up to 3-4 weeks it is necessary to exclude not only the steam room, but also a hot bath, and even foot baths.

After the 4th week, it all depends on the characteristics of your body and pregnancy. Visiting the bathhouse is allowed if:

do not suffer from high blood pressure or heart disease;
does not suffer from severe toxicosis;
there were no problems with pregnancy before;
during your current pregnancy you were not in continence, there was no threat of miscarriage;
you do not have acute respiratory viral infections, acute respiratory infections, or influenza;
We asked the doctor for permission to undergo bath procedures and received a positive answer.

Then nothing will prevent you from spending your pregnancy in the early stages in a bathhouse.

How to visit a sulfur bath correctly

Now that you know everything about the benefits and harms of sulfur baths, and have consciously decided to visit them, we strongly recommend that you listen to the advice of professional bathhouse attendants.

Firstly, in order to get real pleasure from visiting the bathhouse, you must first prepare your body . A couple of hours before visiting the bathhouse, eat some light meals. But don’t overdo it; you shouldn’t overload your stomach, because digestion processes are difficult during sulfur procedures.
Secondly, in the bathhouse, be sure to remove and store your watches and jewelry. Specific hydrogen sulfide water causes jewelry to darken and silver to deteriorate.
Thirdly, before entering the steam room you need to warm up a little to increase blood circulation, and then take a shower. The skin should be clean. otherwise, you will not be able to fully enjoy the effect of sulfur baths.
Fourthly, decide in advance for yourself whether you will receive a specific massage from the masters working in the sulfur baths. The manipulations that the specialists will perform look a little scary (they will bend your arms and twist your legs). This is probably good for the body and familiar to the local population. But almost all tourists note that massage in Tbilisi baths is rude and lacks traditional Georgian courtesy and friendliness towards guests. The procedures are performed quite strictly , regardless of the client’s physique, gender and skin sensitivity.
Fifthly, keep in mind that you need to stay in the pool no longer than 15 minutes , and plunge into the water no more than 4 times. Be sure to try Georgian tea after hydrogen sulfide procedures. While relaxing, take a walk around the bathhouse quarter.

Which sauna can pregnant women go to?

There are many types of baths and saunas, but not all are suitable for early pregnancy. Let's look at the popular ones:

Russian bath

Humidity up to 80%, temperature (60-800C). Despite the relatively low temperature, warming up and sweating occur very quickly due to the solid humidity. So don't sit for long! For the first and last approach, 3-5 minutes are enough, for intermediate ones - 7-10 minutes. Monitor your health. It is better to make five to seven visits for a couple of minutes than one for 15. If the bathhouse is your personal, maintain the temperature at 60-700C.

Turkish hammam

The temperature rarely exceeds 45-500C, but the humidity reaches 90%. There is practically no sweating: all that flows from the body in the hammam is condensation formed by moist air. Some say that pregnant women at any stage can spend at least a whole day in the hammam, but remember the doctors’ recommendation: “Do not overuse.” One or two hours is enough for the first time.

Finnish sauna

High temperatures up to 1200C are combined with dry air. Of course, it is better to completely exclude such a sauna. The maximum heating temperature for pregnant women is no more than 700C. In addition, in a Finnish sauna, the sweat released instantly evaporates. But not from the room, but only from the skin. We inhale some of these fumes back.

Japanese furako, ofuro, sento

Furako - two fonts, in one of which the water is heated to 45-500C, and in the second there is comfortable warm water for swimming. Ofuro - a bed with sawdust heated from below. Sento is a communal pool with hot water where you sit for 10-15 minutes. Furako, ofuro and sento are contraindicated for pregnant women in the early stages for the same reason as homemade hot baths.

Advice: if before pregnancy you did not visit the bathhouse regularly (at least once a month), it is hardly worth starting now. Why does an organism unfamiliar with the steam room need extra stress?

If you really want to, wait until the second trimester and begin to accustom yourself gradually: limit the first visit to one visit to the steam room for 3-4 minutes, the second to two for 5-7 minutes, and then watch the condition.

Positive and negative effect

The benefits and harms of a sulfur bath have long been described by scientists. Favorable properties:

muscle relaxation, elimination of clamps and blocks;
reducing the intensity of pain of various etiologies;
destruction of pathogenic microorganisms;
getting rid of skin rashes;
activation of regeneration processes;
removal of waste and toxins from the body;
relieving emotional stress;
increased tone;
acceleration of blood circulation;
normalization of pressure;
treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Wellness treatment in the bathhouse

Any health procedure can cause harm to the body if a person ignores the rules for its implementation.

If, when visiting a sulfur bath, the skin begins to itch, redness or blisters appear, the temperature rises, nausea or vomiting occurs, you must immediately leave the bath complex and call a doctor.

Features of the visit

Visiting rules:

Before going to the bathhouse, you need to remove any jewelry and give it to the staff. The service will issue a number and hide personal belongings in a secure locker.
Before visiting the hot pool, you need to do a light warm-up to speed up blood circulation and take a cool shower.
You can stay in the pool for no more than 15 minutes. It is recommended to dive under water no more than 4 times.
It is prohibited to drink alcohol before, during and after bath procedures.
It is not recommended to eat heavy food 2 hours before the bath; 1 light dish is allowed.

If the general condition worsens, it is better to cancel the planned procedures and reschedule them for another day.