Chinese sauna. Chinese baths: traditions and interior. Photo. What is a Chinese sauna?

My friend Viktor Grudina, as he likes to call himself “Viktor Ludvigovich Perin,” wrote a story about our acquaintance with the Chinese bathhouse. Of course, I have visited various types of bathhouses in China before, and even stayed in the bathhouse overnight after a relaxing massage. After thinking for a long time about the version of the article, I finally decided to leave everything as it was with Victor, adding a little and formatting this post. The result is this cute gonzo:

Almost all lovers of the Chinese language have watched the film “洗澡” (xǐzǎo), the title of which is usually translated into Russian as “Shower”, although shower in Chinese is 淋浴(línyù). Well, a shower is a shower. The most important thing is the special spirit of the Chinese bathhouse shown in the film. When people come not just to wash, but to relax both body and soul, chat, read the newspaper, play gambling... The same kind of amateurs usually gather in a Russian bathhouse, but in Russia they are “steamers.” In a Chinese bathhouse, such people can rather be called “bathers” and “tshozalnik” (搓澡cuōzǎo - wash and rub). So, under the impression of the film, my colleague Mosey and I found ourselves in such a relaxing atmosphere of a Chinese bathhouse.

In the deep summer of 2012, while undergoing training in the northeast of China in the glorious city of Changchun (长春), after working school days, we decided to go to a local tavern to eat donkey meat (驴肉蒸饺- manti with steamed donkey meat, 12 pieces - 24 yuan), a delicious national dish of the Dongbei people (northerners).

Ears, heart, tail are on the menu, as well as any kind of liver. But we used manti, and regularly, the tonic effect was very noticeable day after day. Unlike my friend Mosey, I liked to pass 150-200 grams under the manti. local gaoliang (高粱酒, cereal vodka), a northeastern national drink made from sorghum. Mosey usually preferred to drink a soy cocktail or a bottle of local beer. Leaving the cafe, we saw an interesting inscription, it was familiar to Russians from first class “澡堂” - bathhouse, although three days ago there was a store there. It’s strange, but this, friends, is China, you can be surprised a lot.

The next day, in the morning, there were many balls hanging near the entrance to the bathhouse, and the Manchu was cheerfully unloading coal. An hour later the ignition was already on, smoke was pouring out and, looking through the window at the big break, we were anticipating what brooms we would use to evaporate the training sweat of Changchun. Having pretty much consolidated the material we had studied, we went to take a steam bath. As I remember now, Seryoga (Mosei) wrote an essay about an old bald grandfather who, sitting on the bank of a stream, thought about his life, and his head shone so that it reflected the rays of the sun in the water, like a mirror.

Having crossed the threshold of the bathhouse, we realized that it was honor and respect for the owner; two Russians came to visit. I must say that the room had just been renovated, and it was very clean, somehow festive. At the entrance we paid 7 yuan. The kit included a towel, the time of stay for this money from the beginning of work to the end (i.e. from 8:00 to 24:00 an hour). We were given a key to the cells on a plastic spring (I advise you not to lose it), and we were off to battle. And there everything is for five (呱呱叫 - guāguājiào): three swimming pools, a steam room and ten showers. It is worth noting that the steam room in China is weak, you open the tap and steam comes out of it. And to increase the degree of sweating, everyone is rubbed with salt from a trough. The Chinese prefer to be washed and rubbed, which is called 搓澡cuōzǎo.

There are several “bath attendants” working in the bathhouse, who take turns scrubbing and washing, doing a massage (按摩), putting on jars (拔火罐), or doing a pedicure (修脚). It’s weird for us to have a man rub you in all places, and we refused to wash and rub. We limited ourselves to massage, cupping and pedicure.

The pools have different temperatures. The first pool is boiling water 40-45, the second is warm, the third is cold. Nobody swims in cold water, and Sergay and I, having steamed for a while in the steam room, dived into the cold square, smoothly moving into the first and second sectors of the pool. The Dongbei people said respectfully to each other: these are Russian monsters (他们就是俄罗斯怪物). But when Mosey and I started speaking Dongbeihua (northern dialect), we were promised cold beer and cigarettes in this bathhouse for life.

There are thermoses with boiling water on the table, you can pour it into a mug and drink it, or brew some tea. There is a TV on the wall, you can relax and watch sports and news. Or you can just sleep after a good massage or cupping. But we, of course, aroused the interest of visitors and talked with them, developing our knowledge of Dongbei. In a word, the atmosphere in the bathhouse was the same as shown in the movie “洗澡”. This was the most important thing.

For 3-4 days we were only there - massage, cupping were part of our daily procedures, but, unfortunately, we had to leave. They stretched our legs on the path and treated us to turtle vodka in a nearby cafe, wishing us to see you soon. Backpacks on your back and on the road, and here is the station, the departure point. When a tall black man ran up to us at the railway station in China and shouted: “help me,” Sergei took his thoughtful gaze away from the map of China and told him in perfect Chinese: “我不会说英语 - I don’t speak English.” It was funny for me to see how the black man’s face changed. This is all the beauty of Asia...

See you again!

When I heard enthusiastic stories from friends about Chinese baths in Guangzhou and other southern cities, where you can live no worse than in a hotel, I was very intrigued. “Yes, we met one Kazakh there, he said that he had been living there for more than a week...” But during the entire first month of my trip to China, I learned all the delights of these establishments.

And for all the months we spent, we never got to the bathhouse, but it was worth remembering about them on the cold January evenings. When we arrived in Shenzhen and were walking around the city, our couchsurfer friend cinemas invited us to go to the bathhouse, but we were not ready yet and only on the way back, after a long day of flying from the Philippines, did we get ready to go to the bathhouse.

We can say that this is a great option when you arrive late at night in a Chinese city, be it Beijing or Shanghai, and do not know a single hotel. Oh, if only I remembered the baths when I was wandering around at night waiting for my morning bus. Then, for example, I, as a Laoi foreigner, was not allowed into the cheapest hostel, which a Chinese student helped me find. So, that hotel cost 60 yuan, and a day in a bathhouse usually costs not much more. But there are so many additional bonuses, besides a night of good sleep... More on that later.

Carnival Club

Sauna Carnival is located in the business center of Shenzhen, not far from. Nearest metro station: Bolshoi Theater.

From the outside, this place looks like a cool club, with a bright, neon sign and fancy cars in the parking lot. Everything inside is no less worthy, but in the lobby we are simply given a key on a bracelet.

These are the keys to the lockers where we need to put our things; instead of our clothes, we received a set of funny pajamas.

All things can be left in the locker room; every time you need to take something from the locker, the staff will guide you and help you open the lock with two keys. The men's and women's departments are naturally separated.

Saunas and swimming pools

From the locker room we find ourselves in the bath department, where you can take a shower, brush your teeth and shave (disposable razors in the men's section) or take care of your skin and hair (creams and balms in the women's section).

Well, in fact, there are also saunas themselves, for those who like more gentle things - a Turkish steam room, and a couple of saunas with higher temperatures. There are speakers inside the saunas and you can watch football, movies or whatever else is shown on the panels opposite. In the large hall there is water of different temperatures, so if you want to swim or splash under a “waterfall”, there will be no problems with that either.

We didn’t immediately linger in the steam rooms for long and after a shower we met on the second floor. On the way to the second floor you can even get a new haircut.

Restaurant and massage chairs in the lounge

Hungry and tired people come to the second floor, so you need to immediately grab a plate of fruit and juicy, sweet tomatoes and you can relax in a massage chair in front of the TV, although the channels are all in Chinese.

But it’s okay, we still don’t watch TV, let them show movies in the background, we just need to periodically run for ice cream.

If desired, you can order a hand, foot or head massage for an additional fee, and periodically we were offered tea and fruit from the restaurant.

In general, in the entire complex, we only came across a couple of managers who spoke English to us, but in this regard we did not expect much.

The restaurant is located on the same floor, the prices are average, and all orders are counted towards the bracelet, and you have to pay for your entire stay in the bathhouse at the exit. There are also tables where those who wish can have a tea ceremony.

Fun in the bathhouse

Before we really felt sleepy, we went to the third floor to play ping-pong.

It's free, as are the exercise machines in the next room.

There was supposed to be a work room there, but there was no connection to the Internet at all.

Billiards is also paid separately, but we were happy with table tennis.

On this floor there is access to the roof, where, according to our friend, it is very pleasant to watch the sunrise.

Another round of saunas, pools, showers, we didn’t go for brutal rubbing, but we thought that since we were having a blast, we’d go for a Chinese massage - a three-digit price tag was displayed in a separate brochure.

Full Chinese massage in the bathhouse

And so, happy and relaxed, we followed the manager to the massage cabin on the 6th floor. Interesting iron structures hung from the ceiling, we still didn’t understand what they were for. We lay down on the couch, our eyes were already closing, and strong Chinese masseuses came to our room. They didn’t speak English or Russian at all, and exchanging phrases in Cantonese among themselves, they began to press us into the couches. Sometimes it takes a little more effort to achieve the desired effect. Yulia said that she had been to someone all her life, but then we both groaned and made muffled moans, it seemed that they wanted to crush us right through. At some point, Yulia said: “Oh-oh! It looks like I know why there are iron structures under the ceiling...” After this phrase, the masseuses began to laugh, because she understood everything correctly, now they will walk all over us. The spine cracked so badly and they probably adjusted all the vertebrae that they could, but the whole Chinese massage resembled torture and beating. After stomping on their backs, they got off and massaged their legs and arms... Time slowed down. An hour and a half seemed like three hours and this was not the kind of massage where you could take a quiet nap, although you really wanted to sleep. After the procedure, they also bring a notebook with a tip number, but you don’t have to leave one, as all the signs next to the massage chairs say.

Long-awaited dream

And then came the most pleasant part: they tucked blankets in for us and we fell asleep right on the massage tables. I slept very well and no bruises were found the next morning. Maybe I don’t understand something about Chinese technology, but I won’t recommend a full massage in this bathhouse to anyone, based on our painful experience. On the other hand, before our eyes, people who were having a hand and foot massage on the second floor were snoring peacefully at this time. Also, I can say that a massage from Chinese doctors, with all the cupping, acupuncture and acupuncture, can be very useful. There are also special sleep compartments where you can rest and you will be woken up at the time you specify.

It's probably worth going to a separate cabin if you want to get a good night's sleep.

Conclusion

Ours departed from Luohu station only at 2 o'clock in the afternoon and after relaxing in the recreation area, with another portion of fruit and tea, we headed out.

All our gatherings, plus massage and food from the restaurant cost 180 yuan per person, which seemed to us not such a large amount for all the unforgettable experience, convenience, and atmosphere that we enjoyed in this bathhouse. If you don't want any massage therapists, visiting the bathhouse costs only 90 yuan per person for 24 hours + free snacks and a place to rest and sleep.

Most of the photos in this post were kindly provided by our friend kinos, who is currently on an extended voyage through Southeast Asia by bicycle.

Prices vary in different cities, in some places there is no free fruit, and in others the entrance prices are higher, but you can even eat seafood unlimitedly. Therefore, the Chinese bathhouse, like an elite club with small fees, is simply a must-see for all guests of China.

Water procedures in China are a whole tradition that was started in ancient times. The first Chinese baths appeared thousands of years ago. In such baths, the cleansing ritual is carried out not only for hygiene purposes: in the baths, the Chinese rest and relax.

What is a Chinese sauna?

A modern Chinese bath is a huge entertainment complex with several floors, which includes: pools with different water temperatures: from ice to hot, steam rooms of different types: dry, wet, with medicinal herbs; showers, massage rooms, in Chinese baths you can even stay all night, most of them have a room where you can sleep in a cozy chair. Often, the price also includes a buffet.

The Chinese sauna's architecture is more similar to a comfortable five-star hotel: some visitors spend the whole weekend here, because their stay in this place is limited not to a couple of hours, but to a whole day.
Visitors pay only for entertainment, massage and other services right at the exit from the sauna: for this purpose there is a special wrist strap with a chip, which you are given at the entrance, and during your entire stay, all expenses are recorded on it.

Also, at the entrance you will be given bath accessories, a key to a personal locker, slippers and special clothing, which consists of bath shorts and a shirt.

How are bath procedures carried out?

First you enter the bathroom, where there are spacious Jacuzzis and pools with water of different temperatures. You choose a comfortable option for yourself and immerse yourself in a relaxation procedure. Everyone has the opportunity to take a jacuzzi with scented oils and real rose petals. Cabins with steam generators are located close to the bathroom, and the steam in them is comfortable for the human body.

Massage treatments in Chinese baths

Do you think that after a bath you are completely clean? During the massage, you will see the opposite: specialists will rub you with brushes of varying hardness for at least half an hour, after which you will see many particles of dead cells that have been on your skin for a long time.

Massage movements are also performed with the hands; finally, the body is doused with milk at a cool temperature; if desired, you can ask to use oil to go back into the steam room and absorb the healing substances.

For an additional fee you can order any type of massage: Thai, Chinese, with essential oils, foot or whole body massage and other types of massage. In saunas there are usually dozens of types of massages, the cost of which reaches several thousand yuan, but we recommend limiting yourself to a foot or whole body massage.

About the service at the Chinese Baths

You don’t have to rush anywhere, because there is no hourly payment. After the massage, you can be covered with a cozy blanket so that you can fall asleep and have a good rest.

Each establishment has buffets where you can have a snack, and you can walk around the bathhouse in cozy robes and pajamas. Some establishments have chic restaurants with delicious dishes and drinks, and separate rooms are equipped as cinema halls.

Women's bathhouse in China

The women's bathhouse is not only steam rooms and swimming pools, but also various rejuvenating and cosmetic spa treatments, as well as professional massage with anti-cellulite effect. At the same time, a women's bathhouse does not exist as a separate phenomenon in China; there are only special areas for the fair sex.
If you come to the sauna with a group of men and women, after the bath procedures you can reunite again in the restaurant or other halls of the complex.

Thus, a bathhouse in China is not just a place where you can wash, but a place where you can comprehensively spend your leisure time. Recreation in saunas is quite varied, so people come here for various entertainment, massage, relaxing treatments; in the steam room you can chat with friends and discuss the latest news, play billiards or table tennis, or just sit with friends.

The main disadvantage of Chinese saunas is the lack of the usual bath brooms and dried fish for beer, and the not very high temperature in the steam room.

The best baths and saunas in Guangzhou with addresses

Osotto (Nanmei)

Name in Chinese:广州南美水疗会所
Address: Guangzhou Nanmei Osotto Recreation Hotel, 16 Haiming Street, Binjiang west Road
Address in Chinese: 海珠区滨江西路海鸣街16号南美大酒店内(近人民桥)
Working hours: 24 hours
Price: Entrance ticket from 238 yuan

Osotto Sauna is located inside the hotel of the same name and is the most popular sauna among foreigners in Guangzhou. Osotto is a large complex that includes: SPA, sauna, massage and buffet. The complex has both men's and women's sections, a Finnish sauna, a wet steam room, a Turkish bath, hot and cold baths and pools, and a jacuzzi. You can also order various types of massages and spa treatments.

Cheermore Recreational

Name in Chinese: Cheermore·休闲水疗大酒店
Address: No. 1162, Guangzhou Avenue South, Haizhu District
Address in Chinese:海珠区广州大道南1162号（区政府斜对面，靠近合生广场）
Price: Entrance ticket from 268 yuan, massage from 200 yuan

A completely new five-star bath complex opened in 2019, located in the Haizhu district, in close proximity to the city center. One of the best saunas in Guangzhou. The price includes a rich seafood buffet.

Mei Jia Hua sauna center

Name in Chinese: 美嘉华休闲会所
Aaddress: 18 Le tong street, baiyun distict, guangzhou

Address in Chinese: 广州市白云区乐同街18号

Cena: Entrance ticket from 118 yuan, massage from 200 yuan

The bath complex is located in the Sanyuanli area. On 8 floors of the sauna there are steam rooms, showers, swimming pools, a cinema and internet cafe, a restaurant, a massage parlor and other entertainment.

Tianshui international sauna

Name in Chinese:天水国际酒店
Address: 1, Zhentaigang road, Renhe, Huadu Distirct, Guangzhou
Address in Chinese: 广州市花都区人和镇太岗路1号（太成人和收费站出口旁边）
Price: entrance fee 198 yuan

The sauna is located near the Airport, in the Huadu area. An ideal place to spend time usefully and have a good rest for those who have a long layover in Guangzhou.

No.9 Spa Club

Name in Chinese: 九号行馆
Aaddress: 161, Linhe Xi Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou

Address in Chinese:林和西路161号中泰国际广场4-7楼（近广州东站）
Price: Entrance ticket from 258 yuan.

The multi-storey recreation complex is located near the center of Guangzhou, near the East Station.

IMPORTANT: when visiting saunas, you must have a passport with you; many baths in Guangzhou require an ID card at the entrance.

Chinese massage and bath are rightfully considered the most ancient forms of healing for the human body. These are unique rituals that have survived to this day and are very popular not only among the local population, but also many tourists.

Chinese baths.

For the Chinese, visiting a bathhouse has long been a spiritual tradition of cleansing the body with water. Today, in this country, taking a sauna has become a habit and is considered a mandatory ritual. In eastern China, baths have noticeably acquired parts of the culture of Japanese baths, and in the provinces of southern China they are similar to Arab hammams.

In China, having your own bathtub in the home is a rarity, and all because there is no great need for it. According to tradition, the whole family goes to the bathhouses, where they take treatments and socialize.
Often Chinese baths consist of several floors and are very spacious inside. They include a living room, lounges, gyms, locker rooms and, of course, the bath area itself. Some even have restaurants and hotels. A mandatory component of every Chinese bath is the presence of a local traditional medicine specialist who offers visitors various therapy methods.

At the entrance, the visitor will have to take off his shoes and change into the wooden sandals offered. Next is the locker room, in which all things are put into special lockers and after which you can go to the bath area. The changing rooms, like the bath areas, are divided into men's and women's, and they all meet together in the living room.
All procedures are performed in the main hall. This room includes showers, swimming pools, dry and wet steam rooms, and massage couches.
Initially, a shower is taken, and the visitor goes to the steam room, having thoroughly steamed the entire body, it is rubbed with special washcloths and towels, this gets rid of dead skin. This is followed by water treatments. The next stage is a dry sauna, but before visiting it, the whole body is rubbed with special essential oils. To finish everything off, you can swim in the pool or try other types of massage. All water procedures in a Chinese bath are not limited by time.

Having had enough of all the delights of this sauna, the visitor will be asked to change into silk pajamas and go to the living room. Here you can chat, drink tea, play chess, billiards or table tennis.

Chinese massage.

This massage is the most effective treatment method. It is based on the theory of the flow of Qi energy and brings the body’s functioning into balance and harmony.
Traditional Chinese massage appeared long before medicines. For a long time, Chinese doctors have cured a variety of diseases with massage.

Today, Chinese massage is a rather complex system and many years of training are required to master its technique. A huge number of styles and directions contribute to the correct selection of methods for treating various diseases of the body.
Chinese massage technique is very different from what we are used to. The ancient Chinese found out that vital points are located in certain places in our body; there are 7 thousand of them throughout the body. Chinese point pressure has been known for thousands of years; with its help, you can quickly restore strength, relieve stress, and restore wisdom.

Kneading, stroking and pressure act through points on the internal organs. By regularly attending sessions using this technique, you can lose weight, keep fit, tone muscles, normalize metabolism, improve blood circulation, relieve tension in the body and all internal organs.
Biologically active points and areas of the face are worked on. Thanks to this, the skin begins to regenerate on its own and becomes soft and elastic. Massage is also very effective in getting rid of wrinkles of varying degrees. When applied to the scalp, headaches and migraines go away.
With various point pressures, oxygen saturation occurs, metabolic products and toxins are removed from the body.
After such a massage, your mood improves and your ability to work increases.

For tourists, visiting baths and massages mainly takes place at the hotel. After all, every decent hotel in China has several floors to immerse the visitor in a world of relaxation and tranquility.

But if you want to feel all the flavor, then go to the most famous sauna in the city of Zhenzhen, “Carnival”. The nearest metro station is the Bolshoi Theater, and the sauna itself is located near the KK100 tower. Externally, the sauna looks very expensive, like a fashionable club, with expensive cars parked at the entrance. It is also impressive in size, because it has everything, and even a place to sleep and relax. Payment is daily, a visit to the bathhouse for one person will cost 90 yuan. This price also includes free snacks and a place to sleep.

Today we will visit the Central Khludovsky (after the last name of the owners) or Chinese (after the name of Kitaisky Proezd in Moscow, where they were located) baths with luxurious interiors, they are located at the address: Teatralny Prospekt, building 3, building 3. Now this building houses a restaurant "Silver Age".

We enter the building and find ourselves in the hall, where there is a luxurious staircase

Along the edges of the stairs are guarded by fairy tale dragons

Stair railing

When the architect asked the client how he saw the future baths, he answered without hesitation that they would be fabulous and lush

The baths were a success! They had everything: frescoes, stained glass, gilding, mahogany. And water was pumped from the Moscow River through a special water pipeline

Already upon entering, all visitors are breathtaking from the incredible beauty of the interior.

The richest stucco decorates the ceiling

Decorating walls with beautiful patterns

On the stairs there are floor lamps with figures of small children trying to climb up

Rising up we see a minibar

Opposite the bar there is a white grand piano and in the evenings guests of the restaurant are greeted with musical accompaniment

The interior of the hall is also fabulous and lush

Fireplace

Anyone can come to the restaurant and try, for example, a salad with jamon and vegetables for 590 rubles or dumplings for 370 rubles

Opening Hours:
Mon - Fri from 12:00 to 06:00
Sat - Sun from 15:00 to 06:00

We move on to the Moorish smoking room

Let's look up and here we will see a simply magnificently decorated ceiling

Anyone can also spend an evening in this room

There are eight figures of boys peeing around the pool.

The pool was an original engineering solution: it was not dug into the ground, but rested on the top of the vaulted room below it.

The Khludov baths were intended for people of varying incomes who valued comfort. Prices started from 5 kopecks in “common baths” and reached 10 rubles in a “suite” of three rooms. In the “expensive” women’s department, for 30 kopecks, the rest rooms were divided by high carved sofa backs into cozy compartments with dressing tables and mirrors. These sofas survived until the closure of the baths in the early 1990s. But the “noble” drapery curtains remained only in historical photographs. In the men's department, for 50 kopecks, there was a lounge in the Moorish style - sofas with velvet pillows, openwork copper lamps, oriental inlaid carved tables on eight legs. With a developed imagination, any client could imagine himself as a sultan or at least his associate vizier. The Khludov baths brought a lot of income, 41 thousand rubles a year.

This room, like the previous ones, amazes with its beauty and wealth

Ceiling with chandelier

Marine theme on the ceiling and walls

Just like in Sanduny, many famous people visited the Khludov baths. One of the regular visitors was Leo Tolstoy. Anton Chekhov, who also had great respect for “Sanduny,” often came by.