Other ways to increase our core temperature are saunas, hot baths and steam rooms. Many cultures around the world believe in the healing effects of varying degrees of hot and cold therapy. In South Korea (and Korean immigrant communities throughout the Western world), visiting a jjimjilbang is a common wellness practice. Many saunas also contain different minerals, such as gold, amethyst or charcoal. Korean spa enthusiasts view these spas as a place to relax and socialize while looking after their health and beauty. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Most Korean public baths also offer massages, skin exfoliations, and specialized skin treatments. More elaborate Korean spa resorts include on-site restaurants, movie theaters, hair and nail salons, or even karaoke. Popular in Russian culture, especially in Arctic villages, is a hot and cold sauna experience called banya. Traditionally, sauna enthusiasts spend time in a very hot cabin with temperatures for the bravest participants reaching 100 degrees Celsius (212 Fahrenheit). The villagers sitting in the sauna then rush to take a cold dip in the nearby outdoor water (lake, pond or sea). Indigenous peoples across America – from the far south of the Andes, such as the Incas (Chulla Chaka), to the Mayans of southern Mexico and Guatemala (Temazcal), to the Plains Indians of Canada and the north of the United States (Inipi-Lakota). peoples) – have long used sweat lodges as a spiritual space of purification. Depending on the tribe and cultural understanding of sweat lodges, many believe that the extreme heat stimulates blood circulation and helps the body flush out impurities and toxins. Sometimes medicinal herbs or plants, such as sage or eucalyptus, are incorporated for aromatherapeutic healing purposes. Turkish hammams are very famous. These are often immaculate public baths located in spacious buildings, usually made of marble. Standard Turkish baths take participants through a corridor of increasing thermal intensity. This hallway usually leads to a room with separate slabs or booths for the soap and massage experience of a professional masseur. Here you will be soaped and scrubbed before being given a cold water rinse. After the professional bath, there is often a steam room at a more comfortable temperature (but still warm enough) to relax in before leaving. For everyone from sultans to peasants, hammams are the epitome of Turkish culture, and a visit to Türkiye is not complete without this spa experience. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized paper now from our expert writers. Get a Personalized Essay How do you know when enough is enough? The absolute importance of listening to your body is essential when experiencing exposure to heat and cold. It's not a challenge to see how much you can endure or how unhappy you can be for a given period of time. Too extreme a temperature can be dangerous, even fatal. It is therefore imperative to start slowly and increase quickly. If you're feeling uncomfortable (besides feeling like, "Wow, that cold shower would definitely be nicer if it was a hot bubble bath"), then pay attention to that and adjust accordingly.