После парилки они выбрали контрастный душ.

Because после requires the genitive case.

• парилка is the dictionary form, nominative singular.
• The genitive singular is парилки.

So:

• после парилки = after the steam room / after the sauna session

This is a very common pattern:

• после работы = after work
• после урока = after the lesson
• после дождя = after the rain

So the learner should remember: после + genitive.

Парилка refers to a steam room or the hot steam area in a bathhouse/sauna setting.

It comes from пар meaning steam. In everyday Russian, парилка often suggests a place where people go to get very hot and sweaty, especially in a баня context.

Depending on context, it could be translated as:

• steam room
• sauna room
• sometimes just sauna, if the exact distinction is not important

But literally, it is something like the steam room.

Контрастный душ is a contrast shower: a shower where the water temperature is alternated, usually between hot and cold.

It is a fixed expression in Russian. It is commonly associated with:

• recovery
• health routines
• sports
• sauna/bathhouse culture

So in this sentence, they went for a shower with changing temperatures after the steam room.

Because выбрали is the past tense plural of the perfective verb выбрать, which means to choose / to opt for as a completed action.

• выбрали = they chose / they opted for
• выбирали = they were choosing / they used to choose / they chose repeatedly or with focus on the process

Here the sentence presents the choice as a single completed event:

• First they were in the steam room.
• Then they chose/opted for a contrast shower.

So выбрали fits naturally.

It actually is in the accusative case here, but for this noun the accusative looks the same as the nominative.

The verb выбрать takes a direct object, so контрастный душ is in the accusative.

For masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative singular is usually the same as the nominative:

• nominative: душ
• accusative: душ

And the adjective also matches:

• nominative: контрастный душ
• accusative: контрастный душ

So the case is correct; it just happens not to look different.

Russian often omits subject pronouns when the verb form already makes the subject clear. So this sentence could also be:

• После парилки выбрали контрастный душ.

However, они may be included for emphasis, clarity, or style.

Adding они can help if:

• the sentence starts a new idea
• you want to contrast them with someone else
• you simply want the subject to be explicit

So они is not strictly necessary, but it is perfectly natural.

Yes, Russian word order is flexible. This version is natural because it starts with the time/context:

• После парилки = after the steam room

Then it gives the subject and action:

• они выбрали = they chose
• контрастный душ = a contrast shower

Other possible orders include:

• Они выбрали контрастный душ после парилки.
• Контрастный душ они выбрали после парилки.

These are all grammatical, but they may sound slightly different in emphasis.

The given version is a very normal neutral way to say:

• After the steam room, they opted for a contrast shower.

It can suggest either one depending on context, but most naturally it means after being in the steam room / after the steam-room part of the routine.

Russian often uses a short phrase like this without spelling out every detail. So после парилки can mean:

• after the steam room
• after the sauna
• after spending time in the steam room

In context, people usually understand it as after that stage of the bathhouse/sauna experience.

Grammatically, yes, выбрали means chose. But in English, the most natural translation may sometimes be:

• opted for
• went for
• decided on

That is because English chose can sound a little formal or literal in this situation.

So depending on style:

• They chose a contrast shower = correct
• They opted for a contrast shower = often more natural
• They went for a contrast shower = very natural in conversation

Russian has no articles like a or the.

So контрастный душ can mean:

• a contrast shower
• the contrast shower

The exact meaning depends on context.

In this sentence, English will usually use a:

• After the steam room, they chose a contrast shower.

That is not because Russian has a hidden word for a, but because English requires an article and Russian does not.

These words overlap, but they are not identical.

• парилка = the steam room itself, the hot steaming room
• сауна = sauna, often understood as the Finnish-style sauna or just a sauna generally
• баня = bathhouse, especially the traditional Russian bathhouse; it can refer to the whole place or the cultural practice

So:

• парилка is often the room/space
• баня can be the whole bathhouse experience
• сауна is a related but slightly different term

In many contexts, translations may blur these distinctions, but in Russian they can matter.

No. Контрастный means contrasting or contrast-based, and it can be used with other nouns too. But контрастный душ is a very common fixed phrase.

Examples:

• контрастные цвета = contrasting colors
• контрастное освещение = contrasting lighting
• контрастный душ = contrast shower

In this sentence, it describes the type of shower.

Yes, very strongly.

For many Russian speakers, парилка plus контрастный душ sounds like part of a familiar sauna/bathhouse routine:

1. spend time in the steam room
2. cool down afterward
3. use cold water or alternating temperatures

So the sentence does not just describe random actions; it can evoke a recognizable cultural and wellness context.