To the Bathtub!

Where do you go to clean your body when your place has neither a shower nor a bathtub? A bathhouse, of course. At least that’s what people did for many centuries. Let us take you on a journey through the history of public baths.

Illustrations: Beth Walrond | Text: Alexander Kords

If you have ever been to Rome or any other major city of what used to be the Roman Empire you will have noticed that thermal baths are giving ancient temples and amphitheatres a run for their money when it comes to popularity with tourists. They also suggest that the Romans were big fans of public baths. And indeed:

Sophisticated bath houses were established as early as the fourth century BC in Capua, then the second biggest city of the Empire. But even back then that didn’t exactly make the Romans pioneers – the idea of public baths as a place in which to exercise your personal hygiene are almost as old as humankind itself.

Ancient Baths

Even the earliest Indus valley civilizations, in today‘s India and Afghanistan, knew buildings in which washing basins could be found. Excavations at the archaeological site of Mohenjo-Daro, a city founded around 2600 BC, revealed a seven-by-twelve meter basin which would have been two meters deep. Given its size it was most likely not only used for washing but also for the occasional splash around.

Next Level

But we still owe a big debt to both the Romans and the Greeks for advancing the history of baths. They created purpose built structures with dozens of rooms in which the act of cleaning could be combined with other pleasurable experiences. Early versions of our modern sauna were available as well as massage and changing rooms. All this made spending time at the public bath such an integral part of everyday life that it is also regularly referenced in literature: In his »Odyssey«, the account of the adventures of king Odysseus after the Trojan War, the ancient poet Homer dedicates many lengthy paragraphs to the drawing of baths.

Bathing Schedule

It has been suggested that the basins were also used for religious baths. Many other ancient civilizations, like for example the Egyptians, created similar bathhouses in their towns and cities.The Roman bath followed a strict procedure of several steps. A workout, designed to stimulate circulation, was followed by a cold bath which in turn was followed by a warm one. Next came a stint in a room heated to 50 degrees Celsius and with a humidity level of 100 percent. The procedure was completed by another dip in a cold water basin. Just a few centuries into the Common Era building a new bathhouse to shadow that of his predecessors had become a favourite past time of Roman Emperors; and we have Caracalla, Diocletian and Trajan to thank for some of the more spectacular ones. Bathhouses could sport their own parks, pubs and even shops. Traces of their former glory can be found all over what used to be the Roman Empire from Bath in Great Britain to the thermal baths of Trier in Germany and Split in Croatia.

The Dirty Middle Ages

The Middle Ages in Europe aren’t usually associated with thoughts of excessive personal hygiene. And indeed it wasn’t big among the common people. Christians were taught to think of bathing as an indulgence and a once-a-month-will-do rule of thumb soon took hold. It wasn’t until the eleventh century, when the crusaders returned from the Arabic world with their reports on Eastern culture, that baths slowly started regaining their popularity in our parts of the world. Many people, however, were only able to afford steam baths which tended to be cheaper than water baths. But if you could afford it at all, adding extras like a massage or bloodletting was the way to go.

The End of Hygiene

The 12th and 13th century saw a bath boom and a trip to a bathhouse (under strict gender-segregation) was a popular activity for wedding parties. But when Christopher Columbus and his crew brought syphilis back from the newly discovered continent the boom ended suddenly and public baths afraid to be responsible for the spreading of diseases closed down in droves.

Many physicians also thought that water entering the body through skin pores would could cause illnesses. Hence powders and perfumes became popular among 18th century nobility as a substitute for bathtubs. The sole purpose of many opulent bathrooms built into castles erected at the time was to impress their visitors.

Spas and Public Pools

The emergence of health spas finally reignited the people’s interest and from the 16th century droves of sickly people made their way to healing springs many of which soon established thermal baths. Nearby towns also profited from those spas and prospered accordingly. Bathhouses didn’t come back into fashion until the 19th century. It’s important to remember that most flats did not have bathrooms at the time which was a particularly challenging change for the many families moving into the cities in search of better jobs and prospects in the wake of the industrialisation. Public bathhouses were imperative to personal hygiene. In 1874, Berlin-based dermatologist Oskar Lassar founded the Public Swimming Pools Society of Berlin. In preparation for the 1883 International Hygiene Exhibition he had a cabin built that housed ten shower stalls, which visitors could use for a fee.

This temporary installation proved so popular that more and more pools around the city were built to offer separate sections for showering and bathing respectively. Their popularity remained high well into the 20th century when bathtubs became basic apartment facilities. Many former bathhouses were turned into flats, youth clubs or public bathrooms. Today, leisure and swimming pools are all that remains of the heyday of the bathhouse.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR | Alexander Kords lives close to Baden, one of the foremost spa towns in Austria.