Bathing: A Public Affair

An artist's rendition of inside the typical Roman bathhouse. There were different water temperatures controlled for different stages of the bath. The bathhouse was also a social place where rumors and gossip was trading while washing the dirt off from the day's work. Without soap, most Romans would use perfumed oil that would be scraped off the skin with a small knife.

A photo of the Roman Baths in Beirut Lebanon. This photo shows clearly the hypocaust blocks. These blocks were used for warming waters as pipes connected hot air to raise in the hypocaust keeping the baths warm for patrons.

The ancient Roman bathhouse in modern Bath, UK. This bath has been meticiously maintained throughout the years. Built in 60-70 AD after early Roman conquests in England, the baths are some of the best preserved ruins. The baths were in use until the 1970s when the waters were found to contain amoebas responsible for meningitis.