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The bath: a part of history
The history of bathing stretches back thousands of years. It is mentioned in the
Bible almost 4000 years ago and even before Biblical times most countries had
their own rituals and practices to use in bathing.
One of the most famous public baths were those of ancient Rome. Those who were
rich enough had their own private bathhouses, but most people no matter the
social standing had bathing as a major part of their life. In ancient Rome
bathing was seen as a great event, and as people bathed they talked and
discussed the events of the day. In some places, and especially in some
countries of the Far East, public bathing is still popular, but not as popular
as it was in years gone by.
When Europeans came to live in America, many of them began to use the same
bathing practices as the natives. In America some of the Native Americans used a
technique for bathing which made the bathing practices similar to that of a
sauna. The Native Americans also bathed in the natural habitat, in things such
as lakes and streams, and no doubt the settlers began to copy these bathing
practices.
As European culture become to take a bigger foothold in America, Europeans would
use a stove to heat water for bathing. In those days the bath was usually a
portable bathtub which would be put near to the stove in the kitchen. In those
times the public baths were also still popular, and people who lived in the
country areas would sometimes come to town and use a bath houses as a way of
keeping clean - a difficult thing in places where there was no fixed plumbing
and no running water!
All this shows the long history of bathing. However it wasn't until houses began
to have true indoor plumbing that bathing, and the bathroom, came into its own.
Once a person could get hot running water straightaway, the bathroom, and a bath
time that accompanied it, became an essential part of modern life. Turn on the
tap, set the temperature, and slip into a nicely warming large volume of water…
After a hard day at work - especially a hard day in the office - there's nothing
better than soaking in hot water to relax the muscles and get yourself ready for
a relaxing evening at home.
Of course, the development of hot water systems did not signal the end of the
development of bathing technology. It wasn't long before all sorts of
developments were taking place in the bathroom - and that included the invention
of such things as whirlpool tubs which massage the body with a movement of
water. Bathing has come a long way since those ancient baths in ancient Rome,
but despite the development of the technology, it is still the simple act of
immersing yourself in hot water that makes bath time the pleasure it is.
clawfoot bathtub
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