For different cultures around the world, bathing is a way of life. It is done for hygiene, recreation, religious and therapeutic purposes. It was the Romans who were credited in turning bathing as an art form. In fact, the word “bath” is named after the town of Bath, one of the resort-towns ancient Romans established in their colonies to take advantage of Europe’s natural hot springs.

Today, bathing is an intrinsic part of daily life. Bathroom equipment is a $620M industry a year in the United Kingdom alone. Bathhouses, resort-spas, destination spas and cruise ship spas comprise a large chunk of the leisure market. Visits to spas and steam baths in Indonesia skyrocketed to 130 percent, while in China, a spa boom is expected to pump an annual revenue of 48 million US dollars. Tourism experts believe that these figures will still skyrocket in 2010 as at least 140 million people from all over the planet are expected to travel in search of a good bath.

Dr. Bath

Even before the time of the Egyptian queen Cleopatra, who used to bathe in milk and honey every day to maintain her soft and glowing skin, the practice of traveling to cold or hot springs in the hopes of maintaining good health or curing an ailment traces back to the olden times. Romans, during the height of their empire, used thermal waters to relieve them from arthritis, rheumatism, and overindulgence in food and drink. These ideas of medicinal bathing saw a revival in 16th century Bath, England as William Slingsby invented the world’s first spa, after the Spa town in Belgium.

Traditional equipment for Russian bath from wood

Hot water therapy had its peak during the 19th century Victorian era, a time when the construction of water and bathing facilities was in boom. This period also marked a “Sanitation Renaissance” in Liverpool, England, where bathing was used to fight cholera.

“Banya” (bath) was an integral part in the lives of Russians that tsars and peasants alike proceeded to a bath house to wash, conduct religious rituals, heal bodily ailments, and ease the pain of child birth. A Russian bathhouse is invariably hot as piles of stones are heated. To increase the humidity of the room, water is thrown on the smoldering stones. Banya will not be complete without slapping birch or oak twigs called “vanik” on the body for a different kind of massage (“platza”).

In Hungary, springs of medicinal waters are veritable destinations: about 123 thermal and 400 mineral springs are fed by 14 sources. Celts and the Romans already frolicked on the hot springs in Buda. In Margaret Island, sulfurous water comes flowing from a well while spring water in Pesterzsébeti Bath is salty. Because most of the swimming pools in Budapest are fed by spring waters, they are considered medicinal and could alleviate joint points, relax frayed muscles and unlock bodily tension.

Szecheny thermal bath in Budapest, Hungary

How the East does it

The East too has its own bathing rituals, and created special places to conduct them. In Japan people go to sento, a communal bath house that requires an entrance fee. Reflecting the minimalism of the Japanese culture, a sento is one large room sliced into two to separate the men from the women. One is given a small towel with which to rub the skin and wash under a faucet. Those who are already washed can soak on a communal bath. A natural alternative to a sento is the onsen, whose warm waters are fed by a natural hot spring.

A wooden bucket by an outdoor Japanese hot spring bath in Hakone, Japan

In Korea, people usually sweat it out in a kiln sauna, called han jeung mak, before taking a bath. The sauna is heated up by chopped wood of a pine tree. A patron usually covers himself with a jute blanket to protect himself from the intensity of the heat. In no time will he break into sweat and shed the toxins inside his body.

Before going to baths, it is expected that a patron showers first and rinses his body completely of soap. Some of the baths are hot while the others waft with the aroma of ginseng and green tea. Each bath gives different kinds of health benefits such as improving blood circulation, alleviating neuralgia and rheumatism, and even correcting neurological disorders.

The bathing religion

More than just for physical cleansing, bathing in a particular well, spring, or river is believed to be essential in spiritual purification. Even today, people still attribute certain cold or hot springs as holy or blessed by God or the saints. The Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists believe in the water’s purifying properties, and thus use it in many of their religious ceremonies such as baptism and Mikvah (ritual bath).

Today, Turkish baths or hamams are frequently visited in Europe for therapeutic or relaxation purposes, during the 19th century, the Turks originally established the hamam to promote the Central Asian custom of steam bathing or respecting water through ritual cleansing. The hamams were also originally intended to showcase opulent gardens and elaborate Neoclassical and Byzantine architectural elements.

In Hinduism, bathing in the river Ganges is a fulfillment of one’s faith. Its flowing water is believed to carry the blessings of the holy feet of the Lord Vishnu and can cleanse sins committed even in the past life and cure ailments. A Hindu household that keeps a vial of water from Ganges is deemed special.

Although the Roman Catholic religion of the medieval ages condemn Roman and Turkish baths as dens of immorality and prostitution, the Catholic Church recognizes that bathing or “cleanliness” is next to “godliness.” In fact, during the 19th to 20th centuries, Christians observe a Saturday night bath to don a clean body before wearing their best clothes and worshipping God on a Sunday.

“Naked communion”

Bathing in most countries is a private endeavor, but in Japan and in Europe, bathing is also for celebration and socialization. “Hadaka no tsukiai” or “naked communion” is a Japanese virtue of breaking barriers by getting to know strangers in a homey, relaxed atmosphere of an onsen (hot spring).

In England, Bath is famous for its resort town with thermal springs. The rich and royal of the Elizabethan and Georgian eras, like the British Queen Anne, used to flock here to participate in social activities such as concerts, dances, and playing cards.

Pool at the ruins of the Roman baths. Unesco World Heritage Site. Bath, Somerset. England, United Kingdom.

Today, in the United States and in Canada, those who win the Baseball World Series collectively bathe in fountains as a tradition. In Chicago, rival gang leaders try to settle their disputes in Russian bathhouses, where they can be assured to carry no weapons, only themselves in their full naked glory.

As these examples show, the history of bathing transcends cultural, religious and linguistic barriers. It won’t be a surprise if people will continue to find ways to maximize its potential and increase their enjoyment with the simple act of dipping into, washing and luxuriating with water.