Nothing feels more relaxing after a day in the warm sunshine than a cool bath. Can’t you just feel the refreshing coolness brush over your skin? The fragrant lotions, body oils, and sweet soaps work their magic until the tension and busyness of the day slips away into the water.

Bathing has been both a ritual and a pleasurable task done since before the age of the Greeks.

The Egyptians

Evidence of bathing, both for ritual purposes and personal cleanliness, is seen in the ancient paintings and hieroglyphs of Egypt. The priest took bathing to the extreme. Required to bath four times a day and anoint himself with oil, only then was he prepared to perform religious rituals.

High born Egyptians took great care in bathing, scenting their water with fragrant oils. Egyptians believed that a bath was to be a sensuous experience and calming to the mind and soul.

The Greeks

Bathing emerged to become more an event for pleasure than ritual. In fact, bathing became an important part of life for Greeks. It was common for a Greek to even take a cold shower before going to dinner.

It was Pisistratus who installed many public bathing facilities in the grand buildings of Athens. Men and women bathed nude in these public baths and indulged in showers from fountains of cold water spouting from stone figures.

The Romans

The pleasure of bathing enjoyed by the Greeks did not pass down to the Romans in the early period of the Empire. In fact, bathing was viewed as a necessity, not a desirable task. It was not until the introduction of the hypocaust, a system of underfloor heating of water and air, that the Romans had a change of heart regarding bathing.

The process of bathing became the center of Rome’s social life. In the Caracalla Baths in Rome, nearly 2,000 bathers could enter the facility. The experience was enhanced by selections of activity including receiving a message, swimming in the pool, participating at the gymnasium or indulging a warm-water bath.

Believe it or not, there was a time in Europe that people believed bathing could be fatal to one’s health. In France, the nobility never used water to cleanse the body. Instead of water, people applied powders and liberal quantities of perfume to their clothes and bodies.

Louis XIV was frequently referred to as the "Perfumed King" because of his use of perfume. The historical records indicate that Louis XIV bathed only two times throughout his life.

Britain followed their French neighbors and did not bathe. Historical records stated that "Henry IV of England stank like carrion." Is it any wonder?

The French Revolution Brings Back Bathing

Between the meticulously clean Napoleon and the acceptance of the medical establishment, bathing came back into fashion. Public bathing areas were constructed and the wealthy designed and built bathrooms in their homes. Soap was more widely used, which stimulated the soap making industry.

Physicians began to prescribe bathing treatments as the way to better health. From the middle of the 19^th century, "taking the waters" was viewed as essential to good health. In addition, water mains began to be installed in the large cities of Europe and America in the first part of the 19^th century. Because running water became available to nearly every home, bathroom fittings became more readily available.

Bathing in the 21^st Century

The convenience of bathing today is a marvel. Cold, hot, and tepid water can be emptied into a tub, whirlpool tub, hot tub, whatever tub you prefer. The bath oils, delicious bubble bath selections, and candles are all available to create your own rituals of bathing.

Certainly bathing is purposeful - maintaining a clean body. Yet, bathing can also be a relaxing and soul quenching experience that we can indulge in during the warm days of summer.

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