Bathing Rituals from Past to Present

Since ancient times, bathing rituals have been practiced in various parts of the world and are handled with different cultural approaches.

The connection between these rituals and the spa culture is quite deep. Let’s take a look at the stories full of mysteries about these bathing rituals. 

About Bathing Culture: 

Even though the idea of cleanliness, purification, and bath culture has changed over time, the perception and purpose it evokes is universal. Bathing areas have been places where people could relax and engage in social activities to have fun. In the Western languages, “bain”, “bagno” and “bath” words etymologically explain ongoing activities and spaces in dripless, still water. In Turkish, the word “hammam” could be seen as an equivalent to “bath”, meaning the bathing place. 

A Brief History of Bath from the Beginning to the Present:

Bathing culture has varied between civilizations since ancient times. Different habits of the Eastern and Western cultures add richness to today’s bath pleasure. One of the Anatolian civilizations, the Hittite Civilization, helped material culture stand out in the Bronze Age. The ceramic forms of the era, such as big biggins, cantharus, and bowls were used in bathing and were ornamented with goddess figures. In Ancient Egypt, since cleaning the body with water was pretty important, it was considered sacred to bathe yourself in the Nile River. In Chinese and Indian civilizations special temple-like special rooms were built for baths, and palaces in Europe had rather magnificent, public baths. The Japanese, on the other hand, made use of baths to cure post-war wounds and reduce fatigue. 

Baths in Antique Age: Greek and Roman Civilization: 

In Greek and Roman civilizations, baths were first designed as centers where communities would meet their needs for relaxation and have fun. Drawing inspiration from the Greek bathing culture, the Romans did not only perfect the already existing baths but also added value to these luxurious hammams. In hammams, prepared using the best materials of the era, faucets were made of gold and silver, and walls were made of precious marble.

The Romans gave great importance to vanity and magnificence and decorated the entry areas with statues. Even though there were class differences, emperors preferred to be with the public because in Roman times baths made everyone equal. Since concepts such as purification, cleanliness, and revitalization of the spirit and body exist in almost every belief system, their different versions appear in religious and spiritual ceremonies. 

Bath Rituals in the Medieval Age 

In Medieval Age Europe, a new bath culture emerged, built upon the experiences of the Crusades. In Egyptian, Greek, and Roman cultures, there used to be bath rooms with giant bathtubs without any separation for men and women. The Romans called these baths the “lavatrina”. There was a basic courtesy rule whereby nobles would offer a hot bath to their guests. The Turks took over the luxurious Eastern Rome baths and laid the foundations of hammam rituals. In the Medieval Age, the habit of bathing at home decreased compared to the past, and in some countries, different materials were preferred instead of water. While bathing oneself in the skirts of lakes, streams, and rivers was re-normalizing, hot pools and baths made out of individual cabins began to emerge. 

The Spa-Baths Relationship: Soul and Body Cleansing Activities 

The starting point of spa is thought to have come from the Romans, who started the first practice of spa as a bathing experience. In time, these experiences started to be enriched by some therapy philosophies. Pastor Sebastian Kneipp is considered to be one of the first people who contributed to the spa therapy philosophies of today. Hydrotherapy and care routines including 5 elements (water, movement, healthy nutrition, healthy herbs, and life order) improved by Kneipp have a lot of similar points to today’s spa and wellness care. Applications of hot-cold water enhance metabolism with the help of herbs, create a relaxing effect on muscles after an activity high in adrenaline, especially like sports, and offer healing effects for rheumatism pain. Thanks to their stress-relieving and relaxing features Hydrotherapy and Thalassotherapy became an important part of today’s spa plans.

In addition to Kneipp’s practices, he talks about the effects of curing baths applied with hot water in a resting spot in Lüttich, Belgium. Afterwards, in the 18th and 19th centuries, Lüttich became Europe’s most prominent bath city, and a center where its visitors' health problems were treated. 

This area was mostly preferred by patients suffering from circulation problems, rheumatism and anemia. And today hydrotherapy is being used much more effectively for pain care, functional treatments of joints and muscles and the prevention and treatment of diseases such as arthritis. 

While we enjoy the relaxing benefits of the spa therapies, their effect on health and medical treatments have been known since ancient times. In this article we looked back on some of the bath rituals that date from ancient times to the present day. For more content keep following Spatopia!