Public Bathhouse

Only the very wealthy Romans had indoor plumbing; they believed cleanliness was linked to good health and bathed regularly. Not only was it seen as a necessity to bathe, it was also a time of gathering and a social event. The ancient Romans used their advanced understanding of technology and science to construct efficient bathhouses. Water was brought into the building using their system of aqueducts. The building is mostly concrete; concrete was mixed with another substance(volcanic ash) in order to make it more waterproof. Clay tiles were placed under the concrete floors of the heated rooms. The wood furnace, or hypocaust, kept up by slaves, heated the rooms. The floor was elevated in order for the gases to circulate; also, gases traveled through the walls to heat them and was piped out of the building to prevent overheating.

This bathhouse is public while some Roman bathhouses might have had a small fee in order to keep out slaves and the poor. Instead of having separate facilities, there would be different bathing hours for men and women. People first enter the palestra, a courtyard where they may choose to exercise and sweat, making their bath more enjoyable. This courtyard is outside but is enclosed by ancient roman style arches. They would enter the building and undress in the apodyterium, or the changing room. The first room with water is the tepidarium, or the warm room. It will open the person’s pores and get them adjusted to a warmer temperature. It is much like a sweating room. In this room the floor and two walls are being heated. It is a distance away from the hypocaust. The second water room is the caldarium and is the hottest room. Three of the walls and the floor is heated and the water supplies is being heated directly by the hypocaust. The last water room is the frigidarium and the water is cold. The refreshing dip is meant to close the person’s pores. The bather would then return to the changing room and their bath is complete. Some bathhouses include gardens and shops, however this one does not have those amenities. It is to be noted that the roof of the building is domed/vaulted. The keystone distributes an even amount of weight to both sides of the building. Even though the concrete material is heavy, the building is still stable without a bunch of columns to support the roof. 

Writen by: Madison Hefner

Sources: Rowe, Aaron. "Taking a Bath with the Ancient Romans." Connect Magazine, vol. 18, no. 2, Nov/Dec2004, pp. 8-10. EBSCOhost, cc.opal-libraries.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=14978188&site=eds-live.