The Romans continued the tradition of public bathing with Thermae (from Greek Thermos meaning ‘hot’) and balnea facilities. Thermae were larger imperial bath complexes, whereas balnea were smaller facilities, both private and public, that were numerous throughout Rome. In fact, most Roman cities had at least one of these buildings and, like the Greeks; they were used not just for bathing but also for socialising (containing libraries, theatres, sports halls, restaurants and even places for ‘special time’ with another). Those with a bit more wealth may have had their own private bathhouse too. Water for these bath houses was supplied using nearby rivers or streams, or by the impressive aqueducts that brought water into Roman settlements. The water was then heated by a log fire, before being channelled into hot bathing rooms through a Hypocaust system. In this system, the floor was raised above the ground by pillars, with a layer of concrete and another of tiles on top. This would leave a space between the pillars, which would allow hot air and smoke from furnaces to channel through the entirety of the room through the use of flues in the roof. However, due to the need to constantly attend to furnace fires this was largely only a feature in private villas and public baths. It apparently made the floor so hot that bathers had to wear special shoes that would protect their feet from being burnt!
It’s obvious that Roman baths were popular, as they have been discovered across the entirety of the Roman Empire – even as far as England. Some of these places have been beautifully preserved, such as the Roman baths in Bath, England and the baths in the ruins of Pompeii. To get the full picture of just how the Romans kept clean and enjoyed themselves you should really visit one of these places. But with the collapse of the Roman Empire, what would happen to their famous bath houses and how would people bathe throughout the next few hundred years?