The most famous bather of all time is probably Cleopatra
who preferred to bathe in milk to ensure a silky soft skin.
Doing that today seems rather disgusting, not to mention
the cost of finding enough milk to fill a bath tub. Baths have
come a long way since its modest beginnings a few thousand
years ago.
Here are some interesting facts about the history of baths around
the world.
First of all, in the beginning, public baths were
only open for certain groups, for example the elite, religious groups
or genders (mostly men). However, as the need for hygiene increased
the working of public baths also changed.
England had ritual and elite bathing facilities available in the
late 1790s, but the first public bath house was only opened in the
mid 1800s in Liverpool. Men were allowed to wash and swim while women
and children could wash only. Family bathing was only allowed in 1914,
and by 1915 most English towns had at least one bath house.
As far as history goes it seems that the Ancient Greeks were the
forerunners in bathing – men and women had wash basins available
as early as sixth century BC. These wash facilities were placed near
places where physical and intellectual activities took place. Greeks
also had a great bathing ritual, one that many of us aspire to. Bathing
was started with cleansing sands then went on to hot water, hot air
in vapour baths followed by a cooling plunge and
then finally a rub down with aromatic oils.
Have an experience like this in your own Summer Place bathroom
What the Greeks did on a regular occasion sounds like what many
of us save for to go to a spa. But it could be something you could
have in your own bathroom with the exceptional range of baths and
showers from Summer Place Spas & Baths.
With baths to suit your individual taste and budget head out to
one of the Summer Place showrooms in Durban, Johannesburg or the Garden
Route and have a regular spa session in your own home. |
