Ancient History, Modern Ritual

A Brief Look Behind The Curtains of History…

     For many of us, bathing is a private affair. We lather ourselves up, rinse and repeat in solitude, and for the most part, it’s just another entry on the checklist of tasks for the day. From ancient times all the way until the modern day, public baths/spas served as not only a place for maintaining personal hygiene, but also as a social hub within communities. These baths can be found in various cultures and various time periods stretching all the way from southeast Asia to England, northern Africa in Morocco, to Scandinavia and Russia; even North America has had its versions of public baths too! The specifics of each variety of bath depends on the culture in question, but the general practice is somewhat of a universal human experience. 

     Let’s start with one of the most obvious instances of public baths that come to mind, the ancient Greeks and by proxy; the Romans. The ancient Greeks didn’t have one specific style of bath, but various ones depending on the location in which it was built, but also the region at large. To keep it simple, we’ll skip forward to the use of their tholos style baths. Generally, there would be a large, circular communal room (the tholos itself), which would have been kept warm with underfloor heating, would have smaller hip baths for individual bathers arranged around the perimeter. These bathers would then have heated water poured over them to cleanse their bodies of any dirt and sweat that may have accumulated. After hygiene was taken care of, guests could then enter the more social areas of the baths and enjoy dips in cool pools, massage with aromatic oils, and vapour baths. The Romans took these ideas and further refined them, opening numerous public baths for all to enjoy, from the lowest to the highest in society. First, bathers would enter the apodyterium, where they would undress and store their belongings, this was then followed by the first of three rooms, the tepidarium or warm room. After, they would have a steam in the caldarium and a refreshing plunge in the frigidarium, oftentimes alternating between the two hot and cold rooms. The bathers could then circle back to the tepidarium and enjoy an aromatic oil massage which would be finalized by using strigils, a small, curved metal tool used to scrape excess oil and sweat from the skin. As the Romans expanded their empire, they continued to construct these baths across Europe, the near east, and northern Africa where natural spas (mineral water springs) were found. 

     Another rich bathing tradition that is world renown are the Hammams of Islamic cultures. After the fall of the Roman empire, many original thermae were reused by the succeeding Umayaad Caliphate, Seljuk, and Ottoman empires. These cultures and the areas they claimed had existing bathing rituals that expanded and adapted differently into various local versions. Similar to other public baths in history, Hammams were an integral part of the community as a place to socialize and for personal hygiene before widespread access to residential indoor plumbing; however, they served an additional purpose. Hammams were also used by these communities for ablutions (ritual purification) as dictated by their faith, but the rules/laws surrounding their use could vary based on the specific religious practices of the region. These Hammam visits would follow similar progressions to the Roman baths of increasingly warmer rooms, with the caveat of using running water or dumping water from bowls onto the body instead of full submersion in pools. Following these various thermal rooms, patrons would receive variations of full body cleansing and exfoliation from the Hammam attendants as well as vigorous massage. These visits were important for the wider social health of their communities; providing gendered spaces for patrons to socialize, relax, and celebrate together. 

      With such a diverse and rich history of communal bathing, we wanted to bring these ancient traditions together and create a modern ritual. When you receive a Hammam at Healing Waters, it’s more than just the steam and the scrub, we’re inviting you into an experience that will nourish the body and the soul. Taking inspiration from Turkish, Moroccan, and Syrian style Hammams, you will be led through our signature version of this time honoured ritual. Your experience will begin by relaxing in one of our private steam rooms with an aromatic infusion of your choice; giving you time to warm up in the healing heat and to soften your skin for the next step of your treatment. Following the steam, you will be guided to our Hammam room where we have you lay on heated quartz benches. In our Hammam room, you will receive a full body exfoliation with a traditional mitt called a kese. After your exfoliation, there is a gentle cleanse of the body to prepare you for the conclusion of your treatment. Once the exfoliation and cleanse is completed, you will receive a full body relaxing lotion application to restore hydration to your skin leaving you feeling renewed and rested. As either a solo retreat or tandem experience to share with a loved one, our Signature Hammam is a beautiful way to experience ancient traditions in a modern world.

 

Teagan Friedrich 2026