Do you have anything similar to the Roman baths today?

Answer 1

There is nothing similar to the Roman baths today.

Since most Roman houses had no baths, their baths were public and had a communal character, acting as a place for socialising. It was a place people went to after the end of the working day. This was particularly useful for the poor who lived in the upper floors of the tenements which, besides not having running water, only had small and overcrowded rooms where people could only sleep. The poor lived their lives outdoors, ate outdoors, and went to outdoors public toilets. For the rich, going to the baths was part of their leisured lifestyle and a place where they could meet their clients and engage in intellectual pursuits.

From the second century BC the baths were one of the main meeting points for people. They could be big monumental complexes s with many facilities. Friends met there, rich people met their clients, and group meals could be arranged. Politicians canvassed there. Poetry readings and oratory debates were held. There was also a gym and massage areas. Bigger baths also had shops, eating outlets and areas, a swimming pool and libraries (the baths of Caracalla had two libraries, a Latin one and a Greek one). The Romans believed that good health came from eating, bathing, massage and physical and mental exercise: mens sana in corpore sano (a healthy/sound mind in a healthy body). Therefore their baths provided for all of these.

On average the Romans spent two hours at the baths. The main routine was to start with exercising and/or playing sports at the palaestra (the gym). This followed by bathing. Bathers then had olive oil put on their body, and had their skin scraped with special metal scrapers (the strigil). Pumice and beech ash were used to treat the skin. Afterwards they had a massage which was done with perfumed ointments such almond oil and myrrh imported from the East and Egypt.