The baths provide some of the most significant evidence of the daily life lived by ancient Pompeians before the catastrophic eruption of 79 AD.
Not only the houses, the stores, the temples, the streets also the baths were one of the most important findings made in Pompeii, allowing us to reconstruct how Roman society lived and how it was organized.
A very important testimony that fascinates the millions of tourists who visit Pompeii every year to discover the world’s oldest perfectly preserved city. And that gives us a glimpse of how 2000 years ago this ancient people was already highly evolved.
What were the baths used for?
Baths in Pompeii was the main place that ancient Pompeians used to rejuvenate themselves after a hard day’s work. Not surprisingly, not only public bath complexes but also private baths have been found within the ancient city. Mostly present in the domus or villas belonging to the richest and most important people in the city. Therefore, a fundamental place for Pompeians and Romans in general, which were used every day in their daily lives.
Public baths, as the word itself implies were open to everyone, nobles, slaves, and citizens belonging to the lower-middle class.
It was where people went to wash, socialize, exercise, relax, and discuss business or politics. Their main function was to ensure personal hygiene, at a time when the concept of daily bathing was fundamental to physical well-being. But they also represented an important place for gathering and socializing.
Thus, Roman baths represented an important expression of Roman culture, where the concept of cleanliness was intertwined with that of well-being and socialization.
How the baths were structured
The baths were not simply baths, but sophisticated complexes with several rooms of varying temperatures that allowed people to enjoy a healing experience for body and mind.
They followed a well-defined architectural layout, with rooms divided by temperature and function. From here we can already guess how this population had evolved 2000 years ago.
The interior of the baths was accessed by means of the entrance where the ‘Apodyterium (i.e., changing room) was located. Here visitors undressed before entering the thermal rooms and left their clothes and personal belongings in wooden lockers. Which in some cases were kept by slaves or servants when they belonged to the wealthiest members of society.
There was also the Frigidarium (i.e., cold room). A room with a pool of cold water, used to cool off after the heat of hot baths.
The Tepidarium ( the lukewarm room): with moderate temperatures, which was used to prepare the body for the intense heat of the calidarium.
And finally The Calidarium (hot room): The most important room in the Roman baths, where there was a large pool of hot water. Here, visitors could soak in heated water, enjoying the steam that helped purify the body and relax the muscles.
Don’t want to miss a visit to these thermal quarters? Let an experienced tour guide take you through the baths that are currently open to the public and those that are best preserved. Where you can see how they worked and how they were divided. Don’t miss this incredible experience, book now.
But how was the water heated in the calidarium and tepidarium?
Baths were often equipped with a heating system, the hypocaustum. A complex and sophisticated system that allowed the room and water to be heated, using hearths that produced heat. The heat was distributed under the floor through channels and ducts, which heated the rooms and baths, creating a comfortable atmosphere even in the coldest periods.
There were four public bath complexes in Pompeii, Terme centrali, Terme del foro, Terme stabiane, and Terme suburbane.
Private spas in Pompeii
But as we said earlier in Pompeii there were thermal quarters even within the domus or villas. But what did they look like?
They were often small rooms that could accommodate a few people.
But there were no lack of cases, as in the baths of the Domus Praedia of Julia Felix, the House of the Labyrinth, and the Villa of Diomedes in which there were much larger quarters.
The Calidarium and tepidarium were equipped in the same way as the public baths, with the ad hypocaustum system for heating the baths and rooms.
These rooms were often connected with the banquet hall, the triclinium. This was most likely because the house owner invited his guests first to relax inside the baths and then to enjoy sumptuous banquets inside the most important room of the house. This practice was especially put in place by those who wanted to secure the electoral consent of their guests, to promote the candidacy of friends or relatives, or simply to assert their social status.
