What has Western bathing culture been like from Greece to the modern era?

Bathing represents cleanliness and is an innate human behavior. However, bathing wasn't always considered a good habit; its development and changes went through several stages. Bathing methods varied greatly across different eras-who would have thought that the ancients were more creative than we are now? Today, our bathing methods are actually quite "simple."

I. Bathing Customs in the Greco-Roman Era

Western bathing culture has ancient origins, but the most "modern" bathing methods can be traced back to the Greco-Roman era. The mountainous and humid climate of Greece easily led to sweating, fatigue, and other discomforts. Ancient Greeks frequently maintained cleanliness by swimming in the sea and washing themselves in rivers. Due to their enthusiasm for bathing, the inhabitants of ancient Greece knew how to ensure a stable water supply by building aqueducts and public baths, and they used "collective bathing" as a form of social interaction-a custom said to have spread from the ancient Near East and Egypt.

Because freshwater resources were extremely precious in primitive times, wealthy families in cities even built bathtubs for storing water. These bathtubs were typically long and narrow, made of stone and earthenware mixed with mud, and painted with various colors, giving them a noble and elegant appearance. The oldest bathtub we have excavated to date originated from the palace of Knossos on Crete, and its age has been dated to 1700 BC. It is speculated that this bathtub was a royal item used exclusively for the king's bathing, as the patterns on it are quite exquisite, suggesting it was not made by commoners.

The most common bathing instrument in classical Greece was the Spartan scraper, a tool used to remove dead skin and excess oil from the body. Some speculate that women also used it to remove unwanted body hair. The large baths, famous because of the Romans, were already popular throughout Athens in classical times. Hippocrates, the renowned father of medicine, categorized bathing into three types: cool water baths, salt water baths, and hot water baths, believing that different methods had different therapeutic effects. The philosopher Aristophanes, however, believed that hot baths would cause mental distraction and strongly advised young people against taking hot baths.

The Romans were originally rough and simple farmers, and their bathing culture was borrowed from the Greeks. Initially, the Romans disliked bathing, believing that the smell of sweat and dirt was a sign of a man's health and maturity, while a clean and pleasant fragrance represented weakness and effeminacy. At that time, Romans would only brush off the dust and dirt that clung to their bodies while working each day; virtually no one took the initiative to bathe. As the Romans conquered the East, they gradually adopted the Greek bathing customs.

With their greater financial resources, the Roman authorities began constructing more luxurious baths and supporting facilities. By the time of Julian Claudius, Rome's daily water consumption had reached a staggering 350 million gallons, demonstrating the city's highly sophisticated water supply system. Roman baths thus included cold, hot, and thermal pools, facilities reserved for senators and emperors, with some high-ranking commoners permitted access on special occasions. The Romans even incorporated gymnasiums, meeting rooms, and "bars" into the baths, where one could often find poets giving speeches while holding wine glasses, generals or athletes with impressive physiques, and beautiful princesses or entertainers.

II. Bathing Customs in the Medieval Christian Era

It can be said that the more flourishing the bathing culture was in the Greco-Roman era, the more "rejected" bathing was by Europeans during the Christian period. Firstly, Roman baths often featured sculptures of pagan deities, which Christians often considered "indecent." Secondly, the communal bathing practice prevalent in the classical period involved mixed-gender bathing, which was also very different from the values ​​of the Church. Therefore, from a moral and religious perspective, Christians often rejected this indecent bathing behavior.

Secondly, after the barbarian invasions of Western Europe, most of the Roman cities surrounding the Mediterranean declined, and Roman civilization began to shift eastward. From this time onward, the luxurious baths buried within the ruined city walls were almost entirely destroyed. Those baths inlaid with exquisite mosaics and marble tiles were destroyed by the Germanic tribes. These less educated and uncouth people did not appreciate bathing, often viewing it as a symbol of luxury and corruption. Following the rise of the "monastic movement" throughout Europe, many monks began to pursue physical austerity and poverty, creating a fashionable trend in Western Europe. At that time, it was widely believed that physical purity affected the salvation of the soul, and only by living a life of poverty and hardship could one understand the suffering endured by Jesus.

Finally, some practical problems also hindered large-scale bathing. The large-scale invasions of the Germanic tribes brought wave after wave of epidemics to Europe, and medieval Europeans generally lost the desire for public gatherings. The cities they built often relied on industry and commerce for survival, and the poor awareness of water conservation among citizens often damaged water source cleanliness, ultimately leading to water shortages in urban areas. When people could not even guarantee drinking water, it was difficult to attend to their physical hygiene needs. However, river and pond baths and waterfall bathing were very popular in rural manors; the "rural people" of that time were much cleaner than the "city people."

In the Middle Ages, it was quite common to see people emitting a foul odor, sometimes even permeating entire rooms or castles. The world's earliest "soap" may have appeared in 12th-century Paris. Country folk at the time mixed sheep fat and wood ash, dried it, and created a highly effective deodorant. Once made, this soap was monopolized by royalty and nobility; commoners who used it to clean themselves were even criminals.

III. Bathing Customs from the Renaissance to Modern Times

The human body was generally suppressed in the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance, with its pursuit of physical freedom, brought a tangible "bathing reform" to Europe. With the development of industry, commerce, and cities, the Germanic peoples finally created unique European cities. Driven by a commercial atmosphere, some profitable bathhouses and lavatories first opened in Renaissance Paris. In the 13th century, Parisian bathhouses began to employ men to solicit customers. At that time, a type of steam bath, originating from Turkey, was popular in Western Europe. This bathing method, similar to today's sauna, was believed to cleanse the body and relieve fatigue.

Wealthy urban dwellers began purchasing bathtubs for their homes, with servants tending fires in the kitchen and constantly adding hot water. Women started adding fragrances like musk and rosemary to their baths to enhance their scent and allure. Soap remained expensive, and even the wealthy could only afford to use it occasionally on their face, neck, or hands. Notably, people began to consciously cover their naked bodies while bathing, considering it shameful. This was a significant change brought about by Christian culture to Europe; the Greeks and Romans, for instance, considered nude bathing and body exposure normal.

In the early modern period, the introduction of syphilis threatened public bathing practices in Europe. Syphilis was rampant in brothels at the time, and bathhouses were often used as venues for prostitution. Consequently, more and more people began to resist public bathing, condemning it as vulgar. This top-down trend of extravagance and hedonism was eventually curbed, and people began to invent more convenient and compact bathing tools to accommodate the growing number of people who preferred to enjoy pleasure at home.

In the 18th century, Europeans commonly installed washbasin stands in their homes, separating bathing from other activities like washing their face, brushing their teeth, and washing their hair. European cities entered a new phase of urban planning; the emergence of central governments facilitated the dredging of urban waterways and the construction of unified water supply systems, a prerequisite for people to wash themselves indoors. With improved living standards and broader horizons, some wealthy Europeans also established their own "resorts" along the coast. They enclosed grasslands or spent huge sums to purchase coastal woodlands to build their own villas; seaside resorts became a status symbol for the wealthy.