![]() Seneca, the Roman philosopher and playwright, often made jokes in his poems about people at bath houses shouting in pain as they got their underarm hairs plucked." "But there were also other cosmetology services you could get. "There would be numerous baths with waters of various temperatures and corresponding Latin names, like the caldarium, which would indicate a bath with very hot water," Ramgopal adds. "It was about relaxing and reaping the benefits of being in water."Īnd it turns out that Roman baths were actually one of the earliest forms of what we now call a spa. "For the ancient Romans, only the wealthiest families had private baths, but it was more popular to visit bath houses and bathe publicly-and for them, the act of bathing was not about getting clean," Ramgopal says. So for a little insight, I turned to Sailakshmi Ramgopal, a post-doctorate fellow of ancient history at Harvard University who explained why these baths were such a hit back then (as in, way back in the 2nd millennium B.C.)-and why they're still worth considering now. Even my nerdy adoration for Greek and Roman history wasn't quite enough to convince me that hopping into small pools for two hours-much less with strangers-would actually offer me relaxation. ![]() But despite my penchant for soaking-and the impressive eye candy promised on the company's website-I was a little skeptical about whether the Aire baths are worth the hefty $96 entry price ($106 on weekends). My friends know that if I tell them not to disturb me because it's bath time, I must be really stressed. Its locations in New York, Chicago, and Spain are decked out with stunning indoor pools of various sizes, temperatures, and minerals, all designed with one goal: to "transport you to the ancient times of the Roman, Green, and Ottoman traditions," a nod to the cultures that perfected the art of self-care long before millennials. ![]() Weird or Wellness is an series where staffers answer the question: Do we really need the "woo-woo" fads we keep seeing on social media in our self-care routines? We put buzzy treatments from halotherapy to chakra healing to the test so you don't have to-all in the name of living your best life.įor bath and spa lovers like myself, the Aire Ancient Baths are the stuff of lore.
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