Short History of Thermalism

Thermal baths: of the Greek hot thermos flask.

Establishment of old public baths.

Hydropathic establishment where a cure is made, where one comes to take water having medicinal virtues.

GREEK AND ROMAN BATHS

The history of the baths in Antiquity starts with the Greek gymnasium. With the introduction of the zones of water and baths for hygiene into the program, the gymnasium takes a social and architectural context paramount in the first communal forms of baths in Antiquity. The water zones will become the fundamental part in the gymnasium not only to be cleaned but take pleasure and to slacken before and after the physical exercise. In fact the Greek baths inspired the first Roman baths which incorporate the physical exercise like fundamental element of their practice.

The gymnasium and the baths underwent one parallel and complementary development. The gymnasium was designed at the origin like an institution for the soldiers, the training of young athletes and artistic development and intellectual of the people. The baths in the gymnasium take a role of connection between the physical part practised in will palaestra and the philosophical discussion which took place has will exedra it. It is in second half of the IV ème century av.JC that the Greek gymnasium develops in its standard plan which includes/understands two principal elements: a building in the shape of peristyle with rooms around a colonnade delimiting the court of will palaestra, and an extension with tracks of race. It is this space organization which seems to be the solution most developed for the gymnasium and for will palaestra.

Thereafter, the tracks of covered race and walk will become the principal elements of the gymnasium and will be apart from will palaestra. Their relation with will palaestra is flexible and depends on the nature of the ground

Already in Xème century av.J-C, of the conflicts between the education of the body and intellect start to appear, making difficult to maintain the concept basic of the gymnasia. It is especially starting from the ler century av.J-C that important changes will take place in the gymnasia: It changes gradually by the introduction of the hot water baths. Two factors were decisive for this change; decline of the athletic ideal in favour of intellectual health and the growth of the popularity of the hot baths and hydrotherapy. It is this new tendency to bind the physical exercise to the baths which will be used as model with the Roman culture.

The zones of baths in will palaestra were intended for the use of the athletes and the visitors of the gymnasium, but since Xe century av.J-C there were already public baths in the urban centres One of the characteristics of these baths was an architectural adaptation to the natural shapes of caves and rocks. Since always the Greek baths show a very clear functional definition in their plans, but the space organization according to will be rather the fact of the Romans. The hot water system in the Greek baths was extremely simple to the L er century av.J-C. There was not mechanical process, it was sufficient to heat the room with the simple hot steam of the bath-tubs or with wood. Later new and more sophisticated system is developed by the reheating of furnaces and while letting circulate heat through the walls of the rooms which were heated at the desired temperature.

At this period, the thermal baths will evolve/move and adapt to the Roman life style. The Romans, like the Greeks, supported that “it is necessary to play much to be able to work much”. Rome is the first city has great scale having the major part of its population depending on the State. The company was supposed to safeguard the health and the wellbeing of the people. This principle is fundamental bus starting from here the thermal baths are regarded as public services and thus nonpayable and opened with everyone. With share of the constructions made for the glory of the empire, the greatest complexes were built to accomodate the thermal baths, also indicated by the emperors like the “de luxe hotels of the people”.

Another kind of baths are the “balneae”, which are different from the thermal baths by their more reduced size and their private character. Their establishment adapts to space available in the city and sometimes must divide walls with already existing constructions, contrary to the thermal baths which occupied of the great extensions especially intended for their construction.

The Roman establishments were known as thermal baths in which the baths mixed with the physical exercise. From there will appear a new type of building and institution where the bath plays a part as important as will palaestra it. In this building the hot baths and the elements of will palaestra join. The Greeks in their turn transformed the gymnasium by the emphase given to their zones of shower and by the construction of the hot baths to a greater scale.

The palaestra of Herculaneum seems to be a Roman interpretation of will palaestra Greek which wants to function independently of the baths. I would say that its form and use function like a intermezzo between the quadriporticus hellénistique and imperial thermal baths. As in the type of the baths pompéien, will palaestra it holds a more modest importance in the whole of the building.

The imperial thermal baths were enormous complexes intended not only to accomodate any kind of baths, but one there also found rooms of reading, libraries, gantries gardens, will palaestra and tracks of race for the practice of physical exercises. One of these examples are the thermal baths of Caracalla in Rome. The block which contains (shelters) the baths evolves/moves in the crossing of two principal axes: the axis nordsud which include/understand the natio-frigidarium-tepidariumcaldarium, 1 ' East-West axis whose frigidarium is in the center and will palaestra them in the ends. These axial and symmetrical plans allowed a rational use of the building. This symmetrical composition is a simple duplication of spaces making it possible to close a side for its cleaning while the other side was used normally. Moreover, for the periods of crisis, it was possible to manage the thermal baths with half of the costs.

The Romans will give a proof of their technical advance while making circulate the hot air in lower part of the ground what made it possible to heat the rooms at desired temperatures. The ground was composed of the plates held by hypocaustes (from where not of the system). The air could also circulate with the length of the walls in the tubulare.

The Roman thermal baths include the same elements that those of the Greek Gymnasia, but will undergo a transformation on the level of dimensions and the baths will take a greater part.

Their principal elements are it:

• Tepidarium: the temperature was pleasant and it is the larger and luxurious room in the thermal baths.

• Caldarium: the hottest room.

• Laconium: very hot and low-size room.

• Apodyterium: are located normally beside the entries and function like cloakrooms.

• Frigidarium: the small cold water basin used by the Greeks is transformed here into an enormous external swimming pool.

• Sports ground: as will palaestra it Greeks, the Romans maintained a space for the practice of the sport, but its dimensions increased enormously.

• Bookshop: will exedra is also maintained like place to discuss. It is its position which changed, it is transferred outside so that one can speak in all peace.

The thermal baths were intended for a daily use and its process was:

Initially the physical exercises in will palaestra to stimulate blood circulation.

Then baths.

The principal function of tepidarium is relieving, after the sport a half an hour rest is made in this environment of splendour to go then to very hot caldarium while finishing by a short passage to the laconicum, a room of very dry atmosphere and heat which reaches 70°c. After this passage, finally, cleaning and massages, to plunge in the large cold water swimming pool of the frigidarium which closes this lawsuit of body regeneration.

ISLAMIC BATHS

In the Islamic culture, the man can be revitalized various ways: by the purification of some bodies of the body, by the prayer or the baths.

The hammam is regarded as complementary A the mosque. It is in the hammam that ablution is made, the purification of the body through water, especially after the sex act and before the ritual monk which took place in the mosque. During this time the public baths continue to be regarded as a service provided and maintained by the State (Beit-el-mal). However there are some who are taken into account by deprived and that is regarded as an act of charity. The public baths will keep their aspect and will be always maintained in the same way until the end the XIXe century. When the Moslems start to build these first baths in VIIIème century, they adopt the Roman example found in Syria and adapt it to their needs.

The Islamic bath starts with a bath with hot air which is transformed thereafter into bath with vapor. Rooms with vapor at very high temperatures follow one another. The building becomes smaller than that of the Romans and is composed of two principal parts: cold and hot. Their system of reheating becomes a simplification of the Roman baths. The Turkish baths are thus a continuation of the Roman baths adapted to a new civilization.

The articulation of circular spaces in a geometry made up of niches and alcoves appears like a reflexion on the form towards the end of architecture known as “ancient”. In the Islamiques baths, will palaestra it Roman which was used for the sports activities and the cold water swimming pool, is the frigidarium, will disappear because Islam regards as not very hygienic that a person bathes in the water already used by other people.

This is an important step in the process of transformation of an institution which adapts to the needs for a new culture and geography. The mosque is space for the religion, teaching and the intellectual culture what transforms the Roman exèdre which was a simple place with beds for relieving. The tubes tire hot go beings modified to adapt to the climate of Islam.

The major components of the Turkish baths are:

• Maslak: It is the apodyterium which took the role of cloakroom in the Roman thermal baths. It is now the cold market of the Islamic baths of an enormous architectural richness with its ornamented walls of delicate drawings.

• Beit-el-Harara: The hot market of the Islamic baths. It reaches an importance higher than that of caldarium. Normally, of small additional rooms communicated with Beit-el-Harara to become small baths deprived. For the principal center of the room, a polygonal sofa was used to receive muscular massages and stretchings. It should be said that Beit-el-Harara architecturalement becomes the part most interesting of the Islamic baths.

• tepidarium: Largest and luxurious room of the Roman thermal baths which in the Islamic baths become a simple passage.

• Maghtas, the laconicum: The hotter room and dries, becomes a bath with vapor in the hammam with a swimming pool in the center.

The use of the hammams was made in the following way:

Initially the bather moved towards Maslak (cold market) to release himself, for then going towards Beit-el-Harara (hot Market). In this part, the personnel accomodates the bather to mass it, stretch it and rub the skin for body cleaning to him. It is this activity which takes the place of the physical exercises practised in the palaestra.

After this ritual of cleaning and muscular stretchings, the bather moves towards the small additional rooms, the maghtas, to perspire in winter and to cool in summer This course in the hammam finishes with a return to the maslak to rest and turn over to the external world....

European hydrotherapy enters during a long time of hibernation which starts with the arrival of the barbarians in IV century and finishes towards half of the XVIII century.

After the British thermal euphoria of the end of the XVIII century, constructions acquire a monumental dimension, the parks gain on the surface and complexity. The establishments of baths improved with new hotels, ballrooms and casinos. All these factors contributed to the definition of a new urban model.

The hydropathic establishment becomes the largest building, while the sources are sheltered by smaller houses. In Germany Baden-Baden is an important example of thermal architecture with the gallery of the house of the source or the house of conversation carried out in 1840 by Friedrich Weinbrenner.

The medical part takes a great rise in these stations and that relates to also hydrotherapy and hygiene. Because of the real success of the therapy and their central role in this new social organization the doctors will start by prescribing these cures at a watering-place for all the diseases whose cure or improvement can be obtained through the treatment by water. In France also, the taste of Napoleon III and his family for the towns of water plays a part determining in the new great strides which French hydrotherapy makes from 1850 (Thononles-baths, Dax, Vittel…).

The number of stations which thrive during this period is impressive. The top of this rebirth is reached in Vichy towards the end of the century with the realization of the projects of the architect Charles Lecoeur.

Towards the end of the XIX century, changes of all kinds continue at accelerated intervals. This time of prosperity appears amongst other things, by a notable diversification of the forms of architecture, visual art, music etc the public of the east city extravagant, full with vitality and in search with leisures.

The Beautiful Time is completed at the time or the majority of the European countries is seen grabbed by the large war. Its bursting in 1914, means the end of long time of prosperity for the towns of water. The immediate post-war period knows a renewal of activity in the towns of water, in same measurement or one wants to forget the terrible years of face and to find the taste of the festival. But on arrival of the Second World War, these years of madness pass and again the thermal baths are forgotten.

To Portugal, hydrotherapy follows a tendency completely identical to the rest of Europe with this euphoria in the Twenties and Thirties to fall in ruin in the Forties.

After the second World war, the rebuilding of Europe is made with the aim of mitigate possible the most serious deficiencies as fast as possible. The thermal cities, including one good part had developed between two wars like stations of luxury, are used more initially only as medical structures.

From the years 1980 the awakening of a true curiosity towards hydrotherapy joins an interest growing for the richness of the thermal world.