From Romans to Wild-Swimming: The Evolving Story of Public Bathing in Britain

When you think of thermal bathing, the UK might not be the first place that comes to mind. However, the country has a long and rich history of public bathing. A history that, in recent years, has seen a huge surge in popularity for water-based activities.

Central to the story of public bathing in Britain are the Roman baths in Bath, UK. The Roman temple and thermae, constructed in 73CE was built upon an existing site which held great religious and healing significance for the ancient Britons. The temple (and later city) of Aquae Sulis Minerva was named after the Celtic god of the hot springs and healing, Sulis, and the Roman god, Minerva. The complex was decorated in both Celtic and Roman iconography reflecting the interchange of cultures and ideas that occurred during the period. 

The temple became one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the western part of the Roman Empire. It was a meeting point for people from across the world, making Aquae Sulis a truly multicultural city. 

Roman baths were places of healing and community on a huge scale. Primarily used for cleansing rituals, baths were also an important place for relaxation, healing and socialising. Some Roman public baths could accommodate as many as 6,000 bathers and hosted festivals and entertainment. 

Though there is little record of bathing in Britain following the collapse of the Roman Empire, it is clear the practice continued in some form. In 1138, the Medieval text Gesta Stephani noted, of the hot springs at Bath, that “from all over England sick people come to wash away their infirmities in the healing waters, and the healthy gaze at the remarkable bubbling up of the hot springs.”

Following this seemingly popular period of bathing, in 1537 King Henry VIII outlawed the sinful practice of bathing in public spas for fear that Catholics would gather and plot against the newly formed Church of England. However, this was to change when his daughter, Queen Elizabeth I took the throne. Following a visit to Bath in 1574, Elizabeth declared that the public must always have access to the springs. 

Spa resorts would become even more popular in the following years. Over 48 spas were founded in England between 1660 and 1815 with a variety of theatres, shops and lodging houses surrounding them to entertain visitors. During this period, commoners and lords could be found bathing in the same hot springs. 

Fast forward to the 18th and 19th centuries, Bath was famous as a destination for the rich and powerful to enjoy the beautiful architecture and strange tasting, healing waters. 

Spa towns, such as Bath, were heavily associated with the elite and not accessible to the vast majority of the population. This was to change with the Baths and Washhouses Act of 1846 created a network of public buildings for poor communities to wash, mainly intending to eliminate diseases, however, it had the added effect of bringing bathing to a wider portion of society. And with this, came the rise of public swimming pools. Spurred on by rapid social and economic change, urbanisation and progressive reform, by the mid-war years public baths, pools and lidos could be found across Britain. 

This movement only gained momentum in the years following the Second World War. Between 1960 and 70, reconstruction and the associated increase in public spending saw the construction of almost 200 public baths. However, due to increased accessibility to cuts to public services from the late 1970s onwards public baths across the country were shut down and left to disrepair. 

In recent years, Britain has seen a mass resurgence in interest in public bathing, partly due to the impact of COVID-19 on changing patterns of behaviour and approaches to health and wellbeing. 

In their ‘Global Consumer Trends’ report, Mintel identified the trend of ‘Relationship Renaissance’ stating that “consumers who find comfort through screens at the cost of meaningful, real-life relationship, will seek new forms of intimacy for the sake of their physical and mental health.” In response to this, many brands in the UK and beyond are moving away from individualised self-care wellness to social and community-based wellbeing. This trend is visible in modern public bathing in Britain. 

This summer, the Cleveland Pools lido in Bath, opened for its first full season in almost forty years. Built in 1815, it is the UK’s oldest outdoor public pool. As well as swimming, the pools offer art exhibitions and community events. 

The Future Lidos Group has named 2023 the ‘Year of the Lido’, with the opening of three pools, more relaunched after refurbishment, other major developments starting, and new lidos being announced by local authorities. 

And this movement is not restricted to public pools. British Sauna Society founder, Mika Meskanen said that in the last two years, “at least 50 ‘new wave’ UK saunas are either already up and running or being built, with many more in various stages of planning,” and the Global Wellness Institute named ‘blue-wellness’ activities as one of its Future of Wellness Trends for 2023. The Outdoor Swimming Society has seen its membership grow from 100,000 to 170,000 over the last two years. As well as this, last month the updated design for Therme Manchester was unanimously approved by the Trafford Council planning committee, bringing us one step closer to delivering the unique Therme concept to the UK. 

Despite elements of this movement being imported from other cultures, the modern-day manifestations of public bathing in Britain can be seen as the endpoint of the UK’s deep-rooted history of public bathing with community and wellbeing sitting at the very centre. 

At Therme, we are re-imagining ancient concepts of public bathing for a modern world. The team at Therme Group UK have a goal to bring a Therme project within a 90-minute drive to 90% of the population. Each location will be carefully designed to suit the needs of its unique locality to ensure it can best serve its community. We are excited to be part of the vibrant and evolving story of public bathing in the UK. It's a journey that showcases the power of innovation and dedication to transform a historical tradition into a vibrant part of our modern world.