The Rise and Fall of the Bathtub: From Public Spectacle to Private Luxury
The bathtub. It’s so mundane now, tucked into corners of modern homes, that we barely notice it. But for centuries, bathing wasn’t private or routine. It was an event—a public ritual, a performance, a blend of medicine and indulgence. Here’s how the bath evolved from a communal spectacle to a forgotten luxury.
The Bath as Destination: When Soaking Was a Spectacle (100s–1800s)
Before bathtubs graced homes, bathing was a journey. The Romans set the stage with their sprawling bathhouses—steamy, sulfurous hubs of politics and pleasure—from the 1st century AD until their empire’s fall around 476 AD. In Europe, the tradition withered.
Medieval bathhouses existed, but bathing was rare—more a cure for the sick than a daily rite. The hot springs of Bath, England, called Aquae Sulis by the Romans, bubbled on quietly, used sporadically through the Middle Ages.
Then, in the late 17th century, the tide turned. By the 1660s, English physicians began touting mineral waters as medicine. Bath’s springs—rediscovered and repackaged—drew attention. Queen Anne’s visit in 1702 sealed the deal, and by the 1720s, the city exploded into a fashionable spa town.
People flocked there, drawn by pools promising cures for ailments, vigor for the weary, even youth for the aging. Doctors prescribed it, aristocrats flaunted it, and Jane Austen immortalized it. These weren’t quick dips; bathing was a hours-long ritual, a philosophy of water as healing.
The trend swept Europe. Grand spas sprang up, luring the sick, the rich, and the desperate to soak in hot, mineral-heavy springs. They drank it, bathed in it, and waited for transformation.
Across the globe, Japan nurtured a parallel tradition. By the 8th century (Nara Period), onsen—natural hot springs—were celebrated for their healing powers, woven into historical texts. Unlike Rome’s bathhouses, which faded with the empire, Japan’s bathing culture thrived. Onsen and sentō bathhouses became daily fixtures, elevating bathing into a purifying, rejuvenating art.
The Bathtub Arrives Indoors—But Only for the Elite (1800s–1900s)
Back in Europe, home bathing was a chore. Water hauled in buckets, heated in kettles, dumped into tin tubs—then hauled out again. Exhausting. Baths happened when they could, not when you wanted.
Victorian England changed that. Germ theory emerged, linking hygiene to health. Washing became prevention, not just cure. The wealthy, keen to flaunt refinement, installed bathtubs—cast-iron beauties lined with porcelain, sometimes fed by indoor plumbing, nestled in dedicated “bath rooms.” Bathing turned private, controlled, indulgent. But only for the elite. For everyone else, bathhouses still ruled.
Public to Private: The Death of the Bathhouse (1900s–1940s)
By 1900, two forces reshaped bathing forever: plumbing advances brought running water indoors, and crises—war, the Spanish Flu—made germs a public enemy. Bathing shifted from luxury to necessity overnight.
By the 1920s, the grand bathhouses—centuries-old hubs of healing and socializing—began to close. The bath wasn’t a place anymore; it was a thing, a fixture. By the 1940s, bathtubs were standard in American homes. But their reign was brief.
The Shower Takes Over (1950s–1990s)
Bathing once demanded patience—water drawn, heated, poured. The shower killed that. Faster, efficient, compact, it sidelined the tub. By the 1950s, bathtubs shrank into alcoves with showerheads. By the 1980s, most people rinsed and ran. The tub lingered as a relic—present, but unused. The bath went from public to private to forgotten.
The Forgotten Luxury: Reviving the Soul of Bathing
Today, most American homes boast a luxury beyond Queen Victoria’s wildest dreams: unlimited hot water, private bathtubs, everyday soap. Yet the irony? They sit empty. The bathtub—a relic of a time when water was a privilege—waits in silence. In the West, showers rule for speed, while the bath’s deeper purpose fades.
Contrast this with Japan, where bathing remains a nightly ritual. The ofuro, a deep soaking tub, is a household staple. You wash before you soak, keeping the water clean for family use—a restoration, not just a rinse. Japan soaks for soul, a tradition unbroken for centuries.
At Toji Bath Company, we believe that soul deserves a comeback. Inspired by Japan’s timeless reverence for the bath, our premium bathing salts transform the forgotten tub into a sanctuary. Infused with natural minerals and crafted with care, they echo the healing springs of Bath and the onsen of old—bringing ritual back to the routine. The bathtub once captivated empires and elites; now, it’s yours to reclaim. Soak in history. Soak in luxury. Soak in peace.
