Baths of Caracalla © Clipart.com

The Montreal Gazette's article Old Is New: When at a spa, do as the Romans did looks at spas around the world that use ancient techniques. Elemental Embrace, east of Toronto, uses 5000-year old Ayurvedic techniques. At The Heritage in Ireland, you can "soak in a tepidarium, a sanarium and a caldarium - three progressively hotter chambers based on ancient Roman bathing techniques [See Bath Terminology] - to relax the muscles and stimulate circulation." At the Lindner Hotel, in Switzerland, spas have modified the "ancient Roman principle of 'sanus per aqua' - health through water." Instead of water, they use wine and grape extracts for massages and more.

"Science has long promoted the healthy properties of polyphenols, which are found in grapes. But using wine for medicinal, topical purposes dates to 400-300 BC. Hippocrates, the Greek physician considered the father of modern medicine, used wine for cleaning wounds and sterilizing surgical instruments. It wasn't until the Middle Ages that women used grapeseed oil as a cosmetic application"

Ancient Baths (Spas) and Hygiene