Bath Glossary

Below is a list of technical terms used to describe the operations of and facets of the Roman baths. Note that Roman baths were social events. Baths could be public or private.

• Aliptes - masseur
• Apodyterium - changing room
• Aquarium - watermen
• Balnea gratuita - free bath
• Balneator - bathmen, sometimes managers of the bathing establishments
• Balneum (balnea) - bathhouse that may or may not have been heated and was smaller and less luxurious than the heated therma (thermae)
• Caldarium - hottest room
• Calida piscina - heated pool
• Capsarius - bathhouse slave who watched clothing for bather
• Collyrium - oculist's unguent box
• Curator aquarum - water commissioner
• Destrictarium - room for scraping off with strigils
• Destrictatia - area where strigiling took place
• Exedrae - relaxation rooms
• Fornacatores - furnace attendants
• Frigidarium - coldest room with pool of cold water, probably with vaulted ceilings
• Hypocaust - these or braziers were used for heating
• Iatraliptae - medical masseurs
• Instrumenta balnei - bath tools like strigils and towels
• Laconium - room for sweating
• Natatio - open- air pool
• Palaestra - exercise court
• Pensilia balnea - hanging baths (therapeutic heated tanks)
• Perfusores - water pourers
• Praefurnium - furnace room
• Solium - heated community pool
• Tepidarium - room where anointing probably took place
• Therma (thermae) - bathhouses usually larger and more luxurious than the balnea; generally made of stone compared with the balnea's wooden structure.

Revenge of the Bath Thieves

Bath Quiz