Roman citizens came to expect high standards of hygiene, and the army was also well provided with latrines and bath houses, or thermae. Aqueducts were used everywhere in the empire not just to supply drinking water for private houses but to supply other needs such as irrigation, public fountains, and thermae.
Every day, Romans would finish work around the middle of the afternoon and make their way to the baths. Men of all social classes mixed freely together. Old, young, rich and poor would share the daily ritual of the baths.
The Romans brought aqueducts, heated public baths, flushing toilets, sewers and piped water. They even had multiseat public bathrooms decked out with contour toilet seats, a sea sponge version of toilet paper and hand-washing stations.
in many ways Roman bathing practices were consistent regardless of class Emperors. and common folk alike used a stridgel. which is essentially a small sickle to wipe away sweat. and oil after exercising or bathing Romans would cover themselves in oil then they used a strijil to scrape it off into a gutus.
Not even the Greeks and Romans, who pioneered running water and public baths, used soap to clean their bodies. Instead, men and women immersed themselves in water baths and then smeared their bodies with scented olive oils. They used a metal or reed scraper called a strigil to remove any remaining oil or grime.
Roman citizens came to expect high standards of hygiene, and the army was also well provided with latrines and bath houses, or thermae. Aqueducts were used everywhere in the empire not just to supply drinking water for private houses but to supply other needs such as irrigation, public fountains, and thermae.
One method for combating body odor was a combination of rue, aloe, and rose oil boiled together and then dabbed on the offending areas (20.51). Another—slightly more fitting—recipe was a concoction made from the ashes of goats' horns mixed with oil of myrtle, and then rubbed all over the body (28.79).
Therefore, all classes of Roman society took daily hot baths, but not necessarily in the same place. The wealthy had their own extensive private baths, but still would frequent the public baths since bathing was considered a social activity.
In terms of sanitation, the Roman Empire seemed to be doing a lot of things right: It had public bathing facilities, public toilets, and ordinances dictating how waste should be disposed of. Rome itself had an impressive sewage system—the famed aqueducts.
Not even the Greeks and Romans, who pioneered running water and public baths, used soap to clean their bodies. Instead, men and women immersed themselves in water baths and then smeared their bodies with scented olive oils. They used a metal or reed scraper called a strigil to remove any remaining oil or grime.
Romans used what is called a “Tersorium” – a sea sponge stuck on the end of a stick that was kept in either a bucket of salt water or vinegar. The general population used a communal latrine in Roman times, which consisted of several holes cut in a slab of marble. Picture the hole you sit on in an outhouse.
A sponge on a stick
If you went to the toilet in ancient Rome, you would not have any toilet paper. Instead you may have used a sponge (Latin: tersorium) to wipe. These ancient devices consisted of a stick with a vinegar- or salt water-soaked sponge attached. They were often shared!
Small bathhouses, called balneum (plural balnea), might be privately owned, while they were public in the sense that they were open to the populace for a fee. Larger baths called thermae were owned by the state and often covered several city blocks.
Although it is not known for sure what the Romans wore while bathing, it is believed that they probably wore a light covering called a subligaculum along with special sandals that had very thick soles.
The sewage systems, the public bathing houses, and the diet of citizens in Imperial Rome all contributed to the spread of disease.
The bath is 1.6 metres deep, which was ideal for bathing, and it has steps leading down on all sides. Niches around the baths would have held benches for bathers and possibly small tables for drinks or snacks. A large flat slab of stone is set across the point where hot water flows into the bath.
Menstruation is a form of 'dark magic'
Roman women wore bandages and tampons made of wool. In ancient Egypt, women used soaked papyrus and used it as tampons. In the meantime, the ancient Greeks made tampons from pieces of wood with strips of cloth wrapped around them – they also used these for contraception.
In ancient Rome, women made devices similar to tampons from wool, while ancient Indonesian women used vegetable fibers. Women in Africa made such devices from grass, and ancient Japanese women created similar devices from paper. The word tampon originated from the medieval French word tampion, or a cloth stopper.
Women wore both loincloth and strophium (a breast cloth) under their tunics; and some wore tailored underwear for work or leisure. Roman women could also wear a fascia pectoralis, a breast-wrap similar to a modern women's bra.
While the people of ancient Rome were not familiar with the kind of dental hygiene we use today, they were no strangers to hygiene routines and cleaning their teeth. They used frayed sticks and abrasive powders to brush their teeth. These powders were made from ground-up hooves, pumice, eggshells, seashells, and ashes.
The water reaches the baths at a temperature of 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit) and is cooled to around 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) before it is used in the baths. The water contains high levels of minerals, including sulphur, which give it its distinctive smell.
This is odd, given that human beings have been using what amounts to unisex facilities since the first humans walked upright. Public baths and toilets, many “gender neutral," were the norm in ancient Rome.
"Roman cities must have smelled terrible," says Dr Ager, the author of The Scent of Ancient Magic. At religious sanctuaries, for example, where sacrificial animals were slaughtered, there would have been smells of "a lot of blood and excrement", she says.
The ancient Romans used a mixture of charcoal and goat fat as deodorant. In the 19th century, lime solutions or potassium permanganate were used. These substances work disinfecting. The first commercial deodorant was patented by Edna Murphey in Philadelphia, PA, USA, in 1888.
In crowded fora and the amphitheater, the stench of death from blood sports mixed with the ever-present odors of burning sacrifices to the gods and the funeral pyres just outside city walls. Toilets and public baths were heavy with the smell of excrement, urine and disease.