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#3551484 (Length: 782 characters) In old Rome, the thermae were large bath complexes; while many Roman villas and palaces had private, heated baths, the thermae were public, open to all harried, dirty citizens who needed to relax and get clean. Although layout varied greatly from Roman city to Roman city, in general each had an atrium for relaxation and exercise, a caldarium (hot bath), a tepidarium (warm bath), a frigidarium (cool bath), as well as apodyterium (dressing room) and the like. The really nice ones also had a sudatorium (moist steam bath) and laconium (dry steam bath). The women's baths were almost as elaborate, and more highly decorated with murals and mosaics. After a long day at the Colosseum watching the slaughter, there must have been nothing as luxurious as a visit to the local thermae. |