Bath Glossary

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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

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