Thermae Bath Spa
We had to check out the thermal spa. Purely for research. If we are going to undertake this project seriously, it was time to don a gown, and chill.
To be fair, there is no way we can ignore a huge tower of water in the center of Bath. They opened here about ten years ago, and now everyday, deep within the city, long queues form to go to the waters once again. Old architecture mixes with the new.
What a lovely spa. That is our Trip Advisor review. From now we examine in terms of the goddess only. So how do these new Baths portray the history of this magical place?
There are three main areas inside the Baths, split across different floors. The main area is a great sweeping swimming pool in the basement of the building. You can float round in the middle, bob down gentle rapids, massage yourself with pressurised water. This is the grand sell, and it is called the Minerva Bath. They know what they are doing.
The second floor contains your hot and cold rooms. In one sauna a giant mosaic of the goddess’s face covers one wall. The full image is only visible when you are deep inside the room, surrounded by steam on all sides. This theme continues across the facility. Music and blue lights add to the theatre. The face of the Gorgon watches from another wall. Atmosphere soaks you into every room. You get a tiny hint of what those steaming pools must have meant to worshippers in the Roman Baths.
Take a trip to the roof of the building, and you will find a pool with views all over Bath, the water steaming as it hits the cold air. This is the pool seen in most of the adverts. It is a good place to soak, despite the crowd. In terms of our project, think about this. There is now a location in Bath so high you can gaze over the rooftops, see all the way to the hills above, and over the Abbey. But even this far up, the healing waters of the baths smother you in a warm mineral blanket. Water is inescapable.
Back down in the basement, the treatment room hides in a corner. Symbols of the goddess hang on the wall. You have to stay quiet when waiting your turn, and the sense of reverence builds to that of an inner shrine. We tried a treatment that involved floating on the skin of the water. Our shadows waved about on the ceiling, and the water blocked our ears. Outside lorries clatter by, only a couple of hundred metres away. But this was the most calming and silent experience so far. The one that makes you believe there could be magic here. So that was the spa. It is a modern take on the Baths but it doesn't matter if it’s Romans or Celts, Christians or Georgians. Someone down from Huddersfield for the weekend. Paeliolithic man.
People have used these waters for thousands of years, not just for enjoyment or practicality, but with reverence. And sometimes all three.
Inside this Georgian building hides a very modern bath.
