In the Italian sauna culture article, you will learn about the Roman spa and the Italian sauna culture. Or does Italian sauna culture even exist?
Are there saunas in Italy?
Can children have a sauna in Italy? What about pregnant women?
Do men and women sauna together?
What do Italians think about nudity?
Italian sauna culture
Roman baths
Thermae, or Roman baths, existed throughout the Roman Empire, even before the beginning of the calendar. Residents could bathe, care for their health and fitness, and spend free time there.
In the Roman Empire, thermae were a sign of wealth and prosperity. The spas were visited by customers belonging to different social ranks. Both the rich and the poor went to bathe.
Men and women also bathed in communal baths.
The Greek baths or balnae were the predecessors of the Roman baths. Mental and physical exercises were practised in the gymnasiums.
Thermae, or Roman baths, were later born from the hands of Roman engineers.
In the 10th century, thousands of Roman baths existed around the kingdom.
However, in the 200s, the construction of spas waned a bit.
In the 4th and 5th centuries, the spa culture ceased functioning during the migrations.
In the Byzantine Empire, i.e., the spa area, the bath tradition continued until the 500s and 600s. At that time, however, the economic difficulties of the Byzantines and the Arab conquests radically reduced the spa culture.
The Arabs adopted the Roman spa customs. At the same time, they transferred the spa culture to the Turks. That’s why the Turkish sauna has many features in common with the Roman spa culture.
The structure of the spas
The spas were of different sizes. The thermal baths and spa sections were large and also had educational spaces like libraries.
The biggest baths could hold up to 3,000 bathers at once (Diocletianus).
Smaller baths were called balneos.
The spas had a changing room, apodyterium, a cold room, or a frigidarium with a cold water pool or piscina, a lukewarm room or tepidarium, a hot room or caldarium with a hot water pool. A hotter room, i.e. laconicum or sudatorium.
In addition, there was a palaestra, i.e. a sports field without a roof, and other facilities in the large termini.
The baths were visited in an order: First a cold room, then a warm room and then a hot room. After that, you went to the warm room and the cold room.
Hypocaust heating
The spas were heated using hypocaust heating. The rooms had a hollow floor of brick columns, and a plumbing system was installed in the walls. Thus, the combustion gases of the fire burned in the hearth of the spa wall, i.e. praetorium, heated the rooms and pools through the floor and walls.
It was possible to get a temperature of 80 degrees in the hottest rooms. And for warm rooms, it’s 50 degrees.
Because the spa was heated with the help of firewood, it became the most significant expense of the spa. The spas had to be closed in small towns when no firewood was left, or it was too expensive.
Saunas in Italy nowadays
Saunas can be found in hotels or spas. They can be Turkish or steam saunas, Finnish saunas, or Finnish saunas.
Only a few expat Finns have home saunas.
However, you cannot throw water on the sauna stones in public saunas; the temperature may only be 60 degrees.
The saunas have the same hourglasses as German saunas. Some of the saunas and sauna customs have indeed been learned from the Germans.
Who take saunas
Men and women take a sauna together, but with swimwear or a towel on. Unfortunately, children under 16 cannot use the sauna in Italy. Many places have signs that forbid children from entering.
Pregnant women are not allowed in the sauna.
Nudity in Italy
In Italy, they are shy about nudity. For example, signs in the shower rooms state that you are not allowed to wash naked in the open showers. Washing must take place in a shower cubicle with a door.
Clothes must also be changed in a changing room with a door.
However, men’s and women’s changing rooms and washrooms are separate.
However, Italian television shows often include nude scenes. The bodies are often as beautiful and trained as possible in these scenes. It’s no wonder young people get body dysmorphia, and many people have self-image problems.
A small sauna vocabulary
Finnish sauna – Sauna finlandese
Kiulu – conteritore d’acqua or conteritore per Acqua
Bucket – secchio
Ladle – mestolo
Stove – Stufa or caldaia
Steam sauna – Sauna a vapore
I hope this Italian sauna culture article helped you when you were looking for information about Italian sauna culture.
Are you interested in other sauna cultures? The blog also contains comprehensive information about different sauna cultures. You can start with the German sauna culture, for example.
Read more: German sauna culture
Love, Sauna-Kati
