Bathhouses are making a wave in Australia and overseas. And it's not an isolated trend; it reflects the broader advancement of the global wellness economy, which some reports suggest is outpacing even ...

On a recent concert tour in Japan, I had the chance to visit several thermal baths and to chat with people about the tradition of bathing. I was fascinated by their differences with American spas.

Kiraly Bath, the oldest thermal bath in Budapest, was built by the Ottoman Turks in the 16th century. Communal baths like this one (pictured in 2008) were the public’s main means of washing for ...

Pompeii’s public bathing pools were filled with sweat, skin oil, urine and other bodily fluids from visitors until a Roman aqueduct improved the water quality. That’s the conclusion researchers have ...

“So, where do young people here go to hang out?” someone had asked from the back of the van. We hadn’t even seen a sheep, let alone another car, for miles. “The baths,” our guide had shrugged. This ...

A trip to Pompeii’s public baths meant taking a dip in water contaminated with sweat and urine – until the Romans took over and sanitation improved. It’s easy to think of ancient Pompeii as a typical ...