Bathrooms, in a sense, are representative of the attitudes of the civilization in which they exist. History records that bathing began as a religious ritual a ceremonial purification, in ancient Egypt. Elaborate public baths date from the Bronze Age over 5000 years ago in Crete. Homer's heroes are depicted as having bathed in tubs made from stone, marble, and wood, and in Rome, the elaborate baths of Caracalla and Diocletian could accommodate more than 1000.
Bathing as a matter of personal hygiene has had a checkered history, from the social aspects of the Roman bath to the preference for uncleanliness in the Middle Ages. Even during the reign of Elizabeth I few baths were found in houses, and the Queen was reported to bathe only once a month. In fact, it wasn't until the Victorian era that bathrooms came to be a separate room in the house. Even the White House didn't have a bathtub until after 1850.
Customs Change
Bathing and bathrooms change with the times and with changing attitudes toward personal hygiene. Technology, of course, plays a large role. The water closet with its sanitary trap, much as we know it today, wasn't introduced on a large scale until the late nineteenth century. Of course, large cities would not be possible without the technology involved in bringing potable water to millions of people and the elaborate sanitary systems necessary to any city. But attitude still plays an important function in the evolution of the bathroom; for this reason many baths are shown in this book to illustrate trends and show what bathrooms may be like in the very near future.
Economics, of course, have an influence on the bathroom. A certain amount of standardization has been necessary in the bathroom fixture industry to keep costs down, and rising building costs mean that each portion of a house must be utilized to the maximum. For many homes, this has meant a bathroom that is about 5 by 8 feet, and many people who find they have to "make do" with a small bathroom are interested in remodeling or redecorating. A substantial portion of the book is directed toward new materials and fixtures for use in remodeling and redecorating.
New Materials, New Designs
A material that is coming more and more into prominence for bathroom fixtures and wall surfaces, particularly around the tub and shower areas, is fiberglass. Some manufacturers believe that fiberglass has not yet been perfected for general fixture use, while others think that it has. In any event, it is likely that more and more fiberglass-reinforced plastic fixtures will be seen. The use of fiberglass permits almost infinite design possibilities, and some designs in the drawing board stage reveal entire bathrooms made from fiberglass, ready for installation in the designated portion of the house.
The bathtub itself has evolved from a tub standing on four legs to the tub with an apron, and finally to the universal tub that may be sunken or built up from the floor. Water closets are being fashioned so that they do not even look like water closets. Lavatories are being placed in builtin cabinets and in small islands between the master bedroom and the master bath.
Bath boutique shops and entire sections of department stores devoted to bath accessories are evidence of the increased interest in improving bathrooms. It has long been recognized that the bathroom often is the one room in the house where a person can obtain privacy. In many homes the master bath and master bedroom are integrated so that the bedroom, dressing room, and bath are combined to make a luxurious retreat. Garden views are becoming more and more popular. Some bathrooms now even include saunas and steam rooms.
The time may come when people are willing to give up space in other rooms of the house so that they can have a better bathroom, one that might be characterized as a personal grooming center or a health spa.