Changes

In Europe during the Medieval period, many public bath houses faded away as norms and infrastructure used to sustain bath houses receded after the fall of the Roman Empire. In other regions, such as the Middle East and Asia, bath houses continued to be used as public spaces even after religious change. In fact, in Islamic regions, ritual purity was strongly associated with bathing, requiring public baths to be built in many regions. Similar to the Romans, this extended to the concept of hot springs having a healing element to them. Thus, it was not only cleanliness that was desired but also healing from various physical ailments. During the Medieval period in Europe, we see contrasts in concepts of public bathing. At times, there were possible prohibitions against public bath houses since they could be places for what was seen as illicit sexual behavior. In other cases, bathing was encouraged not only for cleanliness but it was also seen as a way to improve health, including hot and cold baths helping with stomach and heart problems.