Hot Springs

I visited the Roman baths here in Bath, built on the only hot springs in England. A shrine was first built here by the Celts to honour the goddess Sulis, a deity the Romans later identified as Minerva. The baths were thought to have curative properties and associated with royalty. I  was told not to touch the water, but hey--when in Bath, amiright?

Public baths have fallen away a bit in our busy Western culture. In Sweden I think people resist the idea merely for practical reasons--we wear a lot of layers. It takes some effort to peel off winter clothes. (I grossly misrepresent my people.) My hometown Umeå has in recent years been debating the location of a new bath house, and legislators finally agreed upon opening its doors in the middle of the city. I like.