“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 ...

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 ...

Watershed Spa will soon have a second destination for communal bathing and holistic wellness in Minneapolis. Watershed founder Nell Rueckl announced Tuesday that she and her team are taking over the ...

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 ...