People have always washed their bodies, but the concepts and methods of washing have constantly changed over time and place. This intriguing evolution is the focus of a new book titled The History of Washing (Hyunamsa) by anthropologist Lee In-hye, who worked as a curator at the National Folk Museum of Korea. According to Chosun Ilbo, Lee’s book delves into the cultural history of bathing around the world, from the bathhouse ruins of the Indus Civilization to today’s neighborhood bathhouses in Korea.
While working at the National Folk Museum, Lee traveled across the country to write a report on Korean bathhouse culture and sometimes bathed twice a day. The author, born in the mid-1980s and from Seoul, was surprised to learn that the first automatic back-scratching machine she saw while researching bathing culture was a novelty. She thought it was common because it was in the bathhouse in her neighborhood when she was young. The automatic back-scratching machine was actually popular mainly in the Busan and Gyeongnam regions of South Korea.
Lee’s book is divided into three parts: Part 1 covers world history from ancient Greece and Rome, through medieval and modern Europe, to Japan and the United States; Part 2 covers Korean history from the Three Kingdoms period to the Japanese colonial period; and Part 3 covers public bathhouses in Korea after liberation. It includes discussions on bathing cultures from the Ottoman Empire, industrial revolution-era England, Native America, and South Korea.
Various elements influence the bathing culture of each region and era. For ancient Romans, public baths were a social activity that one had to visit daily. Roman public baths were “spaces of communication.” In ancient Greece and Rome, where the four humors theory was believed, bathing was a medical treatment to balance bodily fluids. In contrast, in medieval Europe, where it was believed that open pores allowed bad air to enter the body, bathing was considered an unclean and fearful act. For medieval Christians, public baths were seen as “spaces of sin.”
In Islamic cultures, where stagnant water is considered unclean, bathing facilities do not have bathtubs. Instead, steam baths became popular, where people would soften dirt with steam and then wash their bodies with flowing water.
In the Joseon Dynasty of Korea, it was considered rude to show one’s naked body to others, so full-body baths were not common. Bathing scenes from different countries and eras may be quite unfamiliar to modern Koreans. In Korean bathhouses today, bathtubs filled with hot water are essential.
The concept of cleanliness, religious doctrines, public welfare, and the natural environment all intertwine with bathing, creating numerous historical and cultural contexts. Bathing is both an instinctive behavior of animals and a culture of humanity.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.
This article was originally published at www.jpost.com
Author
