TAKING THE WATERS Part One Healing with Spring Water By Shari
In ancient times many people believed that bathing in a particular spring, well or river resulted in physical and spiritual purification. Ritual purification using water existed among the Native American Indians, Persians, Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Today, it can be found in the religious ceremonies of Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Muslims and Jews. These rituals reflect the ancient belief in the purifying and healing properties of water. You can see daily rituals performed in Bali by sprinkling holy water over an offering or going to one of the water palaces such as Pura Tirta Empul or Narmada in Lombok to drink and bathe in the water. Narmada is known as a “fountain of youth”.
Our modern spa procedures are based on Greek bathing regimes, dating back to 2000 BC. In Europe it was the Greeks and Romans who harnessed the spring waters and built bathhouses around them. According to Greek mythology certain natural springs were blessed by the gods to cure disease and the Greeks established bathing facilities around these sacred pools. Believers left offerings for the gods and bathed in these pools in hope of a cure. The Spartans also developed a primitive vapor bath.
Emulating the Greek bathing habits, the Romans turned their baths into a fine art. As they expanded the Roman Empire, they built baths by natural hot springs, taking their culture with them. Many of the baths had a gymnasium or sports field next to them. “Baths were not a luxury. Baths were the foundation of civilization. Baths were what raised every Roman citizen above the level of the wealthiest barbarians. Baths instilled the triple disciplines of cleanliness, healthfulness and strict routine.” 1 Aqueducts were created to supply water to the baths and once cement was invented, building large edifices was easier and cheaper. Most homes didn’t have their own water systems so public baths were built for citizens to indulge. The caldarium contained hot sunken pools; the laconicum was the steam room and the tepidarium was a room for massage and scrubs. The Romans also developed baths in their colonies around natural hot springs in France, Britain, Germany and Austria to name a few. These baths were centers for recreational and social activities and business meetings for Roman communities in their daily visits to the baths. Libraries, lecture halls, gymnasiums and formal gardens were part of some bath complexes. The people used the thermal waters to relieve suffering from rheumatism, arthritis and overindulgence in food and drink. Prostitutes of both sexes also made the baths their business sites with sexual activity occurring openly in the baths.
After the death of Emperor Constantine in 337 A.D. the Roman Empire began to decline. The baths were taken over by the locals throughout Europe. During the Dark Ages the local people continued using the baths for healing and social activities. Floating tables held food and drinks for patrons, the ladies wore their jewelry and hats while the men also wore hats as they gossiped and played games. For entertainment, musicians played while sitting in the baths too. The bath was their entertainment center. The opening of the baths was announced each morning by a crier patrolling the streets summoning people to the baths. During the Middle Ages, licentious activity in the baths led to the spread of diseases such as a syphilis epidemic in Europe. The Christian church then condemned the baths, advising people that bathing caused disease and sickness and encouraging the closing of many baths. People came to believe that the opening of the pores from sitting in warm water or steam allowed diseases to enter their bodies. As Christian empires expanded, the use of baths declined and cleanliness became the mark of a heretic. It didn’t help that the Jews stressed cleanliness and Muslims also required bathing for personal hygiene. Therefore, bad body odour and a dirty neck became the sign of a good Christian. King Louis XIV was known to have only bathed twice in his lifetime.
Did you ever watch a movie set in the 17th century where everyone was wearing elaborate wigs and wonder why? Due to lack of bathing, people had head lice and often shaved their heads, so they wore wigs. They also wore heavy perfumes to mask the body odours. However, the wealthy changed their clothes often, believing that the clean cloth would clean their bodies. The poor people couldn’t afford many clothes, being lucky if a man owned 2 shirts, so they remained dirty on the outside and inside.
Meanwhile, Roman-style baths were established in Islamic countries during the Medieval and Renaissance periods. The hamman was a major feature of Islamic culture, used for cleaning the body first, then soaking and socializing. During the Ottoman Empire, public hammans or Turkish baths were built in colonized countries with a hamman for the men and another in the harem for the women. These were places for social gatherings with entertainment, food and dancing. The hammans also had young male masseuses from non Muslim countries such as Greeks, Armenians, Jews and Bulgarians, who provided soaping, scrubbing and massage as well as being sex workers.
Britain is well known for having some famous healing water spas. In 1626, in the coastal town of Scarborough, a stream of acidic water running from one of the cliffs was discovered and believed to have healing properties, giving birth to Scarborough Spa, the first seaside resort where bathing in seawater became part of the healing program. Bath is another famous spa, known for its bath fed by three hot springs. Bath was founded in 863 BC after Prince Bladud was cured of leprosy by bathing in its water and later developed by the Romans during their occupation of Britain.
The term “spa” comes from the town of Spa, Belgium, known in Roman times as Aquae Spadanae, a well-known site of healing hot springs that has been frequented since at least 1326 and used to treat illnesses that were caused by lack of iron by drinking chalybeate or iron bearing elements found in the spring water. An Englishman named William Slingsby, who had visited the Belgium town he called Spaw, discovered a chalybeate spring in Yorkshire in 1571 and built an enclosed well which became known as Harrogate. This was the first resort in England for drinking medicinal waters. In 1596 Dr. Timothy Bright called the resort The English Spaw, introducing the use of the word Spa as a generic description of a place of healing with water. The name Spa has since been applied to any place having a natural water source that is believed to possess special health-giving properties.
In 1718, Peter the Great visited Spa and upon his return to Russia ordered spas to be built around Russian hot springs. He also built facilities nearby to lodge and entertain guests of high social status. The Russian banya became an essential part of life for all people, from the peasants to the Tsars, used also for religious ceremonies, to heal people when they got sick and for women to give birth. People would lie on shelves in the steam-bath, rubbing their body and beating themselves with birch twigs, then pour on cold water or roll in the snow, returning to the hot bath to repeat this regime. Soon every noble household had its own banya, but virtually every town and village had a public banya because it was regarded as a way of getting rid of disease. By the 16th century, physicians at Karlsbad, Bohemia were prescribing that the mineral waters from the spring there be taken internally as well as externally. Patients soaked in warm water for up to 10 hours a day while drinking glasses of water. Pustules erupted on their skin, which they believed were poisons coming out of the body. Then they would soak in hot water to clean the wounds.
Being an island of volcanoes, Bali has several hot springs, which the Balinese have been visiting for centuries to alleviate arthritis, rheumatism and muscular pains and skin problems by soaking in the sulphur rich water. The most well known hot springs is just outside of Lovina called Air Panas Banjar. Landscaped in tropical greenery it has a pool with 8 fierce looking naga heads with warm water gushing out of their mouths, massaging the neck and shoulders. The water overflows into a larger swimming-like pool with 5 more nagas. A smaller pool at the side has 3 meter high spouts of even hotter water for a pummeling massage. These pools have become quite popular with locals and tourists.
Air Panas Angseri, which is south of Bedugal is a lovely spot hidden away next to a river, although with good sign posts guiding to this little haven. They have 2 large natural rock pools filled with steaming mineral water. It’s very relaxing to enjoy the thermal waters while looking out at the forest and nearby waterfall. They also have 7 bamboo enclosures with large rock bathtubs inside, big enough for 4 persons for private bathing.
In the Kintamani area is Tirta Sanjiwani hot springs at Toyo Bungkah with 2 large pools filled with hot water spouting from the lava rocks. This scenic place has a serene lakeside setting with a mountain backdrop.
The Balinese visit Tirta Empul, daily and especially at the full moon to drink and to bathe in the water, known as being holy to purify themselves. Founded in 962, the Balinese believe it has magical powers of healing. The temple is important as the water bubbles up into a large crystal clear tank within the temple and gushes out through waterspouts in the bathing pool. There are a series of waterspouts, which most persons begin at the left end of the pool, making a prayer then drinking the water and then proceeding to the next one until they complete the circuit. Many persons catch water at a favourite spout in bottles to take home for personal use.
