Plural of bathhouse; buildings containing bathing facilities for public use, or establishments built around natural hot springs.
Compound of 'bath' (Old English 'bæð') and 'house' (Old English 'hūs'). Bathhouses became especially prominent during Roman times and continued as important social institutions in many cultures.
Roman bathhouses were like ancient gyms combined with social clubs—they had hot, warm, and cold pools, massage areas, and people spent hours there gossiping, exercising, and conducting business.
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