Explain how thermae were used by ancient Roman bathers

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Romans would go daily to bathe, steam, receive massage, relax, and listen to poetry. After the workday, people went to the baths. A large, central courtyard was the exercise area; it was surrounded by a shady portico that led into the bathing rooms. Bathers would either swim in the large outdoor pool, or apply oil to themselves and participate in physical exercise. After exercise, since soap had not been invented yet, the bathers would have the dirt and oil scraped off with a curved metal instrument called a strigil. The bathers then had several rooms from which to choose. The tepidarium was the warm room and had heated walls and floors, but sometimes had no pool of water. The caldarium was the hot bath. There was a large tub or small pool with very hot water and a waist-high fountain called a labrum with cool water to splash on the head and neck. The cold room was the frigidarium, which had a cold pool. Other rooms offered moist steam, dry heat like a sauna, and massage with perfumed oils. The order in which a bather visited the rooms would vary. Generally, however, the tepidarium and caldarium were used first, and the frigidarium last. After bathing, patrons could stroll in gardens, visit a library, watch performances by entertainers, listen to a literary piece, or get a snack from food vendors.