The Roman baths are a beautifully preserved glance into the dominating culture of the western world centuries ago. I was first introduced to the concept of Roman baths in my Latin language class in high school as part of our culture unit; the importance of stress release and mental health intrigued me because I feel our culture severely lacks an emphasis on self-care. Today’s western world has core values of ambition, dedication, and advancement. Rome was not different in these aspects, but the people recognized the worth of relaxation and relief as a way to facilitate innovative thinking. Romans stressed the importance of community thinking, and the baths were simply a way to continue this outside the workplace.
The baths were simultaneously a place to rewind and reflect upon the day, as well as to advance business
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Through aqueducts, water was transported to the baths and heated through a hypocaust system that utilized the natural resources in Bath. The baths themselves required great cooperation, so it is no surprise that this value continued to contribute to Roman culture inside the public baths. I personally find that our culture can be oppressive in its inherent competitive nature. We should be able to cooperate and communicate in our personal and professional lives without impacting our opportunities for success. Perhaps if we had a culture that valued working as a whole more strongly, the cutthroat actions in the professional world would become less common. In Rome, one worked with their colleagues and then relaxed with them—this intertwined nature of professional and personal lives contributed to the humanization of competitors. The openness of the baths created relationships that surpassed the strict boundaries our culture has today, which lends to the aggressive actions we see in the workplace