Traditionally, baths and ablutions were considered to be a sign purificatio, as is the case with the Christian baptism, the Koranic ablutions, or the immersions in the Ganges typical of Hinduism.

Aside from bathing in cold rivers or at sea, Homer's poems mention hot baths taken at specified sites. Hot springs were of spcecial relevance to the Romans, Caracalla being the most important due to its magnitude and splendour.

Contrary to the claims of a well known legend, the tradition of bathing was not lost in the occidental world of medieval times. It was during the Counter Reformation that baths began to be considered as therapeutic and administered with caution.

As for bath linens, it was the Turks who in, after testing its effectiveness in the arid desert, introduced terry cloth as being the most ideal material to dry the body off with .