The Greeks preferred baths in fresh water from natural resources, although bathing in the sea (thalassotherapy) as also common. In Homeric times, bathing was primarily used for cleansing and hygienic purposes. By the time of Hippocrates (460–370 BC), bathing was considered more than a simple hygienic measure; it was healthy and beneficial for most diseases. Hippocrates proposed the hypothesis that the cause of all diseases lay in an imbalance of the bodily fluids. To regain the balance a change of habits and environment was advised, which included bathing, perspiration, walking, and massages.5 The baths were often combined with sports and education, the precursors of the gymnasium. Jackson R. Waters and spas in the classical world. Med Hist
