If you went
to a bathhouse in the nineteenth century this is what you would Pay:
Baths:
First water - .50 cents
Used water – .25 cents
Soap & Towel – .20 cents
It’s hard to
imagine bathing in used water even though as a child my mom would have three or
four of us kids in a bath at a time. And if I you’ve been out on the trail for a
long while I suppose some wouldn’t care.
There was no indoor plumbing so someone would
have to go to their water supply outside and bring in five to six buckets of
water. Then they boiled the water on the wood stove.
As a child, when
I stayed at my grandparent's house, this is how we bathed. My grandparents had
no indoor plumbing until I was in my teens.
Bath houses
were essential for travelers, miners, and cowboys of the old west coming off
the dusty trails. When they reached town sometimes, they had not showered for
weeks or even months.
Bathhouses could
be found at hotels, barbershops, and sometimes taverns depending on the size of
the town.
Bathhouses served
as a social spot where travelers would exchange information.
Some bathhouses
used natural hot springs. People would go to them for healing purposes.
It was
during the 1880’s when Railroads, and mining in the bigger cities brought with
them the first modern plumbing systems to the wealthier sides of town. It took
a long while for everyone to receive inside plumbing.
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this little tidbit
Exciting
News
Cooper’s
Snoopers.” Cooper’s Snoopers fans get ready for book #4 “The Fake - Out” on
August fifteenth.
1 comment:
In today's world, I wouldn't want to share bath water with someone else. Back then, having been taught that this is the norm, I probably would bat an eye lash. Thanks for sharing, Ruthie.
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