Evolution of the Bathroom

Once simply a place to take care of hygiene necessities, the humble bathroom has now reached the status of a high-tech eco-spa luxury escape of your dreams; however, it’s been a long journey from Roman baths to outhouses to our current modern facilities. The following timeline traces the bathroom’s fascinating history from ancient times to the present.

• 3000 BC – Known as the “Age of Cleanliness,” the third millennium BC saw the invention of toilets and sewer systems in several parts of the world including Rome and India. “Western-style” toilets sat atop vertical chutes that carried waste into cesspits or street drains. The toilet itself was made from bricks and featured a wooden seat.

• 2500 BC – Many houses in India had water-borne toilets covered with burnt clay bricks. These toilets were linked with drains leading to a municipal drainage system.

• 1700 BC – The earliest known bathtub was found in the Palace of Knossos in Crete and had plumbing remarkably similar to today’s modern plumbing.

• 1500 BC – Alabaster bathtubs with advanced plumbing bringing both hot and cold water were used. Palaces throughout Greece featured ceramic bathtubs in areas specially designated for bathing.

• 44 BC – Romans used marble bathtubs for washing. In Ancient Rome, public as well as private toilets and bathing facilities were available. Separate facilities and water were used for toilets and for bathing.

Bathing had both a spiritual and a social importance in society. Water was considered to have a strong religious value as a way to purify both the body and the soul. Bathing was also seen as a social opportunity to “see and be seen” as much as it was used to relax and rejuvenate.

Bathing facilities were advanced, using both hot and cold water in addition to steam baths. Niceties such as incense, ointments, combs and mirrors were present as well.

• 500-1600 (Middle Ages) – Soap production began and the importance of keeping hands, fingernails, the face and teeth clean was emphasized.

• 1596 – Sir John Harrington, godson of Queen Elizabeth I, invented the flush toilet. The Queen used this first indoor “necessary.” However, due to public ridicule, Sir Harrington unfortunately never made another toilet.

• 1600s (Renaissance) – Bathing declined as water was considered to be a carrier of disease and was therefore feared. Sweat baths and heavy perfumes were used instead. However, clean hands and fingernails were still valued so water was used, but never above the wrist. The finger bowls used for washing hands were a precursor to modern sinks.

• 1600s-1800s – In the West, private bathing facilities become favored over public ones. This began to lay the groundwork for modern bathrooms. During this era, the outhouse – complete with crescent moon – became the most popular type of toilet facility.

Public bathing is still very much alive and well today in other parts of the world, including Japan.

• 1810 – The first rudimentary showers appeared in England. Known as the English Regency Shower, this shower was over ten feet tall and featured a basin at the top. Water was collected, pumped back into the basin and reused. Free-standing showers connected to a running water source would not come along until forty years later.

• 1842 – On December 20th, Adam Thompson installs the first bathtub in the United States in the town of Cincinnati. This tub was built from mahogany and lined with sheet lead.

• 1848 – The modern bathroom as we know it was born. The National Public Health Act of 1848 was passed in the United States, creating an official plumbing code for the country. Affluent homeowners enjoyed private bathrooms with toilets, sinks and bathtubs, and the bath vanity appeared.

• 1872 – The flush toilet was invented by Thomas Crapper (last name is not a coincidence), and the siphon system for emptying the tank became popularized.

• 1880s – Stand-alone, cast-iron claw foot bathtubs began to be commonly sold.

• 1910 – Around this time toilets with elevated cisterns and pull chains began to appear.

• 1930-1980s – Toilets truly began to come into their own with a myriad of designs, colors, and materials.

• 1997 – Japan introduced a high-tech, “smart” toilet with a heated seat and a silent lid closure.

• Currently – Ultra high-efficiency toilets are being used more and more commonly. Vacuum-system toilets use less than a gallon of water per flush. Waterless urinals are also available.

Today’s bathrooms are not only about taking care of fundamental hygiene. The modern bathroom is a complex mesh of high technology and a return to nature. On the one hand, bathrooms today are a technological marvel with such luxuries as heated towel rails, televisions, cell phone docks, and built-in stereo systems. On the other hand, a more environmentally conscious consumer is now demanding toilets, sinks, and showers use less water and tread more lightly on the earth. Additionally, the surge in popularity of the spa-inspired bathroom is resulting in luxurious bathrooms that are environmentally friendly – as well as a joy to spend time in.

Ryan Tupper has been a contractor and plumber for ten years and has seen bathrooms evolve extensively even in that short time. Ryan turns to DecorPlanet.com for his bathroom updating needs.

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