What is a Roman Tub?
A Roman bathtub is a luxurious bath that is deeper, and often wider, than a regular bath tub.
It allows a person to be fully submerged up to their chin in the water. A Roman bath tub gets its name from the ancient Roman pools that could be found in Roman baths across the empire, where bathers would have to step down into the water, which was deep enough to come up to their necks (although, presumably, some shorter Romans would have had to cling to the side or attempt to tread water!)
Modern day Roman bath tubs also incorporate elaborate faucets, taps and any pipework that is on show, which again harks back to the Roman desire for lavish surroundings and decoration in their baths.
The name can be a little bit of a general description, rather than applying to an exact style of bath.
Some are deep, freestanding bath tubs. Some are built-in baths which have the bottom at floor level and just have sides that are bigger than a regular bath tub so that they are deeper. And others truly incorporate the spirit of Roman bathing by being built-in but having a floor that is actually lower than the rest of the bathroom floor, meaning that a bather really has to step down into it just like an inhabitant of ancient Rome.
While this last option is the height of luxury, it is only affordable by those with a lot of money to spend!
Why Have a Roman Bath Tub?
The answer to that question should be obvious!
Standard bath tubs that most people have in their homes or encounter when away in hotels can be relaxing, but will typically involve you having to make the choice between having your legs underwater and your top half out in the cold, or the other way around so that your top half is under the warm water but your knees are bent and most of your legs are sticking out of the water.
Either way, unless you are not very tall, some part of you will not be covered by the water.
A Roman bath tub, also referred to as a Roman soaking tub, facilitates total relaxation by allowing you to have your whole body in the water at the same time (apart from your head of course... you’ll want to keep that out for breathing.)
These types of bath tubs are not intended for those who want a quick wash and then out again, although, to be fair, most people would take a shower if this is what they wanted.
Rather than a quick bath, a Roman soaking tub is meant for those who truly want to take their time to relax in the bath... or who just don’t like having to have parts of their body out of the water all of the time.
Just How Big Are Roman Bath Tubs?
Because Roman bath tubs are, in the main, freestanding bath tubs - or even produced as a bespoke design according to the bathroom owner’s wishes - there is no uniform size or depth, as they do not have to fit into a specific space.
While standard bath tubs all fall into a pretty narrow size range in terms of length, width and depth, Roman bath tubs have a much wider range of dimensions.
As mentioned at the top of this article, the term "Roman Tub" can also incorporate a number of different bath styles including freestanding and built-in, which means their overall dimensions will be wildly contrasting.
Roman Tub Faucets
Along with the tub itself, there are also the faucets to consider.
In Roman architecture, not only were certain features functional, but they were typically visually elaborate and beautiful too.
For instance, the Romans constructed magnificent aqueducts to carry water to their towns and cities. While some aspects may have been essential to provide structural strength, such as the arches, quite often they were visually impressive not for function, but to show off the Roman’s wealth and power to their enemies (and to impress the general Roman population also).
Roman tub faucets also encapsulate this desire to impress visually. Rather than a boring-looking tap that just provides the water, Roman tub faucets are elaborate pieces that complement the expensive look of a Roman bath tub.
Many are gold-plated or made from polished chrome to provide a brilliant shine, and quite often incorporate a high arch spout for the water.
Some even have that open channel design where the water to flows down horizontally along the top of the tap, which again evokes images of a Roman aqueduct delivering water straight to your bath.
And while it is easy to get caught up in the visual element of the faucets, they are also practical too, capable of delivering the higher volume of water that is needed to fill these larger bath tubs, in a time frame that will not have you hanging around for ages waiting to finally get in and enjoy your soak!
Things to Consider Before Purchasing a Roman Tub
As fantastic as it is to have a Roman bath tub and faucet in your bathroom at home, there a few issues to consider before you buy one and have it installed.
Money
As you’ve probably guessed by now, these things aren’t cheap. Not only will the tub itself cost a lot of money, but so will the fancy faucet that goes with it.
And then of course there is the cost of installing it, not to mention any bathroom remodelling that needs to be done to fit it in, and even other expensive measures that may potentially be required such as strengthening the floor so that it is capable of holding the weight of the much larger tub when it is filled with all that water.
Expect to see your water bill increase significantly too. A Roman bath tub may be fantastic at providing a relaxing bathing and soaking experience by being bigger and containing more water than a regular bath, but all that water needs to be paid for.
Not only will you be using more water, but that water also needs to be heated (unless, that is, you’re going for the Roman frigidarium experience where they immersed themselves in cold water to close the pores after bathing in the hot water of the caldarium!)
Hot Water Heating Capacity
Joking aside, as well as costing money to heat the water, you will also be having a cold or tepid bath if your hot water heater and storage cannot handle the amount of hot water needed for your new Roman soaking tub.
If you can’t get a hot soak, it won’t be very relaxing, which pretty much defeats the point of having one really.
Your Mobility
Lying in a deep bath tub is all well and good, but if it’s painful or damn near impossible for you to get in and out of, it’s probably not a good idea to have one.
Although it may be a feature with which to impress your friends, or add value to your house price, it will be impractical for you to use, especially as you get older, and you will probably wish that you could just have a nice, normal bath and have the money to spend on something else that you can actually get some benefit and enjoyment from.
No Jets, Massagers, Waves or Other Fancy Features
Essentially, a Roman tub is designed for one function: to provide a relaxing, full-soak bath. As such, they hardly ever come with noisy jets or other such features that would disturb this peaceful bathing experience.
If you have the money, it’s certainly possible to install them, but hardly any pre-made Roman tubs will come with these features.
So, if this is something that it important to you, then a Roman bath tub may not be the most appropriate choice for you.
Similarly, Roman tub baths do not normally come with a shower attachment. If you have a separate shower in your bathroom (or have another one to use in another bathroom of your house) then this won’t be an issue. But if you are short on space and need to combine a bath with a shower, then again, a Roman tub is not a wise choice.
Environmental Considerations
Each fill of a Roman bath tub will use more water than would otherwise be needed to fill a regular bath. As mentioned above, this has cost implications for your water bill, but for those trying to lower their water consumption from an environmental perspective, having a larger bath tub will obviously impact this negatively.
Unless you can really go to town and install a fancy water collection and reclamation system that somehow can provide you with enough water for all your bathing requirements, then your overall water consumption from your provider will go up by having a large Roman bath tub.
With many environmental initiatives promoting and trying to encourage people to use less - not more - water, having a Roman bath tub will not be compatible if this is a topic that is important to you.
Conclusion
For those with the money to afford them, having your very own Roman soaking tub will provide you with the perfect way to relax and unwind after a hard, stressful day. You will be able to submerge your body under the hot water, without having your knees squashed up to your chest.
It may be the height of luxury and relaxation, but just make sure that you consider the potential pitfalls mentioned above before you take the plunge (pun intended) and invest in one.
Click here to see a range of freestanding Roman bath tubs
Did you know...
Aqueducts are a man-made conduit for carrying water (Latin aqua, "water," and ducere, "to lead").
