Ancient traditions

Origin of the Hammam: discover its history and create unique relaxing place in your home spa

Building a Stenal hammam in your home or hotel means rediscovering the ancient language of thousand-year-old civilizations such as the Greeks and the Romans, who considered it an indispensable meeting point in the polis. Monuments or even small towns within the city, the spas spread in the imperial age thanks to the development of advanced construction techniques: for the heating of the water, fireplaces were used to diffuse hot air in the spaces below the rised floors on which the baths were located. Typically, they were developed in a specific order: first, the room of the frigidarium, usually circular, with a dome roof and water at low temperature; then the calidarium, generally south-facing, where guests benefited from the toning effects of the cold to hot contrast, which also stimulates circulation. Occasionally, between the two rooms there was a room maintained at intermediate temperature, the tepidarium. Similarly to the ancient Egyptians, perfumes and spiced wines were thrown into the water, to please the gods.At the sumptuous baths of Caracalla, the patricians not only had massage rooms, personal cleaning and gym facilities, but also libraries, small theaters, reading and conversation rooms, and even shops. In Roman baths, like in Arab hammams, relaxation and sociality were in fact harmoniously linked: business, politics and marriage were arranged there.