Above- 1872 Bird's Eye View of Charleston.  Bath house is on extreme left- sticking out of the peninsula  Scans at end of post are close-ups of bath house.  Image from Library of Congress.

Salt water bathing was all the rage in Charleston in the 19th century.   The briny wash was presumed to have medicinal properties – it was thought that by simply immersing oneself in the salt water of the ocean would help safeguard against illness, or assist the body in staving off an existing aliment.  This was not a new fad, but rather the revival of a much older tradition.  The Greeks and Romans visited spas and springs seeking the same benefits, as did many of the sick of the medieval period.  In the 17th century many doctors began advertising through pamphlets the benefits of exposure to salt water.

Two centuries later this notion was back in vogue.  Charlestonians, as health-consciousness as any of their neighbors, were eager to reap the health benefits of their coast.   Over the course of the 1800’s several of these baths sprung up around the peninsula.   One was built on the grounds of the public park, also known as White Point Gardens or the Battery.  The one featured in this photograph is circa 1880, and was anchored near the Battery in the Ashley River.  This floating wooden structure was reached by crossing a long pier.   

Several of the baths provided private tubs, as well as swimming pools.   In proper Victorian form, men and women were strictly segregated, although their bathing gowns were quite concealing (at least by modern standards).  Many of the baths also offered saloons where drinks were served with delicacies such as ice cream and pastries.  The experience was not meant to be a quick jump in the water, but rather a relaxing affair consuming most of the day - proof that our antebellum ancestors, rather than Generation X,  invented modern spa culture.  

For all of their supposed benefits, the bath houses near the Battery were destined not to survive.   Being situated on the water’s edge meant they were likely to be destroyed by the frequent hurricanes, a bad storm, or even cyclones that sometimes swept Charleston.  Rebuilding them was a costly affair, sometimes out of reach of the proprietors.   Another factor contributing to their disappearance was concern that the baths may be spreading more disease than it was curing.  No matter how much the city regulated their operation, outbreaks of infectious diseases such as Cholera were traced back to bath houses.   Some complained of a more ascetic reason why the bath houses should be razed, they were “unsightly” and marred the view of the water.    

 By the late 1800’s the bath houses near the Battery were gone.  Yet, the salt water revival continues without them.   Several spas and natural medicine practitioners across the globe continue to extol the virtues of salt water baths and dips.  

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