Studio39Designs

Health Club – Pompeii Style

I know I always thought of ancient people as being rather simple, sort of living hand to mouth.  But, in Pompeii, they actually had a sort of health club.  However, things truly have improved over the years, even tho at times we may think they haven’t.  This health club was for men only, and no, women didn’t have a health club of their own.  Some change is good!

Pompeii Gym for Men

As we entered the “health club”, we first walked into an open area that was considered the formal gym area where men would work out.  No women allowed, tho!

Ceiling Art in Gym

Even in a gym, there’s some art around on the ceilings!  These people were amazing in this regard.  Look how intricate the design is.  I feel like I can use some of this as background for my digital art – not stealing from these ancient artists, but use it as a foundation and build on it with my own art!

Frigidarium In Pompeii Gym

There was a small little doorway off the main hall in the inside of the gym that had some really nice fresco art on the walls.  This room is called a frigiarium, and was a cold water tub where the men could soak after a good workout.

Sunlight Stream in Caldarium

We then walked into another room, the caldarium, which was a warm water room.  There was a lovely sort of niche that has some very cool texture on the wall, with sunlight streaming thru a window into the room.  What is that sort of concrete blob in the area?  I believe it was a foundational structure that actually held up the floor and allowed an empty space between the floor of this room and the actual ground.  Why?

Radiant Floor Heat Pompeii Era

Because back 2,000 years ago, the people of Pompeii actually had radiant floor heat capabilities!  Crude, but effective.  The floor was raised and then water, heated by the sun, was pumped into the floor thru tubing of sorts.  Pumped may not be the right word – it may have been gravity fed.  I don’t know all the engineering details of this, but was totally amazed that radiant floor heat actually existed so long ago!

Enjoy!