Young Blonde Girl Strips Her Bra And Shorts In The Public Bath Area With Tulips Of Various Colors

Roman style public baths were reintroduced to England by returning crusaders in the medieval period, who had enjoyed warm baths in the middle east. These, however, rapidly degenerated into brothels or at least the reputation as such. During the reign of Henry II (1154–89) many bath houses were set up on the South bank of the river Thames in Southwark, south of the city of London. They were called bagnios, from the Italian bagno, the word for bath, or "stewhouses" as the clients of the baths stewed in the hot water. By the 12th century there were 18 bagnios in Southwark alone.
Henry VI (1422–61 and 1470–71) closed the bath houses due to their bad reputation as fronts for brothels, but demand for bathing was so great he was forced to reopen them, limiting the number to 12. Finally in 1546, Henry VIII closed them down for good.
In the late 1790s ritual and elite baths were available, but it was not until the mid-19th century that Britain's first true public bath house was opened. These Turkish baths were popularised by the Turkophile MP David Urquhart. The original baths were used for individual washing and men-only swimming. It was not until 1914 that family bathing was allowed.
The introduction of bath houses into British culture was a response to the public's desire for increased sanitary conditions, and by 1915 most towns in Britain had at least one.