Plaisirs d'eau

At a time when more and more spa treatment centres and balneotherapy institutes are springing up all over the world, and lathering, oiling, massaging and perfuming every inch of your body is all the rage, this documentary takes a look at the world of public baths and the people who frequent them, exploring four great bathing traditions in different parts of the world - the Hungarian thermal baths, the Turkish hammam, the Finnish sauna and the Japanese onsen (hot springs) and sento (bath-house). In all of these countries, bathing has become an art, an integral part of the local lifestyle - and one of life's chief pleasures.
For most people, public baths have vaguely exotic connotations. We know little of the profound, ritual significance of bathing. Bathing traditions reflect the cultures which produced them. In Ancient Rome, they were a focus for social activities; the hammams of the East are thought of as purifying; the Japanese furo and hot tub is supposed to encourage contemplation; and the Scandinave sauna is associated with regeneration.