For experienced bath lovers, this question will seem strange, and for those who are just beginning to learn this art, quite appropriate. Why do you need a font? Where does the history of the font begin? We will tell in this article.
The roots of modern font have a long history of origin and take us thousands of years back to the times of ancient Egypt. For thousands of years, people have used baths and natural hot springs for socialization, health, and worship.
More than 4000 years ago, the healing properties of hot baths were already known. In addition, the Egyptians actively added essential oils and flowers to their baths for greater benefit from the session. Affluent Egyptians built separate rooms for bathing, and took hot baths up to four times a day.
The Romans in turn also had a great influence on the development of spa treatments. They completely rethought bathing and added not only contrast showers, but also massage and sports activities to herdnart water procedures.
In 759 A.D. on Shikoku Island in Japan, the first descendants of modern baths, the ofuro baths, appeared. A person is immersed in an ofuro up to the shoulders. To keep warm, part of the ofuro can be closed with a special lid. Only many years later this useful tradition came to the countries of Eurasia, where a fashionable trend for this kind of recreation was formed.
For us, the font is mostly associated with an oak barrel, which stood in the Russian bath. Earlier, the font was used as a bath for washing and warming. In its form it is a large wooden barrel, which is characteristic of the style of ancient Rus — a large, simple and practical design. If the bathhouse was built near a river or lake, there was no special sense in the font.
As a rule, fonts were made of cedar, larch, or oak. Fonts made of this material are the most saturated with medical properties.
However, those who could not afford a font, solved this issue in a simpler way. Snowdrifts, ice-holes and rivers served as an analog of the font.
Instead of cooling, fonts were also used for warming. Hot water was poured into the font, and special thrill-seekers could take it outside in the cold.
