After a long, sweaty day, taking a hot shower can be the best feeling in the world. Washing off that funky stench is one of the most satisfying things to do.
Imagine if you never had that luxury?
During early centuries, the Christian church said bathing naked was forbidden. They thought it was sinful. Leading to promiscuous sex and immorality. Along with religion, science at the time was on the side of being dirty as well. Medieval doctors thought the warm water widened skin pores, leading to diseases.
Clean water was hard to get, but even those who had access to it rarely bathed. King Louis XIV was said to have bathed just twice in his lifetime. Same for Queen Isabella of Spain. Once when she was born, and once on her wedding day.
The hygiene issues didn’t end there.
In large cities, feces were everywhere due to a lack of indoor plumbing. With stinky people, and even stinkier poo, people used “nosegays.” Bunches of flowers and herbs worn on the body to help combat rotten smells. So next time you run out of hot water just be thankful. Because things could be a lot worse.
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