In pre-revolutionary Russia, attending spas has been a tradition since the late 19th century as a healthy treat. The following photographs from the 1890s show unidentified men were taking part in cleansing rituals and massages in the famous oriental baths in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital.
Georgia was part of the Russian Empire when these photographs were taken, and the Georgian version of Bath had sulphur springs where the aristocracy received a cleansing. Spa therapy is a tradition that traces back to ancient Greece, where great thinkers like Hippocrates and Homer took ‘recreational baths’ to keep their minds clear.
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