Sea bathing is swimming in the sea or in sea water. Unlike bathing in a swimming pool, which is generally done for pleasure or exercise purposes, sea bathing was once thought to have curative or theraputic value. It arose from the medieval practice of visiting spas for the beneficial effects of the waters. The practice dates back to the 17th century but became popular in the late 18th century. The development of the first swimsuits dates from the period as does the development of the bathing machine. The term spa, derived from the Belgian town of Spa, is traditionally used to mean a place where water that is believed to have special health-giving properties occurs. ... Male model in swimsuit, 2003 A swimsuit (also swimmers), bathing suit (also bathers) or swimming costume (sometimes shortened to cozzie) is an item of clothing designed to be worn for swimming. ... The bathing machine was a device which flourished in the 19th century to allow people to wade in the ocean at beaches without violating Victorian notions of modesty. ...

In the 19th century, the introduction of railways led to the further development of seaside resorts. The high death rate from people swimming in unsafe conditions led to the introduction of surf lifesaving in Australia and lifeguards throughout the world in the early 20th century. With scheduled air transport becoming popular in the latter half of the twentieth century, the development of seaside resort areas such as Ibiza in Spain, the Queensland Gold Coast in Australia and the Florida Gold Coast in the US attract millions of visitors annually. Surf lifesaving is a multifaceted movement that comprises key aspects of voluntary beach patrols and competitive surf sport. ... For the British Army regiment see the Life Guards A lifeguard in the most general sense of the word is an emergency service worker, who is a qualified strong swimmer, trained and certified in water rescue and first aid, who is responsible for overseeing the safety of users of a... Scheduled air transport is the the part of civil aviation that involves airlines operating passenger or cargo flights on fixed schedules. ... Flag of Eivissa Eivissa or Ibiza is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea, and belonging to Spain. ... Glitz and palm trees The Gold Coast is a coastal region approximately 70 kilometres south of Brisbane, Australia that, over the past 50 years, has coalesced from a collection of scattered villages into a city of approximately 480,000 people - currently Australias seventh largest city - and Australias largest... The Gold Coast is a region of the U.S. state of Florida that runs along the southeastern coast of the state between Palm Beach and Miami. ...

Bathing in the 18th and 19th Century

Sea bathing evolves from visiting mineral springs such as Spa in Belgium, Bath in England and Aachen in German. Sea water was similarly believed to have medicinal benefits with William Buchan in his 1707 book Domestic Medicine advocating the practice. Sea bathing and sea water were advocated with winter considered to be the best time to follow the practice. Spa is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Liège. ... Bath - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Map of Germany showing Aachen Aachen (French Aix-la-Chapelle, Dutch Aken) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on the border with Belgium and the Netherlands, 65 km to the west of Cologne, and the westernmost city in Germany, at 50°46′ N 6°6′ E. Population: 256...

Scarborough was the first resort to introduce bathing machines with a John Setterington engraving showing machines in 1736. They were soon adopted in most of the aspiring English seaside resorts. Women would wear "bathing gowns" in the water while the men would wear long swimsuits. Some resorts such as Margate had modesty hoods or tilts which were canvas awnings attached to bathing machines allowing women to enter and leave the water in complete privacy. Map sources for Scarborough at grid reference TA0388 The South Bay at Scarborough Scarborough lies on the North Sea coast of North Yorkshire, England. ... Location within the British Isles Margate was known as Meregate (in 1254) or Margate (in 1293) is on the Isle of Thanet in Kent, England. ...

By the end of the 18th century, sea bathing became highly fashionable with George III visiting Weymouth for the first time with the bathing machines showing God Save the King. Fanny Burney recorded a humorous incident in her diaries. George III (George William Frederick) (4 June 1738 – 29 January 1820) was King of Great Britain, and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until 1 January 1801, and thereafter King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death. ... Location within the British Isles Weymouth is a town in Dorset, England, situated on a sheltered bay -Weymouth Bay- at the mouth of the River Wey on the English Channel coast. ... God Save the Queen is a patriotic song written by Henry Carey. ... Fanny Burney later Madame DArblay (June 13, 1752-January 6, 1840) was an English novelist and diarist. ...

"Nor is this all. Think but of the surprise of His Majesty when, the first time of his bathing, he had no sooner popped his royal head under water than a band of music, concealed in a neighbouring machine, struck up "God save great George our King". (1)

During this period, resorts sprang up along the English coast, such as Weymouth, Bournemouth, Blackpool and Scarborough. In 1771, Tobias Smollett recorded the use of bathing machines in The Expedition of Humphrey Clinker. Jane Austen regularly visited seaside resorts and in her uncompleted novel Sanditon stated "The Sea air and Sea Bathing together were nearly infallible, one or the other of them being a match for every Disorder..." (2) A resort is a place for holidaying or vacationing. ... A coastal image featured on a United States postal stamp. ... Bournemouth is a seaside resort in the county of Dorset on the south coast of England. ... The Tower, Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in England, on the coast of the Irish Sea. ... Tobias Smollett Tobias George Smollett (March 19, 1721 - September 17, 1771) was a Scottish author, best known for his picaresque novels, such as Roderick Random and Peregrine Pickle. ... Jane Austen, in a portrait based on one drawn by her sister Cassandra House of Jane Austen (today it is a museum) Jane Austen (December 16, 1775 – July 18, 1817) was a prominent English novelist whose work is considered part of the Western canon. ... In her final incomplete novel, Sanditon (written in 1817), Jane Austen explored her interest in the oral construction of a society by means of a town – and a set of families – that is still in the process of being formed. ...

Resorts were set up throughout Europe in the late 18th century and early 19th century as far north as Scandinavia. In Victorian times, the railroad made the resorts both more accessible and therefore more popular. In the US, resorts such as Atlantic City became very popular while the French Riviera became popular not only amongst the French but with English visitors. Alternate meanings: See Atlantic City (disambiguation) Atlantic City is a city located in USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 40,517. ... The Promenade des Anglais in Nice on the French Riviera at night. ...

Dippers or guides were used with the bathing machines and they escorted visitors into the water. Some of the dippers became quite famous with Martha Gunn and Old Smoaker of Brighton both having worked for the Prince Regent. The role of the dipper was to ensure that the guest had enough dips with three immersions being the preferred treatment. Brighton on the southern Sussex coast is one of the largest and most famous seaside resorts in England. ... George IV (George Augustus Frederick) (12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Hanover from 29 January 1820. ...

While the swimming costumes of the early nineteenth century were quite modest, it was very common to men to swim naked away from women in the UK especially in lakes, streams and rivers but at the seaside as well. When Benjamin Disraeli said of Robert Peel in the House of Commons "The Right Hon. Gentleman caught the Whigs bathing, and walked away with their clothes" (3) about the switch to free trade, everyone understood the anology. Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (December 21, 1804 - April 24, British Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and author. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... This article is about the British Whig party. ...

However, the practice was eventually banned in the UK in 1860. In New South Wales, bathing in the ocean was banned during daylight between 1838 and 1902. Bathing was segregated in the United Kingdom until 1901. Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Governor Premier Const. ...

Bathing in the 20th and 21st Century

Though no longer widely conisdered to actually cure disease, sea bathing is still practiced in coastal areas around the world. Shades of the supposed curative properties of sea water can still be noted with the trend of bath products containing Dead Sea salt, which is claimed to provide some relief from certain skin diseases. The Jordan River flowing into the Dead Sea The Dead Sea (Arabic البحر الميت,Hebrew ים המלח) is the lowest exposed point on the Earths surface. ...

References

Online References

Further Reading