Britain's bathhouse revival

Good evening.
In 1900, there were 600 Turkish baths in Britain and Ireland. Today, only a handful survive. The recent reopening of the historic City Baths in Newcastle, after an £8m restoration, gave our writer Rachel Dixon the perfect excuse to visit and soak up the ambience of this Grade II-listed building. Built in 1927 on the site of an even older bathhouse, the City Baths closed in 2013, despite being much loved by the people of Newcastle. Following a decade-long local campaign, it reopened in April, “a rare example of a bathhouse that came back from the brink”.
“This cultural institution contributed public cleansing facilities when most people had no running water, therapeutic benefits at a time when modern medicine was barely in its infancy, and destressing, relaxation facilities,” explains historian Malcolm Shifrin. While most of us are fortunate enough to have access to running water, the role of these bathhouses as an affordable, communal space for relaxation and exercise, is arguably as important today as it ever was. A two-hour Turkish bath session at the City Baths costs about £20, which includes a swim in the pool upstairs. Compare that to the prices charged by most private spas, and it’s clear there is still a valuable role for these institutions to play. Having made the case for treasuring these historic buildings, Rachel lists 10 beautiful bathhouses around the UK where you can enjoy “architectural splendour and luxury at leisure-centre prices”.