A brief cultural history of the sento from a hot water nut I
guarantee I go to the sento (public bathhouse) more than you. I
know it’s not a contest but, if it were, I would win. I feel the
overwhelming need to share my obsession. Historians date the
first public sento to around 1266. An 80-cm. entryway to a mixed
bath led to a dark cave containing a pool of hot water. Bathers
cleared their throats in order to let their location be known,
although this custom bears no relation to the oji-san hacking on
the stool next to you today. On Sept. 1, 1923, fires from the
Great Kanto Earthquake burned almost all of the traditional
wooden sento in Tokyo. When they began building again, it became
a nationwide standard to use ceramic tile for the purpose of
function and safety. Patrons immediately began throwing out
their backs on the slippery surface. Fast-forward to 1970, the
peak of the small sento. In the aftermath of WW II, Japanese
flocked to the baths to re-root themselves in their long-
standing convention. Howeve