baths, there was often a palaestra, an outdoor courtyard surrounded by columns, which bathers would utilize like a modern day gym. Some activities that would occur in the palaestra included boxing, discus throwing, weight lifting, and wrestling–activities which are all depicted in mosaics from baths in Ostia. Initially a common Greek practice, this athletic competition in daily life became widespread in the Roman world. Another important aspect of a visit to the baths was the ritual of cleaning the body. This was done using oil rubbed into the skin of a bather which would then be scraped off with a strigil, a metal scraper with a dull blade and a handle. They believed that the oil would absorb the dirt on a person's body and encourage sweating that would lead to unclogged pores and better general health. As a social arena, the baths were often used to convene with those of a higher social status. Because both wealthy and poor Romans went to the baths, there was great opportunity for a client to talk to a patron or try and get an invitation to dinner. Social concerns about bathing practices While the baths were enjoyed by almost every Roman, some criticized them. The water was not renewed often and the remains of oil, dirt or even excrement were kept warm, providing a milieu for bacteria. The emperor Marcus Aurelius complained about the dirtiness. Celsus, while commending its therapeutic virtues, warns not to go with a fresh wound because of the risk of gangrene. In fact, several tombstones from across the empire claim: ("Baths, wine, and sex can corrupt our bodies, but baths, wine, and sex make life worth living"), epitaph of Tiberius Claudius Secundus, CIL VI.15258, Rome, 1st C.) The objections of the philosopher Seneca were instead about the associated noise that interrupted his work when he resided above a bath. See also Legacy of the Roman Empire Turkish bath References Further reading ThermeMuseum (Museum of the Thermae) in Heerlen The Economy of Prostitution in the Roman World'', Thomas A.J. McGinn, Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 2004.