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The practice of bathing at different temperatures has existed ever since mankind began using natural thermal springs. Through the development of efficient aqueducts and water-heating systems, the Romans were able to reproduce these benefits across the Empire, whether in public thermal baths or in private villas. In early modern Europe, the ruins of these structures had a dual impact: on the one hand, they bore witness to a culture of the body that had been lost; on the other, they were complex structures requiring careful observation to understand how they functioned. Innovations introduced over time in the fields of construction and hydraulics, underpinned by advances in medicine, led to the creation of physical spaces that became the settings for specific social rituals of bathing – initially reserved for the few but later extended to the many. Against this backdrop, we propose a seminar that begins by examining the significance of the ruins of the thermal baths in the training and practice of architects between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries.