Photograph of Sports Massage at Portobello Bathing Pool

Category

Museums & Galleries Item

Item no

52276

Title

Photograph of sports massage at Portobello bathing pool

Description

Black and white photograph taken at Portobello Swimming Baths of the massage parlour. A shirtless man is lying face-down with his head resting on a folded towel receiving a shoulder massage from another shirtless man.

Accession number

HH5307/10/90

Copyright

The City of Edinburgh Council Museums & Galleries

Until 1979, Portobello had two swimming baths. One was a state of the art Art Deco outdoor pool complex with swooping diving boards and heated by the neighbouring power station. The other, shown here, was a Victorian building which at one time boasted not only a seawater pool, but a Turkish bath, reading room, smoking room and gym.

When the boundaries of the City of Edinburgh expanded in 1920 to incorporate Portobello, the swimming baths came under the management of the city's council, or Corporation as it was then known. Guests to the baths were given freshly cleaned towels with the Corporation brand. To enjoy the Turkish baths, they could have a massage while moving through a series of progressively hot rooms. This was developed by the Romans and the rooms have kept their Latin names (Tepidarium, Caldarium, Laconicum and finally the ice cold Frigidarium).

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