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About Us

The Story of the Bath House

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In 1912, the year of the “Titanic” the doors of Kilcullen’s Bath House opened for business.  The Bath house had been built for the purpose on a site required by the Kilcullen Family as far back as 1898.

 

The Edwardian building at the time as ‘Kilcullen’s Modern Bath House’, an attempt to set it apart from a much older establishment dating from the middle of the 19th century, is today as it was then. 

 

Ironically it is that ‘modern’ building which now gives the Bath House its quaint Edwardian charm, a time capsule to remind the bathers of the simple elegance of a bygone age.  

 

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The beautiful Edwardian fitting comprising the original enormous glazed porcelain baths, solid brass taps and panelled wooden shower cisterns, which a decade ago would have been considered dowdy, now combine to provide the unique ambience of the Bath House. For over 100 years and into the fifth generation of ownership by the same family the Bath House has opened its doors for the summer tourist season.  Cynics are silenced by this enduring testimony to the appeal of the Seaweed Baths.

The Benefits of Seaweed Baths

Tradition along the west coast of Ireland holds that the practice of bathing in hot water and Seaweed provides relief from painful symptoms of rheumatism and arthritis.  The therapeutic power of the Seaweed Bath is attributed to the high concentration of Iodine that occurs naturally in Sea Water and in Seaweed. In its growing process Seaweed extracts this Iodine from the surrounding Sea Water and concentrates it in its fronds to such an extent that some seaweeds have up to 20,000 times the concentration of Iodine of the water in which they grow.

Steam Baths

At the Bath House the “full treatment” comprises a “Steam & Seaweed Bath”.  In concept our Steam bath is very similar to modern Sauna Baths but that is where the familiarity ends... You are enclosed in your individual wooden cabinet with only your head exposed to the light of day.  You can breathe fresh cool air as your body is gently seamed with pure moist vapour. The treatment is completed by taking a warm Seaweed Bath followed by an invigorating cold sea water shower.

What is a Seaweed Bath?

In its growing process Seaweed extracts this Iodine from the surrounding Sea Water and concentrates it in its fronds to such an extent that some seaweeds have up to 20,000 times the concentration of Iodine of the water in which they grow.

As the name suggest it is a bath full of hot Sea Water with seaweed added but to confine the answer to a factual description is to do a great injustice to what it is, to the thousands of people who enjoy it, the ultimate bathing experience....

Imagine that you are immersed in an enormous bath, luxuriating in expensive bath oils.  As you relax you experience weightlessness... you are floating in a tranquil amber tinted sea of unashamed luxury...

You are enjoying the unique experience that is a Seaweed Bath.  The silky oils are those extracted from Seaweed by a simple process, nothing is added, nothing is taken away, simply nature’s best.  The water in your bath is seawater pumped in from the unpolluted waters of the Atlantic that lap on the shore just a stone’s throw away from your bathroom.

The amber tint in the water is caused by the extraction of Iodine from your seaweed, one of nature’s richest sources of this therapeutic element.  

Modern Remedies:

Nowadays given the increased consciousness of the dangers if synthetic drugs and chemicals to both ourselves and to our environment more and more people are reverting to traditional remedies and methods. This is evidenced by the growth in popularity of the use of homeopathy and other “alternative” treatments of human ailments as well as the organic methods of food production.  

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This swing towards healthier living has brought with it, among those who are aware of their existence, renewed interest in Hot Sea Water and Seaweed Baths as a natural aid to general wellbeing.


Today a whole new generation of bathers are frequenting the Bath House... Ladies anxious to anoint their skin in a bath full of nature’s purest moisturizer (a Seaweed Bath has the consistency of olive oil) the active young sportsperson anxious to avoid post match or workout stiffness, the tense business person who wishes to unwind or the individual who wishes to wallow in a hot bath with a difference, they all find their Mecca at the Bath House.  

 

Seaweed bathers can also be secure in the knowledge that when the plug is pulled, nature is treated as gently as they have been... nothing added, nothing taken away.

Massage Therapy

A Relaxing Therapeutic Message is the perfect complement to a Seaweed Bath. The combination of Bath and Massage induces a feeling of deep relaxation and well being.  Our highly skilled therapists provide half hour or one hour sessions, by appointment.

 

Phone: 096 – 36238 or just call into reception.

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