Seducing the Senses presents the incomparable delights of the luxury spa experience. For despite common associations with fitness, weight loss, and other regimes, the luxury spa remains first and foremost a source of relaxation, rejuvenation, and pleasure. It was the ancient Romans who introduced the western world to the pleasures of water and massage. They elevated spa treatments to an art form at their magnificent thermae, and today their legacy lives on. Following a look at the ancient world of sumptuous public baths, this book explores the water therapies and massage practices that have since developed across the globe, treatments that soothe the senses as well as the soul in the Roman tradition of luxurious hedonism.