SPA stands for sanus per aquam which in Latin means health through water. SPAs are supposed to provide the atmosphere of peace and relaxation and the activities con- nected with water are to positively affect the human body and mind [6, pp. 66–71]. The term SPA is becoming more and more popular in everyday life. At present SPAs are DVVRFLDWHG ZLWK VSHFLｿF DFWLYLWLHV PDVVDJHV ELRORJLFDO regeneration in its broad sense, baths, etc.) as well as prod- ucts and spaces that are connected with water treatment DQG VSHFLDO ULWXDOV 63$V DUH DOVR UHﾀHFWHG LQ WKH DUFKLWHF- ture of such buildings as thermae, baths, saunas and other buildings that are more and more common also in the city space. The origin of SPAs can be traced back to hot baths that were present in Asia and in time they were adapted in Eu- rope. Still in the 7 th –5 th centuries B.C. there were cases RI EXLOGLQJ ERQｿUHV XVHG DOVR IRU EDWKV PDLQO\ E\ 6ODYLF tribes as well as in Syria, Greece, and Egypt) [4, pp. 6–7]. 7KH DQFLHQW 5RPDQ EDWKV FDQ EH FRQVLGHUHG WKH ｿUVW SPA spaces. The oldest baths known as thermae were dis- covered at Pompeii and they date back to the 2 nd century B.C. [5]. The Baths of Caracalla from the 3 rd century can be considered some of the biggest. The most important elements of the functional and spatial program of the an- cient baths include apodyterium URRP IRU XQGUHVVLQJ tepidarium URRP IRU ZDUP EDWK caldarium URRP IRU hot bath), frigidarium FROG ZDWHU EDWK palestra RXWVLGH space for exercises). Baths were important buildings in the functional and spatial layout of ancient cities – located in the neighborhood of other important facilities so they FRXOG EH RIWHQ XVHG 7KH JUHDWHVW DQG WKH PRVW PDJQLｿFHQW of them could occupy from several to more than a dozen KHFWDUHV HJ WKH %DWKV RI &DUDFDOOD ｱ KHFWDUHV DQG they housed libraries or gyms and they were big enough to provide room for a few hundred or even a few thou- sand people at the same time. The interior layout of the Roman baths should be considered highly characteristic. %HJLQQLQJ IURP WKH EDWKV RI 7LWXV D GRXEOH V\PPHWUL- cal) layout of the rooms with frigidarium in its center and the other smaller rooms around it was popular. The frigi- darium itself and the spaces around it was very impres- sive, monumental, tall and vaulted often with apses around it, and the whole structure provided effective perspective YLHZV >@ )LJ Later baths were public and few private Turkish baths hamam) or Arab baths popular in Islamic countries. The Barbara Uherek-Bradecka*, Tomasz Bradecki* Cultural aspects of sauna and SPA architecture in the city – examples of design and execution Introduction )DFXOW\ RI $UFKLWHFWXUH 6LOHVLDQ 8QLYHUVLW\ RI 7HFKQRORJ\ )LJ 7KH %DWKV RI &DUDFDOOD LQ 5RPH ｱ $Q DWWHPSW DW UHFRQVWUXFWLRQ OHIW DQG ﾀRRU SODQ ULJKW 6RXUFH >@ KDQG VNHWFKHV E\ 7 %UDGHFNL % 8KHUHN%UDGHFND ,O 7HUP\ .DUDNDOOL Z 5]\PLH ｱ U QH 3UyED UHNRQVWUXNFML SR OHZHM RUD] G\VSR]\FMD SU]HVWU]HQQD U]XWX SR SUDZHM ħUyGáR >@ V]NLFH RGUĊF]QH 7 %UDGHFNL % 8KHUHN%UDGHFND 2012 No. 2(32) DOI: 10.5277/arc120215