Sanctuary & Sweat: Thermic Bathing as an Instrument for Systemic Health

Abstract

This thesis examines two purification processes in tandem: public bathing and stormwater filtration. It posits that mind/body relationships are analogous to social/ecological relationships, and proposes a thermic bath and stormwater treatment park in Seattle, Washington to examine this idea. A thermic bath, or sweat and cold bath, is a ritual cleansing space with impacts that extend beyond the bath itself, into each the interior mind and the exterior world. Consistent thermic bathing supports physical health and integration between mind, body, society, and ecology. Waterfront thermic baths invite the public to physically engage the urban-ecological threshold of city shores. Yet in Seattle, many shorelines are armored and industrialized, and water quality is degraded by stormwater runoff. Swimming is deterred and watershed health is continually damaged. The design investigation of this thesis proposes a network of measures to intercept, filter, and infiltrate stormwater runoff, culminating in a shoreline thermic bath. Together, a waterfront thermic bath and publicly-visible efforts to achieve swimmable waterways form a positive feedback loop. Each initiative promotes increased awareness of and engagement with self, society, and the greater body of ecology.