What is a Slipper Bath?
A slipper bath is a bathtub which is slightly deeper on one end than on the other. It is also possible to find a double slipper bath, where the sides along both ends of the bathtub are raised and the middle is slightly lower. Many people associate slipper baths with Victorian novels, but they continue to be produced and used today. Several major manufacturers of tubs offer slipper baths in their lines, and it is also possible to purchase restored vintage baths from specialty companies. A classic slipper bath is oblong in shape, and from the side it actually looks vaguely like a slipper. Typically, the taps are located at the shallower end, encouraging the bather to use the higher walled deep end as a lounging support. Depending on a person’s size, he or she may be able to lie down in the bath, or sit up, using the gently sloping back as a support. In the Victorian era, indoor plumbing was just starting to be introduced, and it was not uncommon to find homes with no hot running water. S
A slipper bath is a partially covered bath shaped somewhat like a slipper! People from different classes were kept completely separate and the price of the 2nd Class bath was fixed low to enable the poor the luxury of cleanliness, for it was still a luxury for them at that time to enjoy a hot bath. The health report of 1893 maintained that much disease was preventable by extreme cleanliness and the building of the slipper baths went some way towards the cleanliness needed to improve the health of the working class. Another attribute of the slipper baths was the privacy of having a bath on your own, something not experienced in the overcrowded working class housing in Brighton at that time. A 2nd Class warm bath cost 2d, a cold bath 1d. The 1st Class baths were 6d for a warm bath and 3d for a cold bath. In March 1874 the baths had been filled nearly 16,300 times in 6 months.
