King Louis XIV (1638-1715) was terrified of bathing; he's said to have taken only three baths in his life. That fear was shared by the noblility in the 17th Century – it ws thought that was thought that water spread disease (so the less you bathed, the less vulnerable you were). Yet Versailles was seriously fragrant.
Louis XIV was said to have only washed 3 times in his lifetime. On top of this, the medical procedures that he received over his lifetime gradually added more stink to his already reeking body.
Louis XIV was not indifferent to dirt or sweat but according to numerous authors he never had a bath during his entire life. Using various texts that are less well known, particularly in the medical sphere, an attempt has been made to reconstruct the Sun King's hygienic environment.
While it smells fine now, hygiene practices (or the lack thereof) in France during Louis XIII's reign meant that the palace smelled like urine, fecal matter, and more. Some claim that a lack of toilets in the palace even led some visitors to relieve themselves behind curtains and pillars.
His rose petal scented furniture, wall, clothing, tableware were iconic.
And although the ingredients no longer retained their smell, chemical analysis revealed exactly what they were… Myrrh, olive oil, cinnamon, and cardamom formed the basis of the scent, and it would have been worn as a thick, resinious oil.
Cleopatra's perfume is supposed to be known as Mendesian one of the most popular scents of those times. Another more elaborate form of Mendesian was known as Metopion with strong woody fragrance and made up of bitter almonds, cardamom, mastic, myrrh and camel grass.
In the 1700s, most people in the upper class seldom, if ever, bathed. They occasionally washed their faces and hands, and kept themselves “clean” by changing the white linens under their clothing. “The idea about cleanliness focused on their clothing, especially the clothes worn next to the skin,” Ward said.
Though she had what we would consider a 'bathroom', there was no permanent bath fixed into the room. Her bathtub would be rolled into her bathroom by her servants and filled, bucket by bucket, with hot water. Once the linen-lined bathtub was full, the queen would add perfumes to the water.
In the Palace, there are toilets and changing tables before the ticket checks in the South Ministers' Wing and after the ticket checks in the basement of the Dufour Pavilion (Entrance A). Other toilets are located in the basement of the Gabriel Pavilion (Entrance B) and at the end of the History Gallery.
Queen Elizabeth I, too, reportedly bathed once a month, “whether she needed it or no”. Her successor, James VI and I, bore a great aversion to water and reportedly never bathed.
Louis XIV: 'the sweetest-smelling king of all'
Baldwin IV, byname Baldwin the Leper, French Baudouin le Lépreux, (born 1161—died March 1185, Jerusalem), king of Jerusalem (1174–85), called the “leper king” for the disease that afflicted him for most of his short life.
The legacy of Spain's greatest queen, Isabella of Castile, made pungent for centuries by a reputation for poor personal hygiene, could come out smelling of roses after the discovery of documents detailing her scent and cosmetic regime.
King Edward VII was said to have at least three to four women a week for 50 years. And, with his specially designed sex chair he was easily able to entertain two ladies at once.
Weekly Bathing Breakdown: On average Spanish citizens have 7 showers and 2 baths a week. Weekly bathing breakdown – On average French citizens have 7 showers and 2 baths a week. Daily shower stats – 76% of women and 71% of men shower once a day.
As most people ate meals without knives, forks or spoons, it was also a common convention to wash hands before and after eating. Soap was sometimes used and hair was washed using an alkaline solution such as the one obtained from mixing lime and salt.
The Queen has a bath every morning, drawn by her maid while she sips a cup of tea. It's believed that the royals prefer to avoid taking showers, due to their belief that they're for members of the working class.
Humans have probably been bathing since the Stone Age, not least because the vast majority of European caves that contain Palaeolithic art are short distances from natural springs. By the Bronze Age, beginning around 5,000 years ago, washing had become very important.
Though even wealthy families did not take a full bath daily, they were not unclean. It was the custom for most people to wash themselves in the morning, usually a sponge bath with a large washbasin and a pitcher of water on their bedroom washstands. Women might have added perfume to the water.
Based on the writings of Herodotus, Ancient Egyptians used many healthy hygiene habits, such as washing, and laundry. They also knew to use mint to make their breath fresh. According to Ancient History Online Encyclopedia, Ancient Egyptians always tried to make their bodies clean.
Among historical anecdotes related to perfumes, the one with Caesar is particularly popular: he used to cover himself with the perfume notes of Telinum, a greasy ointment made of fenugreek, marjoram and yellow sweet clover.
Cleopatra used egg as a natural shampoo to make her hair soft, beautiful. Tip – Just beat 3 eggs with water and wash your hair with this chemical-free, natural shampoo and then rinse.
Cleopatra is believed to have used castor, sesame, moringa, and several other oils to prevent ageing and enhance skin elasticity. Egyptians used a soap paste made out of clay and olive oil, which acted as a healing agent and preserved youthfulness on the skin.