The western range of the bath house contained a series of heated
rooms and plunge pools. The development of suites of heated rooms
at both the western and eastern ends of the site may have allowed
simultaneous use of the site by both men and women, but maintained
a seemly separation of facilities for them.
The West Baths contains an exceptionally well preserved set of
pilae which were piles of tiles through which hot air circulated to
heat the floor and walls of the room above.
A cold plunge bath was a feature of many Roman bath houses, but
rarely on this scale! Here you could take an invigorating
plunge after treatments in the warm and hot rooms – but you
probably would not linger! The bath is 1.6 metres deep and on one
side has an underwater plinth on which a water feature, probably a
fountain, once stood.