The Upper and Lower Baths are two historical pavilions located in the regular part of the Catherine Park, in the former Tsarskoye Selo (now the Pushkin city of St. Petersburg).
The pavilions were used for washing and were called "Soapboxes".
The upper bath was intended for the imperial family (Their Highnesses) and was called "Their Highnesses 'Soapbox", and the lower bath was for the court gentlemen and ladies and was called "Cavalier Soapbox".
Upper bath
The upper bath is located on the shore of the Mirror Pond near Catherine's Palace.
The bath was built in 1777-1779 by the architects V.I. and I.V. Neelov.
Until the middle of the 19th century, the Upper Bath retained its original purpose and consisted of six rooms: an entrance hall, a changing room, a bath, a bath (steam room), a stoker's room (hot water room) and a central octagonal lounge.
It was destroyed during the Great Patriotic War and restored in 1952-1953.
The bath is designed in the style of early classicism; it has a light yellow color of the walls and a simple appearance with a parapet with a balustrade and a triangular risalit facing the pond. The walls of the risalit in the lower part are cut by semicircular windows and a wide doorway, and in the upper part are decorated with round windows.
The plafond and two decudeports of the central hall of the Upper Bath depict scenes from the ancient myth of Phaethon, the son of the sun god. The polychrome wall paintings use motifs of garlands, flowers and fruits, giving the interior an elegant festive look.
Currently, the Upper Bath Pavilion is used for temporary exhibitions.
Lower bath
The lower bath is located near the Upper Bath and is hidden behind the vegetation and flower beds of the park.
The lower bath was built in 1778-1779 by the architect I.V. Neelov.
The bath consists of ten rooms grouped around a central hall with a large circular bath. The water was heated in two water heaters, which had independent entrances, and was fed through pipes to the bathhouse and rooms with baths.
During the Great Patriotic War, the pavilion was slightly damaged and was restored in 1944-1960.
The color scheme of the Lower Bath is similar to the pavilion "Upper Bath", and the building itself has a more complex structure. The center part of the bath is formed by the central hall, the walls of which are raised much higher than the walls of the side rooms and form a light drum decorated with a dome. Around the central part of the building are grouped the other rooms of the pavilion, on the facades of which are placed round windows located high above the ground.
Fragments of interior decoration and historical granite baths were preserved in the Lower Bath pavilion.
In the former bathrooms there is furniture of Karelian birch and mahogany; the room of the steam room is covered with linden, the tubs are fastened with copper hoops, and the central pool is made of tin.
The division of the interior spaces in the pavilion is conditional - although men and women washed on different days of the week, the pavilion has a women's bathroom, a men's and a children's bathroom at the same time. Today, the bathrooms offer: dresses and shoes, underwear and bath accessories, including washcloths, sponges, birch and oak brooms, as well as medicinal herbs used in the steam room.
The Lower Bath pavilion is open to the public with an exhibition entitled "Cavalier Soap House of the XXI century".
Practical information
The Upper Bath and Lower Bath pavilions are located in Catherine Park, Pushkin, Saint Petersburg.
Catherine Park with pavilions, together with the Catherine Palace, belong to the State Museum-Reserve "Tsarskoe Selo".
In the summer season (somewhere from the second half of April to mid-October), the entrance to the Catherine Park is paid. Visits to the park's museums, including the Upper and Lower Baths pavilions, are not included in the entrance fee to the park - they are paid separately.
In the Catherine Palace you can visit restored halls.
Tickets to the park, pavilions and halls of the palace can be purchased at the box office, or in advance-online on the official website.
The working hours of the park, the pavilions and the palace, as well as the time of exhibitions, the conditions for visiting and the cost of tickets, we recommend that you check on the website of the State Museum-Reserve "Tsarskoe Selo": tzar.
You can visit Tsarskoye Selo with one of the excursions
In Pushkin, near the Catherine Park and the palace, you can stay
The 5-star Pevcheskaya Tower Hotel features restaurants, a bar, a rooftop observation deck, free Wi-Fi and parking.
Breakfast is included in the room rate. Link to the hotel
The 5-star luxury spa hotel "Tsar Palace Luxury Hotel & SPA"is located in a historic building.
The hotelfeatures a spa area with a swimming pool, a hammam, a salt sauna, a snow fountain, steam baths and a gym; free Wi-Fi, a 24-hour front desk, 2 restaurants, a lobby bar, private parking and meeting and conference rooms.
The rooms are equipped with climate control, a minibar, a safe and a private bathroom.
A buffet breakfast is included in the room rate. Link to the hotel
3-star hotel Ekaterina, located on the territory of the Catherine Palace and Park Ensemble.
At the hotel: 24-hour front desk, cafe, free Wi-Fi and parking.
Each room here will provide you with air conditioning, a TV, a work desk and free toiletries.
Breakfast is included in the room rate. Link to the hotel
All accommodation facilities in St. Petersburg, including in the city center and in Pushkin, can be viewed and booked here
