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Strigils were used in ancient Greece and Rome to scrape the skin after bathing, exercise, or sauna. They were designed to remove dead skin, oils, and other substances. Athletes also used them to clean themselves after competition. Strigils were just one of the tools used in traditional Roman baths.
A strigile is a tool designed to scrape the skin after a bath, exercise, or sauna. Strigils were used in both ancient Greece and Rome, as well as parts of the Middle East. Many museums display examples of strigils discovered at archaeological sites, and it is also possible to see representations of strigils in friezes, wall paintings, and other artworks from the ancient world. Some people continue to use similar tools as part of a self-care regimen.
In Ancient Greece and Rome, bathing was a complex process with a multitude of steps, especially for the wealthy. People immersed themselves in pools of various temperatures, received massages from slaves, and anointed themselves with various oils and ointments as part of the process. Bathers typically ended up in hot steam baths, where they were scraped with scrapers to remove accumulated oil, sweat, and other substances on the skin.
The Greeks and Romans did not use soap, so the strigil was an important tool for cleaning the skin. The curved design of this metal, horn or bone tool was designed to skim the skin evenly but firmly, removing dead skin, bath oils and other materials. In addition to cleansing the skin, strigils also likely improve circulation by stimulating the upper layers of skin. After applying a strigil, a bather might apply a thin layer of scented oil before returning to the outside world.
Athletes used strigils to clean themselves after vigorous exercise or competition. In ancient Greece, athletes applied olive oil to their bodies before competition to condition their skin and provide some protection from minor impacts; after exercise, the oil could essentially be swept away with the strigil, also removing dirt and sweat. Many depictions of athletes on vases include the use of a strigile, implying that this practice was quite common.
Strigils were just one of the tools used in a traditional Roman bath. Seeing an array of Roman bath tools can be quite intimidating, as the Romans also used tools such as whips designed to remove dead skin and stimulate circulation after a bath. Not all Romans used the full range of bath tools, as many of them required the assistance of others such as servants, but a strigil would have been a relatively common item.
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