Many slaves like me work in the public baths in Noviomagus (Chichester).
The worst job is cleaning the toilets, but luckily I don't do it, because I am a masseur.

I work long hours because the baths are very busy all day. Women and children come in the morning. Men come in the afternoon when they have finished their business in the basilica and forum. Men and women have to pay, but children, soldiers and slaves get in free.

People come to the baths for lots of reasons. Many enjoy ballgames, running and athletics in the sports area outside. Some people come here to talk business or gossip. It's a good place to pick up the latest scandal!

After exercising, people go for their baths. There are three bath rooms: the hot room (caldarium), the warm room (tepidarium), and the cold room (frigidarium). Each room has a pool or basin in it. Water is brought from the river in pipes and is heated in a boiler. The underfloor heating system (hypocaust) heats up the floors and walls in the caldarium and tepidarium. The floor and walls in the caldarium are too hot to touch, so we all wear thick-soled sandals to stop our feet burning.

Bathers undress in the changing-room (apodyterium), and go into the tepidarium. They lie on wooden benches, and I rub scented oil all over their skin, and massage them. It's so relaxing that sometimes they fall asleep. Then they go to the caldarium to sweat the dirt out. I have to scrape off all the dirty oil and skin with a curved metal tool (strigil). Sometimes I shave the men or pluck their armpits, which really hurts!

Then they go to the tepidarium for a warm bath, and finally the frigidarium to close their pores and freshen them up. Often they stay to relax with friends, playing dice or eating sausages and bread bought from the snack sellers.