Bathhouse Row evokes the Golden Age of Bathing, when “taking the waters” was a fashionable form of recreation. The present structures date from 1911 to 1939. Though the same waters were piped to all the bathhouses, the owners competed for customers by offering distinctive services and unique interior and exterior design. The architecture reflects a vanishing era. Behind the bathhouse facades, bathers have sought restored vigor, relief from pain, and cures for dread diseases. The Buckstaff remains open for traditional bathing, while the National Park Service preserves Bathhouse Row as a significant national landmark in the culture of leisure.