A Place to Bathe

There are many buildings that are out there in the world today that are handicap accessible. However, many of these facilities were not totally designed for the physically less fortunate people. To be specific many building have ramps that are available to those that are wheel chair bound whether it is temporarily or permanently. Some of these ramps seem like they were added on to a facility without full consideration of what it's convenience could be. Therefore, we have the opportunity to design a facility or place to bathe for people that are wheel chair bound. To further elaborate this place to bathe is not your typical thought of a place to bathe, however we had to research other cultural traditional rituals of bathing. After researching I found that Jewish have a traditional bathe that is considered Bath of Purification. The Purification ritual was fully for the honoring and nurturing of women. It was a way to give a woman a place in the world when others are being so demanding of them. These women would go attend the Mikvah (bath) after milestones in their life, such as menstrual periods, divorces, before or after childbirth. They would also attend the Mikvah before their wedding day. It is a way if cleansing your previous identity, to start a new and refreshing life. Recently men have started to attend the Mikvah before Sabbath (a day set out for worship) and Holidays. Ancient Mikvah were filled by natural spring or cisterns were filled directly by rain water.
Baths today are more inviting, they have a modern spa look, as show in the photo below.
Baths today still carry the meaning of the tradition of the Mikvah. A Mikvah is a spiritual ritual bath for married Jewish women who follow the ancient traditional laws of family purity, which guide the intimate relationships between husband and wife. Unlike an ordinary bathtub or swimming pool, a kosher mikvah must contain a certain quantity of ‘Mayim Chayim’ (living waters) – gathered rainwater.
Modern day mikvahs are equipped with filtration and purification systems. They are chlorinated and kept at a comfortable warm temperature, and are always connected to the Mayim Chayim.