Feces, urine and sweat – just how gross are hot tubs?

For many centuries we have bathed in communal waters. Sometimes for cleanliness but more often for pleasure. Indeed, in ancient Greece, baths were taken in freshwater, or sometimes the sea – which was thought of as a sacred place dedicated to local gods and so was considered an act of worship.

Feces, urine and sweat – just how gross are hot tubs? A microbiologist explains