While many of the castles and great homes of the monarch in England already contained luxurious bathrooms, it would be Henry VIII--in a style true to his flamboyant reputation, that would create elaborately accessorized bathrooms for palaces like Whitehall and Hampton Court. While these bathrooms were used by the monarchy in Shakespeare’s life, such as Queen Elizabeth, the average Tudor, and Shakespeare himself, had a much simpler version of bathing, not to mention a variety of myths and legends to accompany popular opinion of keeping clean.

Here to walk us through a brief history of soaps, bathing, and the act of cleanliness in Shakespeare’s lifetime is Natalie Grueniger.

Natalie is the host of the Talking Tudors podcast, as well as the author of the blog “On the Tudor Trail.” I’ve asked Natalie to visit with us today to talk with us about two excellent blog articles she wrote specifically about Tudor bathing, examining the common practices, methods of making soap, and the inside details about those bathrooms in Whitehall Palace.