In ancient Rome, public baths featured a frigidarium, a large cold pool that provided respite from summer heat. The water was often kept cool with snow or ice imported from mountains, stored in underground chambers. These baths were central to Roman social life.

Roman poets like Ovid and Seneca wrote about the pleasures of the baths, including the frigidarium's cooling effects. The baths became a recurring setting in Roman satire and elegy, symbolizing both luxury and public life.