Bain-douche des Haies, Public bath in 20th arrondissement, France.
The Bain-douche des Haies is a public bathhouse at 20th arrondissement of Paris, designed by Henri Gautruche in Art Deco style. Its facade combines brick and concrete with geometric reliefs and tall vertical windows, while the interior organizes shower cabins and a bathing hall around a central hall.
The building was constructed in the interwar period, when Paris was building public bathhouses to improve hygiene and health in densely populated neighborhoods. The Art Deco design reflects the modern optimism of that era, as new technological standards were integrated into everyday urban infrastructure.
The building takes its name from the nearby street and reflects the social role that public baths played for city neighborhoods in the early twentieth century. It was a place where neighbors gathered and where hygiene was accessible to all, a purpose still visible in how people regard it today.
The bathhouse stands at 1 rue des Haies in the twentieth arrondissement, a short walk from the Place Gambetta and the Gambetta metro station on lines 3 and 3bis. The building is a working municipal facility rather than a museum, so entry follows the opening hours of the bathhouse; the Art Deco facade and its lettering can be seen from the street at any time.
Lesser known is that such bathhouses played an important role in Parisian working-class culture, as many apartments had no bathrooms at that time. The building demonstrates how the city created practical solutions for everyday problems, which are often overlooked when viewing the architecture today.
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