I Reincarnated as Louis XVI to Stop the Revolution and Be Happy with Antoinette

Bath Arc

Therefore, I put my heart into designing this bathhouse, which was built between the Palace of Versailles and the Petit Trianon, with Antoinette, aiming to make it resemble a traditional Japanese public bath from the Shōwa era. It was about six months ago, I suppose. When I mentioned the addition of specialized bath facilities along with the expansion of toilets, Antoinette enthusiastically embraced the idea. Since then, it has become our first collaborative project as a couple (officially).

Even Louis XVI, according to the original historical records, was quite fastidious about cleanliness and always took a bath after hunting. It seems that it was quite unusual at the time and somehow aligned with the policy that suits me as a reincarnated person and the original body of Louis XVI... Let's keep our bodies clean! I feel that kind of enthusiasm.

That enthusiasm seems to have successfully spread to Antoinette as well. She was shocked to learn that the French people didn't bathe much when she arrived. Even though she disliked Madame du Barry, once she learned that people other than me hardly took baths and only changed clothes or wiped their bodies with tanned leather, she started bathing every day.

"Lord Auguste! Let's build a large bath!"

"A large bath?"

"Yes! It's a bath that can accommodate a large number of people at once! I want to stretch my arms and legs in a spacious bath!"

When creating public baths, Antoinette's eyes sparkled with excitement. However, according to the blueprint I drew for the public bath, I planned to have about three smaller baths for a small number of people, taking into account ease of cleaning and drainage, and one large bath... a total of eight bathtubs for men and women combined. It would be more relaxing than a bathtub, and above all, because my hometown was close to a hot spring town, it had a strong image of a public bathhouse.

Well, that hot spring town flourished during the Shōwa era, but due to the aging population and declining birth rate, there are only a few bathhouses that were still in business before I was reincarnated. Still, whenever I returned home, I would always visit a public bathhouse to experience the nostalgic atmosphere of the Shōwa era.

The rules of hot spring etiquette were prominently displayed on old-fashioned Gothic-style tiles, along with a painting of Mount Fuji. There was a yellow bucket and a shower that had a quaint charm and is rarely seen nowadays. The clientele consisted mostly of elderly gentlemen or yakuza with large tattoos on their backs. But everyone entered the bath politely, so I didn't mind. After soaking in the bath at such a public bathhouse, the coffee milk I drank was incredibly delicious.

"It seems quite divided here... I have a slight concern though. Aren't the baths small in size? And there are so many small baths... Wouldn't it be better to consolidate them into one larger bath?"

When reminiscing about memories of Japanese baths, I was brought back to reality. Antoinette looked concerned about the small size of the baths when she saw the blueprint, but I explained that they were designed for easy drainage and cleaning.

"Well, that's true, but if they become too big, it will be difficult to clean. Moreover, if we make the bathhouse too large, it will require a lot of firewood to heat the water. Considering resources and finances, we can't make it too big. As for having many small baths... it's for different water temperatures."

"Different temperatures?"

"Yes, we plan to have three small baths: a cold water bath, a lukewarm bath, and one with a higher temperature. People can choose the bath that suits their preferred temperature. As for the large bath, we plan to set it at around 39 degrees Celsius."

We are roughly recreating a traditional Japanese public bath. If there's one difference, it would be the absence of showers. Instead, we provide a water basin for washing the body. Soap already exists in this era, so people thoroughly wash their bodies with soap before entering the bath. In modern times, we might construct a bath with a jacuzzi, but we don't have such fancy facilities. At most, we can add carbonated water to create a carbonated bath or add fragrances to create a pleasant aroma... if that's possible.