If you've visited Bath Spa, Harrogate or Buxton, you've probably seen a building called a Pump Room. Despite the name, it wasn't a place to bathe. It was where visitors gathered to drink the town's mineral spring water, freshly pumped from underground. Drinking the waters was considered just as important as bathing, and the Pump Room quickly became the social heart of Britain's spa towns.

People didn't simply arrive, drink a glass of water and leave. They met friends, listened to music, read newspapers and watched society pass by. Taking the waters became a daily ritual, turning Britain's spa towns into places of relaxation, conversation and community.

Today, Pump Rooms remind us that bathing has always been about more than hot water alone. Taking the waters was a wider ritual: bathe, drink, walk, linger and meet, all part of the spa culture and social life that grew up around the springs.

At Yū, we're inspired by the idea that bathing should create space not just to relax, but to pause, connect and become part of a community once again.