 |  | Historically people visited the Pump Rooms to drink and bathe in the waters to cure a variety of illnesses and more recently the building was home to an NHS physiotherapy unit.
 We'd really love to get hold of a pump rooms towel. They used to have towels with the Royal Pump Rooms embroidered on them. This would be really important to add to our collection.
 | 听 | Nicky Tibbitts, Curatorial Officer for Social History
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The building once had a series of rooms making up a Turkish bath, opened by Victorians.
The rooms were hot steam rooms, like a modern day sauna, and a cooling room for relaxation.
There also used to be a treatment pool where the art gallery is now.
The Curatorial Officer for Social History, Nicky Tibbitts, said she is building the collection so visitors can learn about this history.
There is already a small collection of equipment, mainly from the more recent physiotherapy unit, including electrotherapy machines and muscle building weights.
| 听 |  | Inside the Royal Pump Rooms
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Ms Tibbitts hopes this appeal will significantly broaden the collection. She is looking for photographs, equipment, price lists, post cards and treatment cards from the pump rooms.
Specifically, the special exhibition would benefit from a needle shower, a piece of equipment used in early massage treatments. Ms Tibbitts also said a rare towel would boost the collection:
"In particular we'd really love to get hold of a pump rooms towel. They used to have towels with the Royal Pump Rooms embroidered on them. This would be really important to add to our collection."
In addition to seeing the medical collection so far, visitors can also add their memories of the old pump rooms into a memory pool. Some of the memory cards are being shown in a special display folder.
If you have items to donate or if you would like more information, contact Nicky Tibbitts on 01926 742 703.
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