More like health clubs than just places to go to take a bath, public baths played a role in Roman life from the third century B.C. to the end of the Roman Empire nearly 800 years later. Initially the baths were viewed as a luxury, but by the Late Republic going to the public baths regularly was regarded as a necessity. Public baths were not just seen as a place to get clean, but they served as a place to meet and socialize with friends, a gathering place to tap into local and city gossip, a place to get an athletic workout, and a place to get warm in the winter (baths were some of the only buildings to have furnace heating). In addition, the baths often had built-in latrines which recycled bath water to carry away the waste.