Pl.: laconica

A round sweat room that was heated by charcoal braziers. This domed room often had seats or benches to accommodate the bathers. It usually stood in connection to the apodyterium or tepidarium. After the 1^st century AD, the laconicum disappeared in favour of the sudatorium, which was heated by hypocaust and a wall heating system. The etymology of the term goes back to the Greek Λακωνικός (‘Laconian’), pointing to the link with the round sweat rooms found in Greek gymnasia.