Gravity Bath

A gravity bath is a type of subterranean living, commercial, recreational, or governmental space designed to counteract the deleterious health effects of the microgravity environment found near where two adjacent cube faces in a tesseract meet. A gravity bath uses centrifugal force to provide the illusion of gravity and thereby help to counteract the bone demineralization and muscle atrophy that comes with long-term exposure to microgravity.

Alterations

A gravity bath's rotation can be maintained through a variety of means. Typically, the 'base' of a bowl-shaped gravity bath (see Architecture) is ringed with a large cog which mates with the output of a gearbox. This gearbox is, in turn, powered by an engine of some sort. Even after steamtech era, hydrothermal engines are a popular choice. This is due to steamtech engines' ability to make use of geothermal pockets and external fuels in equal measure, as well as providing a means of reducing rotating friction by partially floating the structure on a cusion of heated steam rather than relying on giant thrust bearings. In more modern times, however, the Manifold Conservation Society is increasingly turning to electric motors to provide the necessary rotation, as these are safer, easier to maintain, and easier to control via electromechanical autonet infrastructure than steamtech engines.

Architecture

A gravity bath is spun to create a centripetal force. A typical gravity bath is a bowl-shaped structure that curves upward - that is to say, away from the nearest microgravity region - such that the percieved force of gravity is always oriented perpendicular to the 'floor'. The rare gravity bath that lies fully within the microgravity layer, at the plane of the separation between adjacent cube layers, is instead shaped like a ring or cylinder. An access point of some sort - generally an elevator, stairwell, or even the platform of a small commissure transit station - passes through the central axis of the gravity bath. This allows visitors to the bath to embark and disembark where the angular velocity of the gravity bath is minimal.
Gravity baths range in size from a small set of rooms to two- or even three-story bulidings. The largest gravity baths are designed for medium-term habitation, with inns and recreational spaces being the most common occupants. The Last Taps Chapterhouse is one such building-sized gravity bath.

History

The term 'gravity bath' arises from the Voxelian culture, where heated public baths remain a common staple of public hygiene practices and serve as class-neutral social gathering spaces. As the (primarily New Voxelian) originators of the Manifold Conservation Society dug Bunker Primus ever deeper underground in their never-ending quest for the perfect doomsday shelter, they discovered that the force of gravity dropped steeply in strength as the boundary between cube layers was reached. After experience showed them that this environment was hazardous to human health, they sought to counteract the problem by allowing the workers - and later public - periods in centrifuges to counteract the effects. Larger centrifuges were constructed to support more people and even provide medium-term living quarters for excavators and construction crews, and the design principles of Voxelian public baths were ultimately carried over into these larger spaces.

Tourism

While few outside visitors to Bunker Primus visit the microgravity regions of the city or stick around for long should they deign to do so, it is said to be a unique cultural experience to visit one of the many gravity baths found there. Gravity baths are often considered 'locals' spots' and attract the sort of tourists that want to feel like they've taken in the 'authentic flavor' of Bunker Primus. Some of the larger gravity baths do cater to foreigners, however, and these tend to be decorated in styles that diverge greatly from the surrounding superstructure.
One of the most common side-effects of spending significant time in a gravity bath without being a regular patron is that, once one leaves the comfort of the gravity bath, the surrounding deep bunkers can take on an aspect of riddlespace. Modern gravity baths tend to include an additional, slower-rotating 'gravity shower' section between the accessway and the outside world to help reattenuate the visitor to a non-rotating environment, thereby reducing the vertigo felt when one leaves the gravity bath. Gravity bath establishments may provide complementary motion sickness remedies to paying guests and often place curtains over windows so that guests can decide whether or not they want to see the surroundings spinning past.

Alternative Names

spinshack, dish-house, public centrifuge