Steven Romero and Martie Kilmer are well-versed in bathhouses.
Mr. Romero, 58, who retired as an eBay vice president and founded Critical Path Software, first encountered ancient bathing facilities as an exchange student in Istanbul in high school. Ms. Kilmer, 53, a sculptor and home stylist, learned to appreciate the creation of bathing ceremonies in a drier version from sauna-like steam baths known as maqii in Alaska, where her parents, both teachers, moved from Oregon when she was in high school.