bathroom; bathing room
Dated term for a bathroom or bathing area, often associated with traditional Japanese settings. In modern Japanese, 風呂場 or 浴室 are more common.
See also: 風呂場
昔の家には、湯殿が別棟にあることもあった。
In old houses, the bathing room was sometimes in a separate building.
bathing; bathing attendant
Archaic uses: the act of bathing, or a person who assisted a noble with bathing. These senses are not used in modern Japanese.
In ancient documents, there are descriptions of those who attended to nobles' bathing.
Oyudono no ue no nikki
Compound of 湯 (hot water) and 殿 (hall, mansion), literally 'hot-water hall'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it has been used since classical times to refer to bathing facilities.