The Wilhelmsbad baths were built in Kaisaniemi in 1864. There were 54 bathrooms with separate sides for men and women in which baths and showers were offered to the healthy and infirm alike. Along with the showers there were steam cabinets. The establishment was run by the Berlin 'aquaphysician' Fredrik Ewerth.
     Water for the baths was drawn from the pond in Kaisaniemi. The water was cleansed and pumped by steampower to a tank in the attic from where it was piped to the showers and bathrooms. The Kaisaniemi pondwater was never good quality, but it was particularly unfit during the spring thaw. During the winter of 1865 the bathing corporation built a well on the island in the centre of the

pond. The well had inner and outer walls encasing a thick sand filter.
     The baths tended to change ownership every few years. The refurbished baths were opened to the public on June 1, 1876. Now the attraction was the Roman, or warm-air baths. Also available were warm and hot baths, showers, steam baths, and hip baths. The establishment also provided recuperative exercises and massage. Hartwall's mineral water was served for refreshment and good health. At the turn of the century the run-down buildings were demolished to make way for the Finnish National Theatre, which was completed in 1902.