Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1856-11-07
From the Correspondence of the London Star. ]


DELIGHTS OF TURKISH BATH.-I
alighted at the door of the head bath
ing establishment of Grand Cairo.
Behold me, now. in the vistibule of a
genuine Eastern hummum. Two tall
Numidian slaves assist me to disrobe.
and in the place of my multiplied gar
ments attire me in piece of loose cloth.
buttoned just above the hips. Thus
denuded, | am mounted on a pair OF
wooden clogs, or pattens, about ten
inches in height. | am theNsupported
on either side, while l make my way
over the CLASSY floor to bathing saloon,
number one. Here am stretched upon
plank covered b. white cloth, aud
recGuc at an angle of forty-fve. The
room is then filled with vapor. and in
about ten minutes l am perspiring pro-
fuselv through every pore. l grow
faint. the vapor is turned off a few buck
cts of tepid water arc thrown over me.
cup of coffee is administered, and a
few whifs at chibou9ue. am re-
vived, and am straightway conduct into
bathing saloon number two.
Here. sitting on the side of a marble
reservoir Of hot water. | am drenched
with buckets of the scalding liarid. |
am then laid down and scrubbed from
head to foot with woollen gloves and
sort of fullers earth. Then drenched
again. am next submitted to TIE OPP
Grafton of peelins. process which re-
moves all accumulation of dirt and
seurf upon the surface which. in fact,
seems to take off an outer skin. The
peeling over. am drenched again. The
next stage is that Of pumice-stoning-
applied to the inside of the hands. the
soies of the feet, and the heels, until all
horny and hard parts are rubbed down
70 a delicate sottness. Now comes a
season Of comparative leisure and re-
pose. While lam en- my back, the op-
orator is cutting my fngure and toe-nails,
and carefully extracting from every part
Of my body whatever is extraneous, un-
slightly or ineonvenient.
| am next made 10 sit up. and in my
sitting posture am shaved-the hairs
are carefully pulled ont of my nostrils-
my ears picked-my hair is cut-my
whlskers and moustache are trimmed.
and my head is at last, declared to be
finished. To these processes succeeds
that of champooing; namely, moulding
the flesh. cracking the joints, and loos-
enins every integument in every socket
throughout the frame. Then lathering
all over with a peculiar kind of agreea-
BILE emolllent soap; and then, another
drenching. The time is now come to be
introduced into bathing saloon number
three. The atmosphere of this is. after
the temperature of the last, gratefully
cool, and here l am permitted to i'm
merse myself in large cistern of 1lod-
erately cold water. Oh. how refresh
ing and restoring, after the sweatings.
rubbings, scrubbinss. seedlings, pullinss
.pinchings, kneadinss, crackinss, hair.
tweakings, belatherings. and pumice-
stoninSs of Nos. and 2
am reluctant to quit nv present
quarters, but am commanded to get out
| do so. and my tender and newborn.
lntant.iike-skin, as susceptible as the
surface of skinned eel is gently wip-
ed down, and enveloped in sheet
then, mounted once more on my lofty
pattcns. and supported as at first, am
led back to the robing saloon. where,
laid upon mattress on the floor, with
my head raised by apillow, and with
quilt over me, am presented with
cup of coffee and a Persian Kullan.-i
l sip, and puff, and dose, and puff, and
sip and am of opinion that after. all
have undergone, my present bliss has
been cheaply purchased. l am reused
from my reverle by a polite inquiry if
| will be second time shampooed to
which | answer-"Gertainly not" In
half an hour, or thereabouts, l rise and
dress, and leave the hummum. And
now it is feel the benefit of my bath.
| seem to have gone back to the DAYS
of my childhood. My body is lighter
and more elastic than a feather. NV
spirits are exuberant. l am conscious
of breathing the circumambient air
through millions of pores. l am ready
to shake hands with the donkey, and
caress the boy. The external world
never looked SO beautiful. The future
never so cheering. am ready to do
anybody in the universe good turn
So ends my Turkish bath.