The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1874-05-20
AN ORIENTAL PARADISE.
A Yankee Woman's Experience in a
Turkish Bath.
How Women Pass the Day in Constan.
tinople.
Pcffumcd LuynrieS from Which Men Arl
Excluded.
7 Z MYSTERIES OF THE BATH.
CON STANTINoPLE. !
Feb. 16. {

Lave feitu Certainly not less IMAM
fifty times elaborate descriptions of
genuine Turkish baths by Bayard
Taylor, Ross Browne and others, and
| had always had my imagination
filed with combined ecstacies of be-
ing scrubbed with hot water and per
fumed soap, and iced sherbet, and
made mp my mind not to leave Tur-
key without having had that delight
full experience. You know that | be-
long to the softer sex. and they do
not battle promiscuousIy here as in
Baden Balen, Long Branch and
many other fashionable watering
places.
This bath where ! went is for la
dies alone, and not even the common
herd being admitted, for the charge
is very high. I have made a few
friends among the natives since
came here, and can speak a few words
Of Greek, the predominant tongue.
and owing to my acquaintance with
them got q glimpse, or rather a
whole days sight, Of a paradise
where man is excluded. The exter-
ior of these baths is of the usual
style, Or no style, of Turkish arclii-
tecture-but the interior fully re-
compenses for the lack of beauty
without. 1t is in the upper part OF
Galata, and You go in sedan chairs,
which wait for You, as you muct take
the EXTREMIST care of yourself in
coming out of the bath, particularly
at this season of the year A cold
taken after Turkish bath is always
fatal.
: Four of us went. together with two
servants. who carried our towels
bathing dresses and lunch. It is an
ail days job, and the ladies all take
lunch with them. I had number OF
very handsome and curious things
given me at the exposition by the
Egyptian and Turkish commissions,
and among them were large bathing
towels with borders OF gold woven in
also a bathing dress similarly deco.
rated. MY friends insisted on my
taking them. and they made of me
while in the bath a person Of no or
binary Importance, for as it happens,
no one but royal ladies are permit
ted to wear such in public baths
however, nobody interfered with my
right to wear them, only admired me-
not always from distance.
FIRST CHAMBER.
On entering we were conducted t.
a large room, where we must IN
dress and leave our things. I think
there fifty women there in all stages
of undress, who all paused to regard
us with curiosity while we disrobed
Men can pull of their most sacred
garments, toss them in a heap and
run about as if nothing were amiss
but somehow I felt as Eve did wher
she made the discovery that she was
a little too thinly clad for that time
Of the year.
A servant caught up our bathing
dresses and left the room, beckonins
us to follow. We ran the gauntlet Of
a hundred pair of eyes, before we
reached the divan where | was laid
like defunct, still with no clothes
on. I raised my head to see if
could not find a friendly towel OF
anything, but tile attendant ducket
my head back on the pillow again, as
much as to say :.lie there l did
but rolled my eyes around little
and saw that there were at least
twenty more women lying around il
rspots like myself; but they seemed
to take it very easily.
The room was very warm an
grew warmer perceptibly, though
how I don't know, until l began te
feel as if l should sutfocate, until my
heart beat painfully and I grew very
faint, when one of the women gave
me some lemonade, of which l drank
two glasses. Then, all of a sudden
l began to perspire, and l looked like
a pumpkin that had lain out all night
in a heavy dew. l felt as if l was
dissolving, and waited patiently till
the end should come, and I should
be but the transparent essence Of
what was once very substantial
body; but that time had not come
I was so sleepy that ] felt like cali