The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1874-05-15
AN ORIENTAL PARADISE.
A Yankee Woman's Experience in a
Turkish Bath.

! From the Alta California;
CONsTANTINoPLE, Feb. l6.
! IhaYe read certainly not less than
fifty times elaborate descriptions of
genuine Turkish Baths by Bayard
Taylor, Ross Brown, and Others, and
had always had my Imagination
hlled with combined ecstaeies Of be-
ing scrubbed with hot water and
perfumed soap, and ice sherbet, and
l made up my mind not to leave
turkey without having had that de-
lghted experience. You know that
l belong to the softer sex, and they
do not bathe promiscuously here as
in Baden, Long Branch, and many
other fashionable places.
This bath where went is for Ia
dies alone, and not even the common
herd being admitted, for the charge
is very high. have made a few
| friends among the natives since u
came here, and can speak a few
words of Greek (the predominant
tongue J, and owing to my acquaint-
ance with them got 4 glimpse, or
rather whole days sight, of q par
adise where man is excluded. The
exterior Of these baths is of the usu-
al style, or no style, of Turkish
Iarchitecture-but the interior fully
Irecompenses for the lack of beauty
without. It is in the upper part Of
Galata, and you go N sedan chairs,
which wait for you, as you must
take the EXTREMIST care of yourself
In coming out of the bath, partieu-
| larly at this season OF the year, A
cold taken after q Turkish bath is
always fatal.
-Four of us went, together with two
servants who carried the towels,
bathing dresses and lunch. It is an
all days job, and the ladies all take
lunch with them. l had a 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 bathing dress similarly
decorated. My friends insisted on
my taking them, and they made of
me while ia the bath a person of no
ordinary Importance, for as it hap
pens, no one but royal ladies are
ipermitted to wear such in public
baths; however, nobody interfered
with my right to wear them, only
admired me, not always from a dis
Itance.
THE FIRST CHAMBER.
On entering we were conducted 60
a large room, where we must undress
land leave our things. think there
Iwere fifty women there in all stages
iOf undress, who all paused to regard
US as we disrobed, Men can pull of
their most sacred garments, toss
them in heap, and run about as if
InOthing were amiss, but somehow /
felt as Eve did when she made the
discovery that she was a little too
lthinly clad for that time of the year.
A servant caught up our bathing
dresses and left the room, beckon-
ling us to follow. We ran the gaunt-
let eta hundred pair of eyes before
we reached the diVan where l was
laid, like q defunct, still with no
clothes on. Iraised my head to see
, Iif I could not find 4 friendly towel
or anything, but the attendant duck
ed my head back on the pillow
Iagain, as much as to say, ''lie there. !"
did, but rolled my eyes around q
little,and saw that there were at least
twenty more women lying a-ound in
Ispots like myself; but they all seem
led to take it very easily.
The room was very warm and
Igrew warmer perceptibly, though
how I don't know, until l began to
feel as if l should suffocate, until
my heart beat painfully and l grew
very faint, when one Of the women
gave me some lemonade, of which
drank two glasses. Then, all of 4
. sudden, I began to perspire, and 1
{ looked like pumpkin that had laid
out all night in a heavy dew. 1 felt
as if l was dissolving, and waited
patiently till the end should come,
and l should be but the transparent
essence Of what was once a very sub
stantial body; but that time had not
come. 1 was so sleepy that l felt
, like calling very hard names, when
the women came in and made me
lget up after she had rubbed me
down like race horse with pair Of
very scratchy gloves, which left my
skin as red as q lobster. Then we,
all being in the same state, were led.
into another great, vaulted, marble
aoored room, where the divans are
made of marble, which is not st all
IsOft to lie on. This room was warm
er than the last, the more vapOry,
and the vapOr was more strongly
lperfumed with sandal wood. After
Lying q few moments the marble
grows soft, and a sense OF the most
delicious repOse comes over You.
| You feel a soft languor and q dreamy
content, and your eyes close, and you
lay with 4 smile Of exquisite laziness
on your lips, and your imagination
flies of in every possible direction,
when the repOse is again rudely
broken, and you have again to "mOye
lOn."
LED INTO PARADISE.
Now, indeed, opens the door OF
paradise; you are led, still without
IOther covering than nature gives
lyou, into q large circular room, with
marble pillars supporting the blue
dome that is spangIed with stars.
All around the room are marble di-
vans, and in the centre is an i'm
Imense fountain, in the basin Of which
larp sixty or seventy CirIa cnd vyo