The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1874-05-14
AN ORIENTAL PARADISE.
AN ORIENTAL PARADISE.
A Yankee WOman's Experience
in a Turkish Bath.
How Women Pass the Day In
COnstantinOple.
Perlumed Luxuries From Which
Men Are Excluded.
The Mysteries OF the Bath.
The Mysteries Of the Bath.
From the Alta California.

~"0~s@cPs~p =
l have read certainly not less than fifty
time. elaborate descriptions Of genuine Turk
,.h baths BY B,yard Taylor Ro.. Brown and
oshe.s. and had always had my imaziua-
ton flied With combined ecs.acies of being
scsnbb.d with hot water and pelfumed supp,
iced sheIb~t, and 1 made up my mind 10. to
leave Turky without having had that de-
liyhtful experience. You know thu. I be-
long to the softer sex, and they do not battle
promiscuously here a. in Baden Baden, Long
Branch. and many other fashionable l.ees.
This bath where went il for ladies alone.
and not even the common herd bsing admit
ted, for the charge 10 very high. / have
made . few friends among the natives. and
c'n speak few words Of Greek (the prs-
dominant tonsue), and owing to my &C.
quaint ance with them got . glimp.. or
rather whole dsy's night Of Q paradise
where man ia excluded. The exterior of
these baths Is OF the usual style, or no style
Of Turkish enthusiastically the interior
fully recompenses for the lack Of beauty on
the outside. II ia in the upper part of Gal
at., and you &c in sedan chairs, which wait
for you. as you must take the extremeet care
Of yourself in coming out Of the hath, par
ticulariy at this season of the year. A cold
taken alter Turkish bath u always fatal.
Four Of Us went, together with Two ser
wants. who carried our towels, hathing dress-
e. and lunch. II ID an all days job, and the
ladies all take lunch with them. I had q
number Of very handsome and curious rhinrs
given me at the exposition BY the Egyptian
and Turkish commissions, and among item
were large bathing tow. l., with borders OF
gold woven il; also . bathing dress sim
ilarly decorated. My friends insisted on
my taking them. and they made Of me while
in the BATH . terson Of no ordinary impor-
tance, for ~ il happens, no one Lut royal
ladies are permitted to wear tu:h in public
baths; however, nobody interfered with my
right to wear them, only admired me, no,
always from distance.
THE FIRST CHAMBER
On entering We we're conducted T. large
room, where We must undrers and leave our
things. l think there were 6ity women
there In all risgss OF undre+s. who paused to
regard Va with curiosity while We d.sroted,
Men Can pull oil their most sacred garments.
tors them in a heap, and run shout ~ il
nothing were amis-, but somehow I felt ~
Eve did when she made the discovery tia,
she was a little too ilsiniy clad for that time
Of year.
Aserv1ni girl caught up our bathing dress
e, and lie t the room, beckoni,.g lis To follow.
We ran the gaUIt ct {" II hiiIGiI I'd pxis of
eyes before We reached the divaa wnsre l
Va. laid. ike deiLn t, s,ill with No clothes
On. l riised my head 10 ser ii could fnd
n friendly towel or anyihins. but the attend
ant dlcked my head back On the pillow
again. A. much as to say. "iie there" did.
but rolled nv eyes arCuli LIT ie, and say
there were al les.i twenty more women living
arclnd in spots like myseI;; but they all
seemed to take it very ea.iiy.
The room was very warm and grew warm
er perc-p,Ioy, though how l don't know,
until began To feel ~ il should suii .cas-.
until my heart beat painfully and l grew
very FAINT, when one Of the women gave me
some lemonade, Of which l drank two
glasse-' Then. all OF a sudden. began to
perspirs, and l looked like a pumpkin thu,
had lain out all night in a heavy dew.
felt a. il was di~olving. and waited Ia.
tientiy till the end should come, and
should be bui the transparent essence OF what
was onc- very -nbs: aniial body; but ,h,t
tune had 10. come. was 40 sieepy that l
felt like calling very hard sames. when the
woman came in and made me get I'D after
sbe had rubbed me down like q rae kone
with pair Of very scraichy gloves. which
left my skin a. red A. lobster. Then We.
all heing in the same stat, were led int,
another great. vault-d. marble. q ,or,d room.
where-t the divans are made Of marble. which
is not a; all SO to lie on. The room v.s
warmer than the last, the more vaoorv. and
the vsp"r WA more strongly perfumed with
sandal wood. After lying . few moments
the marble grows soft and q sense of the
most delicious rePose comes over you You
feel = soft lansuor and a dreamy content.
and your eyes close, and you lay with .
smile Of exquisite lsaineas 90 your lipe. and
your imagination aies of in every possible
when the rweet repo.e is again
rudeiy broken, AMI you have again to
''move on"
LED INTO PARDIsE,
Now, indeed, open the door Of paradise: |
!or are lei, etili without other covering than
nature gives yOu, into u large circular loom.
With marble pillars supporting The blue |