Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-07-23
m. Turkish Bath.


Mrs. Burton, In her Inner Life OF
Syria. Palestine and the Holy Land, "
gives ii blowing description of the
Turkish q: "Firsdy, we enter a large
hall, lit by domed skyiight, with huge
marble tank in the center and four little
fountains squirting in the corners. All
around are raised divans, covered with
cushions. Here we wrap ourselves in
silk and wooden sheets and towels round
the head We shall now pass through six
marble rooms, all with domcd skylights,
marble floors, and gutter cut in them 10
let the water off, and surrounded by large
stone basins and troughs, each with its
tap of hot and cold water. The first is the
cold room, the next warm, The third
warmer, and so on until you come 20 the
sudariUa, of about 100 degrees Fahrcn-
hcit. Here tho operation commences.
Firstly they lathcr your head aud hair
thoroughly. Then you are washed over,
first with flannel and soap, il you like;
secondly, with a brush and soap; thirdly
with If and soap. LIZ is tho fiber of the
palmtrond soaked in water, sun-dricd and
pulled out 1t looks like q large sponge
of white horscbair, and il rubs as hard as
clothcs.brush. You are douched from
head TO foot between each of these opera
lions, with tubs Of hot water thrown at
you and over you. You are then sham
pooed with fresh layers of soap, and
douchcd again. BY this time You are
beginning to feel rather exhausted.
They then cover your face and neck
and arms with sort Of powder which
looks like meal, and move you through
the other rooms, each warmer than the
last till.you are turned into the hottest. If
1t is steam 100 degrees will content you: IL
in dry heat you can with practice bear 300
degrees. Your stay in the cdliddriHm lasts
about twenty minutes. They give you
iced shcrbct, und tic towels dipped in cold
water round your head, which prevents
your iaintng, and makes You pcrspire
more freely The white powder passes
away of itself They scrub your feet with
a hard, rough stone; indeed, il appears TO
me that ones first skin is wholly peeled
of. Now you move back again through
all the rooms, but gradually, staying ten
minutes in each. You are again douched
with water and shampooed with towels as
you pass from heat to cold. The most
rigorous of all is when you arrive at the
latter, when pals of cold water arc thrown
at your back and poured down the
spine. In the last room the finul sham
pooing is done with towels. We now re.
turn to the hall where we first un-
dressed, envcloped in silk and wooden
cloths, and we rcclinc on divans. 1t is all
strewed with flowers, incense is burned |
about us, cups of very hot and rather bit
ter coffee are handed to u, and nargilcs |
are placed in our mouths. A woman ad. |
vances and kncads you like bread; you
fall asleep during the process, which has
almost the effect of mcsmcrism When
you awake you will find music and dane
I, ~. Il.
sweatIncats, cracking nuts and enioying ali !
sorts of fun. Moslcm women go through |
much more than the above performances,
in the matter of being hennad !
and having their eyebrows pluckcd The
best time for the bath is with wedding
party preparing II bride. One feels very |
light after these baths and the skin is won !
dcrlully white. Easterns are not content |
with less than pccling the outer skin Off"