The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-07-30
The s. Hammam -

The Overland Monthly for July has a
very interesting description of the Turk
ish bath recently erected in San Fran
cisco by DR.. Loryea, called the Ham
man." supposed to be the most perfect
now in existence. The climate of Cali
fornia was found to be admirably suited
to demonstrate the manifold benefits
conferred by the hot-air bath, and with
commendable spirit and liberaIity John
P. Jones, United States senator from
Nevada, came promptly to the assistance
of Doctors Loryea and Trask. The
Hammam is located in Dupont street,
in the heart of the city. Ascending the
steps the visitor is at once delighted by
beautiful bronze fountain. Over the
entrance door is a finely executed in
scription in Arabic Bishmillah, ALA
il ALA" To the right of the entrance
Stands an apartment we'll supplied with
refreshments and appropriate stimu-
iants. At the office, upon the opposite
side of the hall, the bather deposits HE
velnables and receives his check. He
then enters the mustaby," or cool
room, in the centre of which stands a
marble hath, and here silver fountain
plays. On either side are lOunging and
smoking rooms, each splendidly fitted
up and separated by carved and painted
trellis-work. The ceilings and walls
are magnifcently frescoed. The light
enters through two large circular sky
lights of colored glass in perfect har-
mony with the cOlors of the frescOed
walls. On the doors are Arabic inscrip-
tions. Plate glass mirrors reflect the
various images and the visitor is filled
with a sense of dreamy and yet soothing
languor. The mustaby is the OpOdy-
terium, conclave, or spOliatorum of the
Romans. Succeeding the mustaby is
the tepidyrium, corresponding to the
sea" of the Jews and the piscinium of
the Romans. It is the warm room,
wherein a heat of 120 to 130 Fahrenheit
is constantly maintained. The next in
order of apartments is the calidarium or
sudatorium, corresponding to the stone
baths of the Russians, Icelanders, and
American Indians. The heat of this
room is maintained at $50 to $50. The
whole room is composed of marble, with
a large marble table in the centre, sur
rounded by marble seats. The EN-
ployes are all from Turkey, having been
educated to the business from the age
of eight years. Shampooers generally
handsome arching of the ceiling of the
calidarium is lighted by superb chan
deliers of exquisite design, and radiates
the heat equally to all portions of the
room. Thick curtains separate this
room from smaller apartments, in which
the heat is higher than in the main
room. The second floor is devoted to
ladies and the third to medicated baths
of all descriptions. The ladies' rooms
are sumptuOusly furnished; the room
dedicated to mercurial vapOr baths is
composed entirely of transparent plate
glass so that the bather can be seen at
all times by the operator. DIR. Loryea,
having availed himself of the powerful
aid of chemistry, administers all the
most noted baths of the spas. One can
revel in the sea- water bath of the Med
iterranean, in the alkaline baths of
Vichy, in the serpent baths of Schlang-
enbad. Electric and perfumed cos
metic baths are also among the treas
ures within the reach of beauty. Ali
the walls, floors, and ceilings of this
establishment are hollow, the doors and
ceilings being composed of iron and
stone arches. Prof. Tyndall's theory of
ventilation is here in successful practice.
Shower baths are entirely dispensed
with, but in their place are marble
basins, hewn from the solid rock, con-
tanning hot, warm, Uepid, and cold
water, which is sprinkled from needle
Jets over the bather, so as to avoid any
sudden shock to the system.