Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1882-05-25
BEAUTIFUL BATHERS.
The Experience of Correspondent in Turkish
Rath

The Experience OF a Correspondent In a Turkish
Bath.
Tie lady correspondent of the Gin
cinnati Enquirer has taken a Turkish
bath. She says: II Sent straightway
to one of the several large establish
ments during the hours when it was
sacred to my own sex. Not q man was
TO be seen about the place. A woman
took my S1.50 in an outer Office and let
me into the next room, which looked
like the cabin of Hudson River steam
boat. 1t was long and low, with a soft
carpet on the floor and row of doors
on the sides, opening into little dress
ing-rooms. i was told to so in one of
them and disrobe.
"Must | take off everything?" | ask
ed.
Everything? o, yes" said she; but
you will find sheet to wrap yourself in
just then ghostly figure, wound in a
sheet, entered from room and disap-
peared through another door ut the
further end of the cabin. She was Il tall
thin woman, with a bloodless face, and
her black hair hung loose | wouldn't
have liked to met her in graveyard on
dark night. But she was completely
enveloped, and that gave me comfort,
for | had felt blushingly squeamish. |
might have been seen ten minutes after
ward coming sheeted out of my room,
and sinking toward the entrance of the
bath. pushed open the door, and had
scarcely seen that | was in a mere ante
room, when whisk went the sheet, and
] was i'll the condition of my grandma
oh
tendant had grabbed of the covering.
Here" | said, hUddling myself to-
gether, II want thai"
80, none of the ladies ever wear any
thing" was the response in an expostu-
latory tone.
Wei, it wouldn't do to kick against
the fashion, and / allowed myself to be
pushed into the bathroom. What a
sight met my astonished eyes, About
one hundred and fifty utterly nude
women were in that big room, lounging
in willow chairs and sofas, walking
about, chatting with acquaintance, and
perspiring like squeezed sponges. The
temperature was l20, the dry heat pour
ing in from registers on all sides. / was
awfully ashamed at first, but the I'M
concern of a great majority gradually
treasured me, and at length | ventured
out of the corner in which | had taken
refuge.
The scene would have disenchanted,
| vow, the most ardent admirer of my
sex. There were many comely bathers
to be sure, with fine forms and smooth,
white skins, but the revelation of hol-
low-chested maids and flabby matronS,
of spindle shanks and hairy arms, of
corns and bunions, and of various un-
shapeliness, was something beyond my
power or desire of description. An old
walrus of a woman waddled herred three
hundred pounds around with lank,
rib-displaying wearer of eyeglasses. |
saw several persons whom | had seen
before, and, bless me, how altered they
looked without clothes! One of these
was the popular actress of theatrical
company, and | knew her by sight, be-
cause of having seen her half undresscd
on the stage Somebody called me by
name, and /, with considerably greater
difficulty, recognized the face of an
acquaintance. Perhaps that assemblage
was not fairly representative, but, tax
ing it as standard, not more than one
in ten of us is reasonably good in finery
and not one in fifty would do for statu-
airy. The best figure in the lot was that
of woman who could not have been
less than 45 years old, and it was per-
lection itself in every curve and pro-
portion; but, rs a rule, the women of
% to 80 eXcelled in form, The younger
ones being scrawny, and the older ones
either gaunt or flabby. AS for the cute
little aprons, sashes. and rudimentary
skirts which had expected TO see (and
which | have since been told are worn,
though rarely, by parties of swell women
when they hire the whole establishment
for their exclusive Selves not a shred
was to be seen. The only wearers of
anything were the dozen attendants, all
slender, sprightly young women. Each
had 4 towel wrapped around her body
from waist to hips, another over one
shoulder and across the breast TO the
opposite armpit, and third wound
turban-like around the head. They
looked jaunty and agreeable 1t was
their task to show bathers how to use
the cold water douches, pools and show
ers, and to scrub them with brushes as
they lay on the marble tables. liked
the bath well enough; but | am sorry !
saw the naked women, for they rather
! discnchanted me.