Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-02-24
At q French Water-Curc.


At French Water-Curc.
\ Loud rapping at the 2oor waAened
Us at six o'clock. Les ForteuS roHS
at.eadent," said voice without. Sleep
ily We arose and looked out. A small
wooden sedan chair with two blue
bloused men for bearers stood without
on the landing. We had rooms on the
third floor of the inn, but stairs seemed
to matter but little to these staiwaft
peasants. Hastily we donned strange
garments, purchased under pressure
! the night before. ard consisting OF
trousers and hooded ulster or dressing
Gown made of heavy white flannel. and
worn by men and women alike. The
sedan was Of such narrow dimensions
that it would scarce have contained
the veriest dwarf of Frenchnan COM
fortably, ard We hal to draw ia our
limbs and stoop our heads SO painfully
that we were truly relieved when our
nimble porters, having scampered
down the three flights Of hotel stairs,
and across the stone-paved square to
the Establishment opposite, jolted
US merrily up the steps of that building.
and at last allowed us to emerge from
our confinement into the steamipg bath
prepared for us. Here bathing men or
women received us, obliged Us to pur-
chase oil-silk caps to preserve our hair
from wet, swathed us in linen night
gowns, and plunged us into the Opaque
and steaming mixture, where we were
kept recumbent for forty minutes.
The time passed rather slowly, as
We were not allowed to raise our hands
far enough out of the water for the
purposes of reading; but visit from
an old Scotch doctor, intent upon
practicing his knowledge of the Eng
lish tongue upon bis rare British pa
tients. somewhat cheered the monotony
of the hour, as did also variety Of
douches applied to divers portions CT
the body by means of strange sprays and
India-rubber tubes. This special form
of our martyrdom over for one morn
ing, the attendant swathed and patted
and rubbed US, clothed us afresh in
the flannel garment. pulled the cowl
of it over our faces, and once more
placed US in the painful sedan, in
which VIC we're trotted downstairs
again, made to drink glass of luke
warm mineral water at the spring. and
conveyed to the Sale des Vapeur over
the way, where the real tug Of war was
to begin. Still shrouded in our out
landish costume, We entered large
hall misty with vapor, where sat or
walked varied crowd of the one or
other sex, all equally habitod in curious
striped or white wooden bed-gowns,
and engaged in blowing sprays Of
mineral water down their Threats or
up their noses. through infnitesimally
fine little sleeves, or else in inhaling
vapors into their lungs from large
and CHASTITY cauldron that pulled forth
its steam now and then in truly hor-
rible manner.
The perspiration soon streamed from
our pores, as it did from the pores OF
fifty or more victims. our fellow suffer
ers. The effect was that of Turkish
bath in less luxurious surroundings
and without the subsequent rubbings
or the douche and swimming bath,
which form the chief attractions of the
eastern treatment. After thirty or
forty minutes of this very severe ordeal.
We we're huddled into our little upright
collins again. jostled down the steps,
across the court and up the stairs OF
the hotel, and packed into bed, pre-
viously warmed with copper warming
pan. there to perspire to our hearts
content till the bell rang at half past
ten for dejeuner a Ia fourchette. We
FASTENED to it with a good will-much
perspiring having ma de our hearts
faint--and fortunately, although the
table was not very sumptuous and we
had to be content with one knife and
fork for the whole meal. the food was
very wholesome and we'll cooked.