, 1885-02-06
THE RUSSIAN BATH.
THE PLACE WHERE THE PORES
TURN INTO sWEAT-sEWERs.
Ths sIsstsriou. Ordeal of vapor. Soap and
water-In the steAm-Itoom-
sparrInE with Cold Water
"A Now Man.

rGeorge Alfred Townsend in Boston Globel
There is not 50 much difference between
the Turkish and Russian bath as you would
suppose. The Turkish bath Is dry, heated
air, which you inhale, and which forces you
TO sweat The Russian bath Is heat modified
By steam. The Russians, l fancy, found the
old Roman bath In Turkey, and, not liking
a very dry air. they sought some means OF
softsning II, and, therefore, they had the
vapor baths.
Whom you go to the big Russian bath you
occupy one OF about 300 rooms, all stable
and commodious You take off everything
you possess in tho way Of human
manufacture. don't grid yourself with
a towel, but step right out into
the public plaza, and you go back through
the S~rfsting room 10 the wiping-room, which
has a roof and walls Of onyx Then you
open the door Of the tepid room, which has
a big pool OF water in the middle, and all
around II are marble slabs for reclining, and
the heat comes out OF various CRATES, and
overhead is a fine piecs OF stained glass
Behind this room IL the s-crubbing-room,
where they scrub tho human body as II it
were a wooden floor. You pass through this
apartment and enter the steam-room proper,
which has also a great pool in the ddle.
The first pool you have already passed in the
topid-room Is made up Of well water.
The pool in the steam-room Is of Croton
winter. You can hardly see anything In the
ateam-room when you first enter. Tho heat
is high without being oppressive The
pores OF your body begin to open, and finally
you have not a single pore hat has not
poured forth. You find your skin to DO
pierced everywhere with little bits OF sewers
and punctures, and out Of each comes thai
heat which is not Of much use toYou- Finally
you come out and a man seizes you and lays
you down on a piece OF marble and put a
sponge under your head. Then no takes a
flesh brush and n lot OF soap and he scrubs
you everywhere.
When you are thoroughly well scrubbed
you are allowed TO go free. and you naturally
turn TO a corner Of the scrubbing-room,
where the different splgots Of water are al
lowed TO go wild. One of these spigots
comes from the floor, and you can hold up
your arm and a strong jet OF water will
seek you under the armpits, or you can
throw your head back and the same jet Of
water will strike you under the csrobellum,
and you will freezs out what very low
animal nature you must possess In order to
be a gront reformer. Another sheet OF
water comes when you touch n spigot from
the top and strikes you with the full force
Of a human fist, and you can have a sparring
match with cold water, which you don't often
have, l dare say. Another $ got turns on
the shower. By the time you have started
these different spigots you heart has just got
a little aroused and takes an interest In you.
You next step through n side door into the
great Roman apartment. which is something
like forty feot wide by perhaps 100 feet in
depth. This Is the gem of the bath. The
proprietors put it in two or three years ago.
and expended all their spare money In the
stained glass and the solid marble walls, the
marble ceiling, etc. At ono end Is the mag
netic apparatus, by which you can get all
the electricity you want In no TINA. At each
end of this room are all sorts of needle
spigots, by which you can have a lung bath,
a kidney bath, a shower bath, or whatever
you desire At the opposite end Is a marble
arch, which leads to the natural plunge.
Here thore is a driven we'll. and the water
comes up clear and green. You wet your
head with the bottom OF your hand and then
you plunge in. The first shock Is pretty
rough Somehow or other you want another
one, however, and before you leave that
beautiful plunge, which must have chemical
properties OF some sort, you feel like buying
out the establishment and remaining there
for life.
After you have passed through a man
takes a towel and gives you another ono, and
you arc wiped dry and then you are taken
inoo lno knehuinB room anu put on a clean
sheet and every joint and muscle in your
body is worked or annealed until the whole
man has had a certain gentle exercise and
hogging and stimulation. Then you
can 20 md have your corns cut and the
thick skin taken from under your soles, and
IL you arc very noble minded they will rub
into you some alcohol or soms lavender
water or som vaseline. In the meantime
your boots are being blackened- You can
get into a chair with a blanket around you
and be shaved. When you step out into the
open air almost everybody you zee seems to
DO a young girl.