Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-09-30
HOW LADIES BATTLE.
A BRIEF FEMININE EXPERIENCE In A LUX.
URIOUs RUSSIAN BATH.
Some Of the Curious Scsnss-Scrsps Of Conversation
4 Woman Lays Aside Her Reserve When
She Takes OF Her Tailor Made Gown.
NeH York World.

Nevertheless, after getting our checks
from the clerk at the desk We descended
to the warm, luxurious rooms.
These are arranged in two rows, each
loom about elk feet square, and divided
from each other by low partitions and q
silk curtain, which shuts it in completely.
We discarded, as quickly aspossible, Our
natty, tight.ftting dresses for linen
sheet, which an attendant. looking like q
cup-bearer to Jupiter, in her short tunic,
laid upon tn, divan. In this sheet we
wrapped ourselves and it was as cool and
soft to the skin as q robe made of rose
leaves, and forthwith gathering it up dsin-
tly and feeling like Roman in his toga,
we .tspped fiom our several Ettl. cuitsined
inches into q wide, csrpetsd aisls, Lighted
by tiny, ipcanGescect lamps branching
from the walls on Their side.
| From this We passed into sort OF ante
chamter whe,e a number OF batbe;s wee
haviog their hair brushed, Others the'r
nail. msniculed, and two or three IN toe
further correr we've weighing each otter
and disput,ng v0lably about an extra
pound or two.
THE STEAM ROOM.
Beyond this is tie steam-room, looking
as trough wrapped in the mystey OF
geuuiue London fog. 1t was large ana
wide, lined on each side with marble
slab, above and below, like upper and low
er berths, tie steam pouring in streams
from grated openings in the marble. In
the Celtre Icy 3 grest, ruflel pool, marble
edged, fed with fresh W. ter constantly
| from the oren mouths Of two massive dogs
beads Of silver and projecting on each side.
We settled ourselves upOn the lower slab,
and prepared to perspiIe slowly, steadily,
terribly.
The hest wss intense, the steam so thick
thst we distinguished the forms Of the
other bathers but dimly at first, but as We
became accustomed to it We saw bright,
Virlsh faces, tue contour Of prEtty arms
and shoulders, few palid. sickly women,
some very lean, and one very stout woman
of middle age sitting in aIemote corner IN
TIE midst of seething steam, determined
10 get thin or die on the spot. Agroup OF
chorus giIls were practising quartet near
by, interspsrsirg it with laughing con-
nents; every ore was laughing and Cos
sippiuR. TIE shower baths Were in full
play, the plunge filled with splashing
pymphs, the attendants rushing hither and
thither, bearing bowls of cold water and
Fsoft towels for aching heads, and the scene
was OF tie hyeliest.
''THE THING" TO WAX CONFIDENTIAL.
It seems to BIO "the thing" to wax con-
fidentIl wlel in Russian bitb, judging
from TIE scraps OF conversation overEe ard.
az didn't tell You so be'oIe, because l
feared" &r.
"You might have known me bstter, Jen-
ME, as if would" &c.
But promise you will never mention 1t;
l would not have him know l spoke OF
It. &c.
"You may rely on Newell, inish--and
them" &c.
well, and then"-- and the voices
sank lower amid ordinations Of surprise,
scorn and merriment.
Yes. it is certainly strange that when a
woman takes off her tailOr-made gown she
leys aside her reserve, and In the haze OF
the steam. room upboxes her secrets II her
des1est friend, and whether the friend con-
siders the secrecy binding when ont IN tie
sunlight, clothed and in her right MIND"
ia a question which admits Of dubious
answer.
Along came our attendant, brush in hsnd.
She was a tall beautifully formed young
woman. with a complexion like blush
rose, and oh! tie strength in her vigorous
arms as she put Us through tae,scrnbblng
process and led us, one after the othet, TO
a shower bath of graduated water from
warm to cold! 49,
Thee attendants, by the way, are all In
re-fe2t health; with upblemiste1 skin and
without an ounce of superhous tesh.
They apparently thrive on the hot air and
yspor which they breathe for five or six
hours every day, and, clad only in short,
picturesque linen TUNES, are rs happy q
lot of young women as could be found any
where.
THE DIVE IN THE PLUNGE.
The next stage in the bath was dive IN
tbs plunge. We descended the steps gin
perly. The water was so intensely cid
that when the feet touched it an electric
shock ran through the body. Another
gasp, another shiver, weset our teeth hard,
ard in we went! The first shock over, the
water was simply delightful. 1t reached
yery neailyto our ears as we stood upright
then 10 Owed, plusged, swan, II we could;
spiashed, il We couldn't, and came out
at the other end warm and rosy. This
We II, eye several times Then came tie
rec lie bath, in .epsra.e room, tie walls
lined with silver and perforated eYe'y-
where with minute holes. TIE wafer was
turnei on, and above. below and at the
sides the water rushed out in sharp, sting
ing sprsys with great force aud enveioped
the bather in thousand nee deluxe points.
Two minutes of this was enough, for II
lett one tingling, bIeathless and very much
alive.
After that we were dried and well wrap
red mn in heated sheets, and then went to
our separate rooms. As the hair never
Dire, ~ quickly az ore might wish, we de-
tsrmiuei to slead teo minutes in the hot
air room attached to the Turkish baths,
which is generally situated on the floor
above.
Wrapped in our sheets, which swept the
floor behind rs in q stately train which q
Babylonian queen might not have deSplsed,
we swept no into the carresed stairs and
into the hot.air room. 1t was furnished
like an ordinary ,,sittiDg-rcom, and on low
chairs here and there five or six women
sat wrapped in white, looking, like 80
many mummies.
IN THE HOT RooN.
We felt the dry heat almost. everpower-
ing at first; it WAS like blast from fur
mace and we could hear the heat Kissing
through the large pipes lining the hall on
one side. Five minutes we've sufficient to
div the hair thoroughly and we went back
to our rooms to rest for an hour. Then
appetite asserts itself; we were desperately
hungry. As these baths are generally at
tached to . frst-class hotel it is easy to
order anything from q sandwich to tive
dollar luncheon. The usual demand is for
sandwiches, salads or croquettes, with
either coffee, lemonade, milk punch or por-
ter.
Lcllipg upon eidsr-down divanss for the
time, atlsast, quite free from care, invigor-
ated and freshened by our bath, it was de-
49,. A., &r;f,a NTH nur salad and draw An