The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-01-22
HIS TURKISH BATH.
A Modest Man Takes q Gentle Dig ut
Oriental Luxury.


Oriental Luxury.
Gentle reader, have YOU ever batheds
Turkish batbcd' wot not. have, WOO is
me, and am now sadder and q cleaner
man. II this article, which Is meant to be
deliciously light and Playful, appears to you
TO to fraught with an underlying varicose
vein of gloom, do not hastily pass it by, but
remember that it's in the interest Of science.
have dallied with the luxury Of the Orient
80 called. Also remember that have con-
tracted deep, sonorous cold, which will in
all probability fondly nestle in my bosom till
my ulster blooms again.
The prclminarics Of tho Turkish bath are
simple You pay 81 at the door and pass
into the cooling room,n where the mercury
registers 90 dogs The appropriateness Of this
tito docs not burst upon you until you have
visited tho inner shri;c, where tho tcmpera-
turc is up near the boiling point. In the
cooling room" you are privileged to deposit
your valuables in safe. i did not avail
myself Of this boon, however, for reasons of
purely private nature, but passed at once
into the "disrobing ROOM This room was
not 50 largo as 20 appear dreary, nor yet 50
small as some have lodged in on the Bowery,
but was about 7xf. The furniture was simple
yet chaste, consisting Of chair and brush
and comb long past their prime The comb
was chained to tho wall, but the brush was
permitted 10 roam at will Hastily diveSting
myself of scalskius, jaegers and other piano.
plies of rank, arranged them in a neat pile
in the center Of the room and placed tho chair
upon them. This simple precaution | have
learned u practice when occupying a room
separated from It's fellows by low partitions
Your ncighbor may be q disciple of izak
Walton, and during your sleep or absence
may take a cast over the partition with hook
and line What could be more embarrassing
Than 10 have ones trousers thus surrepti-
tiously removodl am a lover Of the gentle
artn myself. but / am ever loath TO be played
for sucker.
was now ushercl into the "hot rOon,n
where a number Of gentlemen were lolhng
about and pcrspiring affably and fluently
Being OF timid, shrinking nature, | was
somewhat embarrassed on entering room
thus filed with strangers, md the more so rs
I realized that my costume was too bizarre
and striking for ono Of my willowy propor-
tons. So flung myself with an afcctation
Of easy grace upon a marble diyan, but inl-
mediately arose thcrefrom with vivid blush
and a large blister. / thea sat upon eceth-
ing chair until I came 10 q boil, when rose
up and cndoayorcd 10 alleviate my su1erings
by res;lossly pGcing tho room. A few towels
wore scattered about and as The nimble
chamois leaps from crag 10 crag, so leaped
from towel TO towel in my efforts t! keep my
feet OF the red hot floor Having bGsked in
this room until I was quito 0glow, / sum-
, mOned the attendant 0Ii1 told him he could
/ take Wo out at once or wait ycta littlo longer
/ and remove me through a hose. / then passed
into the manipulating room, where | was
laid out on an unclGstic marble slab like
"found drowned" 40 tho mOrgue, and was
taken D hand by a muscular attendant, who
proceeded to manipulate me with great VIC
lenco. lie began upon my chest, upon which
no pressed until hc lifted his foct OH tho floor
and my shoulder blades made dents in the
marble / mildly asked if it was absolutely
necessary that my respiratory organs should
De- thus lattcncd 10 which hc replied,
with a rich Turkish accent: Come of
young fellow, know my biz, and swoopcd
down upon my digestive organs Manipula-
tion consists of disjointing, disIncnbering,
bruiang and rending limb from limb, and
nay be hcalthful, but 1t is not popular with
me This man said no was pianist also,
and that he could manipulate and at tho
same time strengthen his fingers and improve
his technique, and TO Illustrate he struck
few r,sounding chords in the small Of my
back and then proceeded to interpret Wag-
yer up and down my vortebrR, running
scales, twiddlng up in the treble and thur
dcrng down in the bass just as if | were the
keyboard Of a Stcinway grand, an illusion
doubtless heightened by the ivory whiteness
OF my skin Hc wound up by playing that
grand old show of piece, the Battle OF
Prague, while joined in with the Cries Of
tho Wounded IL was n fine rendering, no
doubt, but next time am to be played upon
l shall ass for soft aAuante movement-a
Chopin noctuno say.-Ncw York World