The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1889-10-31
BEAUTIES IN THE BATH.
How Mrs. LanStry and Nrs. Potter Pat.
TOliEe Turkish Establishments.
An AbluIion which Cost the Jersey
Lily Rifty DOIlaRs--tiambltng
Among women.

New YoRK, Oct. 6.-Gorgeous are sew
eraI Of the ladies' Turkish bath estab-
lishments Of the fashionable type, and In
them you can see the neatest things ex-
tant in washerwomen. They are chosen
for healthy presentability. to begin with,
and are dressed in becoming uniforms,
from the prettily capped and costumed
girl who ushers you into the ante-room to
the muscular, bare-armed ones who at
tends you in the bathing and rubbing de-
partments. The height Of luxury Is
attained in several Of the rival baths, and
our swell women are the customers who
make the business profitable. By means
Of small tip and large lump Of taffy
got the mistress Of the lounging-room at
Turkish bath to tell me some gossip.
According To this mercenary long-tongue,
Mrs. Langtry Is one Of the most persist
ent bathers who came to her establish
ment. She might fail to keep an engage
ment with her frock-maker, but with her
bathing mistress, never. But TO let her
talk:
"It was q real pleasure to bathe Mrs.
Langtry," said the woman. "She was SO
beautiful. Most women take medicine
when they don't feel well, but Mrs. Lang
try took bath. She ordered the kind
she needed, and II varied according to her
feelings. Sometimes she would come here
with book and sit for two hours with
her feet in hot water, studying part, and
the steam rolling up about her in clouds.
The first uf these baths cost her $50, she
told me, and it was the only time ever
saw her angry. She was suffering from
sick headache, and she wanted the bath
kept at q certain temperature for a full
hour. While was adjusting the steam
she laid the book aside, and did not re-
sumo 1t for half an hour. In the mean
time the vapor moistened the leaves, the
ink ran all over the paper, and there
wasn't q legible page in the book when
she came to open II. It cost her $50 to
have the work copied.
"At her bath Mrs. Langtry always had
me rub her down with fine salt and alco-
hol, to bring the blood to the surface and
keep her from taking cold. Many time
have kneaded her TO break up cold
taken the night before, and used 10 beat
tattoo on her throat and rataplan on
her chest to exercise and rest her vocal
organs. l washed her face, too, by
inches, to clean out every pore, and l
steamed her hair and eye-lashes to make
them grow. She had the most beautiful
pair Of feet ever saw on woman. They
were perfection in shape and color; not
small, but long, and every toe developed,
and as soft as baby's. Her heels were
the regular pincushion pattern, and Il was
her boast that she had never had Q skin
blemish in her life, and didn't know what
q bunion meant. For q long time ]
washed her every day, sometimes with a
sponge and not more than q gallon oi
water, and again with ton Of steam and
q dozen brushes, always finishing by
spraying her with violet water, rolling her
up in q hot sheet, preparing her . cup Of
coffee, and protecting her siesta from the
slightest disturbance. never called her
by name. In the bath she was known 10
us as Mrs. L. She was very generous and
exceedingly kind-hearted. She never
gave me any ordinary tip, but would tell
me to buy pair Of shoes or dress, and
give me the money TO pay for Il. Then
she often told me how 10 take care Of my
health, what to eat, and the incest way 10
get along with patrons. remember she
once said that Il l wanted. to become pop
ular must please the people, and then
always give way 10 them. First try to
have my own way, and then, by giving
up in time. would generally get 1t in the
end. find It 30, too.
"Mrs. Potter used to come here very
often. She was nice. but didn't care for
much water. She never took the shower.
She wanted to be rubbed till her skin be-
came soft, and then douched with layen-
der water and orris, and hanl-rubbed
again. l had 10 keep this up until my
arms were lame, and many times she has
gone into the cooling-room for nap just
TO give my arms time to timber out again,
I never could find out what perfume she
used, but It clung to everything she had
nm and co,,ld tall ,vhakhar aha had haan