Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-20
THE BATH In TURKEY.
Mary j. Holmes Describes the Luxury
as Seen at Its Best.
A RETREAT FOR ROYAL LADIES
Where They Enjoy Themselves and Make
Their Political Deals.
MYSTERIES OF THE TURKISH TOILET
IcoRREsPoNDENcE OF THE DrsPArcH.I

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CoNsTANTINoPLE, July 6.-The Turk
ish bath here is far from being the Turkish
bath in far-awav America. Every Turkish
house, in the best society here, has its pri-
Vate bath, that is used on certain days and
hours by WON en- of the family and on other
days by the men. Others again have two
sets of baths, one for the women and the
other for the men. These baths are heated
with hot air, which comes from large fur
mace situated at quite distance from the
house and fed by wood and charcoal. The
heat is carried in such way as not to make
a moist atmosphere, and the air in the differ
ent rooms is hot but dry, which is not so un-
pleasant and sufocating as the so-ealled
Turkish baths in America. The three rooms
being passed, the ladies go into the last,
where there is fountain of perfumed water
and where the last part of the cleansing
takes place.
The baths in the palace at Dolme-Bakt-
chic, on the Bosphorus, are very beautiful,
but 1T would require volume to describe
them, for the luxury of Turkish house is
centered in the bath, where the people seem
most to enjoy themselves. Just outside the
limits OF Constantinople, up in the Golden
Horn, Is Aga -Hammann, bath fre quented
by many ladies of the highest position, not
because they have no baths of their own,
but because they are sure to meet their
friends there without restriction and have q
good time. 1t has always been great place
for mothers to take their manageable
daughters, and other mothers to go to choose
bride for their SONS, for wives are not
chosen for their mental but physical beau
ties alone.
PLUMP BEAUTIES IN THE BATH.
The ladies arrive, each one attended by
her own personal servant, and another who
bears very substantial lunch basket and
handsome gold bordered bathing wrap.
The eunuchs remain outside or go away,
and come back at the hour the bath is ended,
as it occupies several hours. First, the ladies
are divested of their clothing and receive
crepe sheet, which they drape about them
while they sit the regulation time in the
first room. During this time they chat
with each other, though not very familiarly,
and they keep up the pretense of the drap-
cry until they reach and pass the next room.
Here they stretch themselves out upon the
marble slabs, while two attendants rub,
lather and pour hot water over them until
it seems as if they would be boiled.
Each lady is laid upon marble slab.
which is slightly inclined, and the attend
ants begin their labors, one at the feet and
the other at the head. They use sort OF
clay called pilo, which raises thick white
lather. The attendants use nothing but this !
soapy clay and their hands to cleanse
their subject, and rub and knead
and punch until it seems they
would reduce the flesh to a pulp, all the |
while leaving this lather to accumulate un-
til the bather looks like SNOWFALL. An
other kind of soap is used for the hair and |
another again for the face, but the latter Is |
always lett to gather thick as the worker |
rubs and tolls, the perspiration rolling in |
streams down her own glistening body. |
Sometimes these attendants are white, some |
times black, and some of the ladies of the /
harem are as black as any negro in our own |
country, as it is quite a common thing for
a man to make a wife of his Abyssinian
slave. These inky ladies wear the Turkish
veil as religiously as do the white wives,
and indeed the color line Is not drawn close
Iy at all in the Orient.
IN RAYS OF CoLoRED LIGHT.
This Turkish bath is lighted from the
roof and through stained glass, and the |
colored light falls upon the forms laid out |
beneath with beautiful effect. A large |
fountain with deep basin stands in the |
pipes throw off sprays of perfumed water
above the slabs on which the ladies lay like |
animated snowfakes, kicking and squealing
when soap gets In their eyes or mouths Ur
when the attendants tickle them unexpect-
edly. A little silver basin stands at hand,
and after the ladies have been soaked in
soap long enough, the attendants take quite
hot water-entirely too hot for anybody but
Turkish woman, who is used to it-and
pour it gently over them, not dashing it,
but softly emptying it, so that it soon washes
fresh. This pouring of water is continued
sometimes half an hour, together with rub
bing, rolling and kneading of the body,
after which the lady is at liberty to plunge
into the basin, If she wishes, among the
other laughing and frolicking women, black
and white mingliug Unfortunately.
Words cannot depict the utter abandon
ment to fun and sport that takes possession
of these women and children, too, for after
a girl is 9 years old she is admittsd:to wom-
ems society unrestrainedly. The young
girls are all plumper than our young girls,
and they have in the main fine figures,
though the knees are always big and prom
inent, which is probably caused by the habit
of sitting cross-legged as they do. Their
skin is very white and pure in spite of their
unwholesome diet anG indolent habits.
When they have sported about in the basin
to their hearts content the servants bring in
their lunch baskets and the women eat,
after which they return to the water again
and splash about there for a short time
longer. Then they proceed to their dressing
rooms, the bathing gown now for the first
time being produced.
THE PROFESSIONAL BEAUTIFIERs.
Then they go and seat themselves on
stools after short lounge on a divan and
cigarette or so and coffee, and the profess
sional beautifer takes charge of them.
First, the hair is thoroughly dried and
picked out free from tangles, and smoothed
with the hands only until it is soft and
glossy as silk. Then it is braided in two
long tresses, though some affect other styles
Of dressing it. The hair is most always
banged in scallops. The hair dresser passes /
10 another and the tooth polisher comes, and
with a brush and charcoal powder makes
The teeth glisten, and these women are
quite expert dentists, pulling bad teeth and
illing those possible to save.
After her comes the painter with her lit
lie box. She begins by first bathing face
Ind neck and arms with balm of Gilead,
which makes the skin appear like marble,
md emits a delicious, resiny fragrance, and
,lso preserves the skin from lnipry by the
paints applied later. Then, ths eyebrows
Ind eyelashes are dyed with kohol, which
nakes them glossy, brownish black, and d,
greatly the beauty of their eyes,
Ind makes them look larger and more ex-
,ressive. After this kind of a pigment ,
made of zinc is laid on thickly and modu-