Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1890-08-24
GENUINE TURKISH BATHS
Bathing an All-Day Diversion with the
Women OF Constanunople

q
just outside the limits of Constantine
pie, uD in the Golden Horn. l. Aga Ham
man. a bath freQuentcd by many ladie,
of the highest positions. not because they
have no baths OF their own. but because
they are sure To meet their friends there
without restriction and have a good time.
II has always ubeen great place for
mothers 70 take their marriageable
daughters and for other mothers 10 20 10
choose a bride for their sons. and. a.
wives are not chosen for their mental. but
for their physical beauties alone. certain
" this is the place 10 choose. where
beauty is quite unodorned and. therefore.
of this bath we will speak.
The ladies arrive. each one attended by
her own personal servant and another
who bears very substantial lunch
basket and a handsome gold -bordered
bathing-wrap. The eunuchs remain out
side or 20 away. and come back at the
hour the bath is ended, as it occupies
several hours.
First, the ladies are Invested Of their
clothing and receive a Grape 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 Familiarity. and they
keep up the pretense of the drapery until
they reach and pass the next room. after
which the sheet and modesty are thrown
streaming loose and unconined. they
walk erect into the last room, a. Eve did
about the garden of Eden. There they
stretch themselves out upon the marble
slabs while two attendants rub them and
lather them and pour hot water over
them until IL seems as If they would be
boiled. Each lady il laid on marble
slab which i slightly inclined aud two
attendants begin their labors, one at the
feet aud the other al the head. They use
a sort of clay called pilo. which raises a
thick, white lather. which sometimes
grows several inches thick. The attend E
ants use nothing but this soapy clay and
their hands 10 cleanse their subject with.
and they rub and knead and punch until
IL seems they would reduce the flesh TO a
pulp. all the while leaving this lather to
accumulate until the bather looks like a
SNOWFALL. Another kind of soap is used
for the hair, and another again for the
face. but the lather is always left TO
gather thick. as the worker rubs and tolls.
the perspiration rolling in streams down
her own glistening body.
A little silver basin stands at hand. and
after the ladies have soaked In soap long
enough they take quite hot water. entirely
TOO hot for anybody but Turkish woman
who Is used 10 IL. and pour ii gently over
them, not dashing the water. but softly
emptying ii. so that IL soon washes off all
the lather. leaving the flesh rosy and
fresh. This pouring Of water is continued
sometimes half an hour, and the rubbing.
rolling and kneading of the body. after
which the lady is at liberty TO plunge into
the basin II she wishes among the other
laughing and frolicking women. black and
white mingling indiscriminately.
Words cannot depict the utter a bandon-
ment TO fun and sport that takes possess
sion OF these women. and children. too.
for after girl is nine years old she is ad :
mitted to women's 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 prominent, which is probably
caused by the habit of sitting crossed
legged as they do. Their skin is very
white and pure. in spite of their unwhole-
some diet and indOlent habits.