The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1894-07-19
WOMENAND THE BATH
IT Is REGARDED BY THEM AS A
GREAT EEAUTIFIER.

| .
Baths in Other Countries.
There is no doubt that women are be-
| ginning to realize more and more the i'm
portance of the bath. 1t no longer con-
| tinues to be perfunctory duty, to be gone
| through with as a matter of course on
| Saturday night, much as the family wash
| ing is undertaken on Monday.
The relation of cleanliness to godliness
has ceased to be of Importance. The bath
| has grown to be considered, on the con-
trary, close adjunct to woman's beauty.
The fair sex have learned to study the bath
| and it's effects upon their feelings, and in
| cidentally the action of tepid or hot water
on their fair skins and its efficacy in soft
ening and identifying their compilations.
No longer can it be said that with the
ma ority of American women bath means
simply wiping the face with corner OF
| wet towel, even if the statement was ever
true.
The women of foreign countries in the
past undoubte had greater apprecia-
ton of the near relation of the bath to per-
sonal beauty than the women of the United
States That great change in this direc-
ton has been wrought is evident from the
| greater intelligence shown by the Amer
lean women today in the matter of bathing
and their growing prediction for what is
known as Swedish massage.
In nearly all the larger Turkish baths or
| hammam here in New York city special
accommodations are provided for ladies,
and the proprietor of a well known estab-
| lishment assured me the other day that
he has five woman patrons today where he
had one few years ago.
| Besides these regular public Turkish
baths there are many young women who
make very good living as skilled oper-
ators in the art of massage. Some of them
are also manicures and hair dressers, but
primarily they are massage operators.
These young women ordinarily have
clientele which embraces a class of Gus
toners who can afford to pay well for what
| they want and do not hesitate to do so.
Some years ago massage operators found
| their customers chiefly among invalids or
| people who were DESTROYS of getting rid of
their superfluous flesh. Today many wom-
en-. young and old, take a thorough mas
sage after their bath three or four times
week, and declare that besides softening
| and identifying the skin it rests and
soothes their entire nervous system. This
|
| after leaving the bath.
Massage, by the way, is particular fad
among those bright eyed, wholesome young
women who affect tennis, riding, fencing
and other athletic exercises which come
within the feminine province. Imme-
| diately after finishing a bout with the
| fOils, deuce set at tennis or brisk dash
in the park. there is nothing that young
| woman finds more delightful than a dip in
| her porcelain bathtub, followed by the best
| part of an hour in the hands of an expert
| operator. When she has finished such
| treatment she energies from her bOudoir
| 1.-the of limb, graceful of carriage, her eyes
| dancing and her whole face aglOw with
| health, a perfect picture of that of which
| we are all so proud, comedy American
| girl full of animal spirits and a native wit
which has made her a favOrite everywhere.
| Long ago the women of the old countries
| appreciated the advantages of the bath and
| its power to enhance their personal charms.
| The almond eyed japanese beauty, with
| her darker complexion and gentle man
| ners. gives an added suppeness and
smoothness to her skin by nightly bath
| and a morning dip in water as hot as she
| can stand. This plan, while it is said to
work admirably with the japanese women,
would doubtless prove dangerous in this
land of colds and rheumatism.
English girls have never been noted like
| their American cousins for their taste in
dress, but what they lack in chic they make
| up for in other ways. The healthy, fresh
compilations and beautiful skin of English
women have been noted the world over
Of course in England women go in for rid
| ing to hounds and all kinds of athletics,
| but | have it direct from the lips of an
| English mother that she believed that the
beautiful compilations with which her
| daughters were blessed were due more
| than anything else to the plunges which
they took in cold water every morning i'm
mediately after arising. The dip in cold
| water is followed by brisk rubbing until
the skin is all aglow and as soft and pill
| able as velvet. Of course there is consid-
| cradle shock attendant upon plunge in
| cold water, and it should never be attempt
ed by weak or delicate girls, or, in fact, by
any one whose skin does not assume a
| healthy, red hue after being vigorously
| rubbed.
| The Frenchwoman as typifed, at least,
by the true Parisienne is nothing if not
luxurious in her tastes. She pays the great
est attention to her bath and is also an
morning bath, which she takes in luke
warm water, she INDUCES in a hasty show
er bath, after which she lies down for her
massage. Her passion for perfumes then
leads her to be lightly sprayed with violet
| water, while scented orris powder is sifted
into her hair, to be carefully brushed out
again later by her maid. After all this
sort of thing is over you can imagine what
a radiant, fragrant picture of health and
sweetness the French belle presents when
her toilet has been completed.
In Brazil the women are said to be par
tial to bathing in milk, but, never having
been there or ever having had the pleasure
of the acquaintance of Brazilian belle, ]
cannot speak with authority on that point
1t is well known, however, that milk has
an excellent effect upon the complexion and
is also very efficacious in softening the skin.
1t is impossible to lay down any general
rule as to how the bathing habit should be
INDUCED in, for what would be good for
one would be dangerous for another. The
best way is to remember that the bath is
not to be regarded as an aid to cleanliness
alone, but rather as an aid to health, per-
sonal attractiveness. to say nothing of the
wisdom and wealth which are commonly
supposed to attend upon early rising
New York Herald.
TO- rs nr,sa C1.fT.