The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-05-29

by four broad, down one side OF which
was a narrow couch covered with
sheet. This was the undressing-roon1
Must everything be left here?' l.
shouted through the wall to the Norwe-
gian who was in the next cell, every
thing" he replied. mot even sheet or
a towel?" 1 suggested. There was ba-
bel of Finnish from the attendant at the
door and a manful effort on his part to
understand. Swedish will carry one
through most parts of Finland, but
these bathwomen spoke not a. word OF
it. Nothing at ALL" was the verdict,
and so, clad thus scantily, we left our
cells, turned yard or two down
dripping passage and entered a foggy
room. On either side of this were long,
narrow wooden shelves, about eight feet
from the grounr, to which we had to
climb by wooden step-ladders Accord
ing to directions, we reclined at full
length on the shelves, in heavy, misty
atmosphere feeling like fish about to be
boiled. A handle was turned and dense
clouds of steam enveloped us, rushing
through apertures from the furnace
room, where jets of water were pouring
over red hot bricks or stones.
Three or four minutes in this atmos-
phere produced the effects of half an
hour in the dry air of a Turkish bath.
Streaming with Precipitation, gasping for
breath, and half-boled, we cried for
mercy The steam was shut off and two
women mounted the steps with pals of
hot water and great punches of leafy
birch twigs, fastened together in the
shape Of 'half-expanded fan. The pc
culiar feature of the Finnish national
bath was about to begin. The steam
bath is common throughout eastern Eu
rope, the ''bassang (bea ting) is the diff
Terminating feature in Finland. Dip
ping these falls in the water, the attend
ants began to lash our recumbent forms,
not gently, but very vigorously, from
foot to neck and from neck to foot, first
as we lay on our backs. then as we
turned over to our chests. The sharp
sting of the blows at first was scarcely
pleasant, but the sensation soon became
one of pure delight. 1t was like the
fierce glow which follows a plunge into
ice-cold water, when after the shock the
blood PUSHES tingling through the veins
Then the steam was turned on again. A
StEOuu IdSlllHS IUilDWGu, anu we were or
dered to descend from our lofty pecches
and enter another room.
Soaping, shampooing, rubbing with
flesh gloves followed, then dousing with
pals of warm water and standing under
a spray first warm, then chilled till cold
was reached. All this was the familiar
process of the Turkish bath. But the
was In the attendant and
still more strange was it to be taken
back to the little room in which | had
left my clothes, to be unceremoniously
toWelled by the same attendant, like a
baby, till / was dry, and then ordered to
dress Immediately. But where were the
socks? They had been carried off, and
were brought back hot and dry from the
fire, an invariabe attention at Finnish
bath. Almost before / had fully realized
that the bath was over / was out again
in the cold night air. the whole ceremo-
ny having scarcely taken twenty min
utes. The Finlander is no believer In ly-
ing still to cool down after vapor bath. |
Glowing and persprng, he plunges
out into the chill air of a north
ern night without even an overcoat to
lessen the shock. If the feet are warm,
all is right he tells you. So he puts on
his hot socks and walks leisurely to his /
dinner. And certainly we ourselves felt |
no ill-effects from following his example. |
Pail Mall Gazette