The San Francisco call., 1908-05-31

passage leading to the bathhouse.
Even as a cat may look at king so
may the common grub worm look ct
the butterflies OF fashion that fit by.
And, indeed, one suspects the butter
flies would be just q mite disc ppointed
IL there We're no ore to see. Else why
those gay kimonos, all pale pink, soft
gray. delicate blue, gorgeously ern-
broidered with every fancy Of the
Japanese artist? And the coiffures SO
carefully arranged or becomingiy dis
arranged?
And so it is worth while in an idle
hour to linger in the gentle warmth of
the soIarium at the bathing hour or in
the rotunda of the hotel for that mat
ter For at these hot springs. whore
bathing is the business of the day, the
bath becomes the chief topic OF conver-
sation and the taking OF the bath an
occasion for taking everybody into
Your confidence Just as far as possible.
At the bathing hour women are seen
hitting about the halls, in the elevators
and even crossing the rotunda in their
fetching neglige-
But all OF them must pass through
the glass covered corridor leading from
the sun room to the kurhaus, and here,
where the light filters through the
trees and vines planted in the window
boxes, they seem more like butterflies
than in the dim halls Of the hotels. A
very pretty picture they make, going
about this serious business OF the
beauty quest, their silken Japanese
robes carelessiy concealing, carefully
revealing dainty lace trimmed lingerie
and feet encased only in sandals
Refined and luxurious to the last de-
gree is the taking of the beauty bath.
Rheumatics and other stupid people
have the bother of undressing and
dressing again. But these butterflies
have only to slip off their kimonos and
another tight garment or two. and when
they emerge from the dressing room
into the marble halls OF the batn--pres-
to, they have gone back TO the chry
sails state. Swathed in sheets. which
can be dropped at the door OF the cabi-
net, the Turkish hot or steam room
or the i1ydrotherapy tonic bath, as the
case may be. they are butterflies no
longer.
For those who are very much in
earnest in this absorbing beauty quest
the sheet is dropped in turn at every
door. The exercise OF the morning
makes the pores open readily, and a
few minutes IN the hot room with it's
temperature OF lao degrees makes the
too, too solid flesh begin to melt Very
rapidly Only the wet cloth about the
temples and the glass of ice water
make possible the necessary stay, but
they are Spartan in their determinati ton,
and for a half hour the melting, thaw-
ing and resolving into dew go on.
After this there is the Turkish rub,
which cools and freshens the body But
the closing of the leaking pores is
only for the moment This Turkish
shampoo is only preparatory to an
other parboiling in the hot air cabinet,
where a few more ounces are wrung
from body whose every vein and ar
terry. capillary gland and pore is by this
time working at full tilt Out of the
cabinet and under the tonic douche for
a pelting OF the needle spray and
Scotch douche, and--the days work
is done.
This is busy hour for the skilled at
tendants. who must be here. there and
everywhere, with wet towels for the
heads, with Ice water, with bath mitts
and brushes and soap, turning on a
tub of hot sulphur water for those
who prefer that to the hot air cabinet
or electric lights, stopping between
times at the scales to decide the ex-
act number of ounces OF gain or loss.
And all the while the halls Of the bath
are filled with fitting figures which.
with their draped sheets and towel
bound heads, present the appearance
of a crowd OF bacchanalian Roman