The San Francisco call., 1913-12-05
Enhance Your Charms by
Weekly Visits to
The Pompeian Baths"

The Pompeian Baths"
''Well. we may look beautiful after
ward. but I shouldn't say any one
here looks particularly alluring now"
glancing@at the flushed, grease coated
faces around the room
TRYING TO REDUCE
A. stout woman. livid with the heat.
sat opposite. The ice cloth lay on
her head at rakish angle, and her
drenshed hair hung in struggling
loeks.4'' Her bare arms and feet
showed creases of fat and the sheet
did. not conceal the lines Of her pudgy
squire.
IS ..Sne:s reducing whispered Mrs,
): SteEens. She's. here every time
.-eeme. The time and money some of
1h3se: B'omen spend trying to reducer
Helen glanced down at her own slim
forR,:. outlined under the elinging
:!sfeet': and adjusted her ice cap with
"a sigh of content.
-. Haven't we been in here long
,eEolg:6..?' for she could hardly breathe
in the; heated air. and the chair seemed
burning hot That sign says 10 min
utes;;',. -2odding toward a large placard-
!. - ...It.Is Not Advisable to Stay in
::"Tsis Room Longer Than Ten or
=: = Fifteen Minutes. Consult Attend
=. ant" =
."%..sEes, and you're not used to 1t.
NFessi.go in and be packed now
Ihfough. the swinging door Mrs.
stevens led the way into a large, mir
ror lined room filed with cots. An
attendant ran forward with fresh
sheets and ;skillfully packed" them
with blankets UP to their chins.
How long do we stay here? asked
Helen, turning her head toward Mrs.
Stevens, who was in the cot to her
right.
OH about. Is minutes-until we
persplre thoroughly"
The heat had been somewhat ener-
Tating, and not feeling inclined to
talk Helen lay there watching the
bathers as they trailed IN and out.
She wondered how these women
would look in their clothes. Probably
most of them, with the aid of corsets,
rouge, false hair and .modish gowns,
were smart" stylish looking women
But here is only q sheet, which did
not disguise their figures, and with
thefF scant hair twisted into a tight
bun. they. were very much as nature
had made them.
I wonder if men look as unattrac-
tive in a Turkish bath as women?"
unused Helen.
They probably look worse"
laughed Mrs. Stevens.
4Have you ladies' any one for your
bath?" asked a passing attendant!
r.F NO, I want Nellie; and see If you
can get Rosa for this lady"
The girl went out shriekings Mel
1iel Rosar" and Mrs. Stevens turned
to. Helen with a reassuring:
"Rosa's good and strong-shen give
yor q good rub"
swhy do they have Stolen from the
Pompeian baths on everything?"
asked Helen suddenly, for across the
center of every sheet, towel and
blanket this phrase was worked in
large red letters.
That's the one thing Ifdon't like
abost this place-they're so distrust
ful. who would want their old sheets
and towels? It's an insult to their
. patrons to have that Stolen from the
Potnpeian baths on everything. Oh,
here comes Nellie now!"
NELLIE ARRIVES
A tan, well built girl, her sheet
gifded around her waist and over her
shoulder in the manner of all the at
tendants, now came UP to them
Us this the lady who wants Rosa?"
glancing toward Helen as she un-
wrapped Mrs. Stevens blankets.
"shell. be here IN a minute, she's just
giving. an alcohol rub"
Sc. Helen watched Mrs. Stevens go off
with Nellie, with a sudden nervous
ness at being left alone. This was her
first,ex experience at Turkish bath. and
she. did not know just what was in
siere for her.
You the lady with Mrs. Stevens?'
asked a pretty, round faced attendant,
WHO now approached her cot whats
your numberT as she began unwrap-
ping the blanket
1856" answered Helen. gIancing at
the key of her locker. suspended from
the rubber ring around her wrist
Heleh's heart beat fast as she fol-
lowed the girl out to the baths. The
various apparatuses and hurrying
white sheeted attendants were some
what terrifying.
"Just step in there Rosa pushed
open the door Of the steam room. I'll
Call you in a minute"
s Helen found herself in a cloud of
dense white steam. She put out her
hand and took groping step forward
There were others in the room. for
she could hear their voices, and from
somewhere came the roar of machi-
merry and the loud Kissing of steam.
sAs shuddering thought came to her
OF the engine room of the Titanic
She imagined 1t was like this as the
fhip went down, and she pictured the
.wretched stokers trying to fight their
way out through the binding steam.
Then she heard the door open and
Rosa's voice calling "1Se.g When she
stepped out the clear air quickly dis
PEELED her grewsone thoughts.
1 Rosa now led her TO one of the
many scrub rooms-a marble parti-
TONED cell with stone bench and q