The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-10-31

bath party WITH uoAeh az
tresses? 1 have. It's fun.
You buy ticket-$1-leave your val
uabIes and get O. key. 1t Is Tuesday
afternoon, and You are with the prin-
cipals of the Miss Caprice" company
May de Sousa, Rozsika Dolly, Grace
Field and Viola Gillette and six or
eight of their friends 1t is a Tuesday
habit they have, habit they contracted
from living on Broadway. Everybody
has it. You recognize many OF your
favorites before the day is over.
If 1t is your first Turkish bath don't
mention it, Viola Gillette went around
black and blue for days. She had told
about it, and "masseuse" was tipped
off,"
So you are very nonchalant and bored
while clothes are being flung Off and
sheets tied on. Sheetsi The new slit
skirts are nothing to these. And down
the long halls you all advance like a
feminine Greek army.
Lets get weighed" said Viola. She
was the general
A hot blast from an open door strikes
YOU "The hot room. Como on, girls"
A tiled room with the floor as hot as the
kitchen stove. Large, red faced women
line the walls, laid out on reclining
chairs. You hop onto the rug and that
is SO hot you fall into a chair, and get
up with a scream-an inward scream,
though. You must be dignifed. The
chair Is no hotter than the others, and
everybo ody else is calmly seated. So you
grin and sit down. An attendant comes
with cups OF ice water. Good for you,'
she says. So you drink 1t and keep still.
Your head feels funny. Your heart
seems to be beating down in your toes.
II have weak heart" says some one.
after thing OF this kind. Me for the
door" You jump up. Not that you sus-
pect your heart, but--'Let's all CO."
and the army moves.
But the next room is worse yet---the
steam room. Hot, boiling steam! II you
grope around a bit, gasping, you will
be sure to come upon some great Form
"reducing"--tal1ing gymnastics. Radia-
tors are cracking and spluttering some
where. A deep voice near yop--the voice
of a veteran Turkish bather-says: MY.
but it's cool in here, ] never felt it as
cool as this"
''Why, for goodness sake, Kate Con-
don!" cries Viola, slapping somebody
on the back. And Kate Condor, of Gill
bert and Sullivan fame, joins the gang.
1t advances down the halls again and
,;,,.,
with water. And you are scrubbed
laid on slab and scrubbed with a
brush, then beaten, patted and whaclSed
and punched. And you are covered with
salt and rubbed some more. Just when
you expect to be put back In an oven
and roasted you are allowed to go and
be shdwered.
Viola jumped in, then Kate, then Grace
Field and Miss Smithson. Dolly dives
from the deep end. Viola is beneath
her. There is a collision. Dolly lands
on violas chest. Gee" says she, "a
fish kicked me-"
Around the scales is big crowd---a
heavy crowd. The scales are doing their
best. my DEAR" chirps one woman.
.Tye lost four pounds. feel en-
couraged. Let's go and have lunch"
.And she'll eat 6-pound steak!' is
heard. Some say it's very suspicious
how people always lose-always weigh
less when they come out--that they'd
like to have the entrance scales and the
exit scales side by side. But no matter
it's a little hard on those who are try
ing to get fat to lose SO rapidly.
Then lunch. A nice lunch In little
arbor, with gingerale and stick in It.
and chicken and toast and coffee. But
no peace. "Are you ready for your
facial?" inquiries an attendant Of Miss
Condor.
NOh, my goodnessl ] forgot. Why.
ordered the machine for and It's 4:30
now. Well, we'll wait. Can we drive
from $50 to $3.50 without hurting any,
body's voice?"
So everybody has a facial to keep
her company. 1t costs another dollar.
And a shampoo-50 cents; and a mani
cure--75 cents;' and-oh. everything
that takes two hours longer and the
rest of your money. Your eyes and nose