Page:Personal beauty how to cultivate and preserve it in accordance with the laws of health (1870).djvu/191

 as a rule remain in it longer than from three to five minutes, as otherwise it may become debilitating, but once a week the time may be extended to twenty minutes or half an hour, in order to give the whole surface a thorough soaking. Soap need not be used oftener than once or twice a week, unless special circumstances demand it. After the bath, and always after washing the face, exposure to the sun or air, especially a cold, damp, raw air, should be avoided for a half hour or hour, as such exposure is apt to spot or chap the skin.

The Turkish bath has been introduced with such a loud blow of trumpets within a few years that we must perforce speak of it at some length. It is a degenerate offspring of the old Roman bath. That luxurious nation had reduced bathing to a system. Establishments for the purpose were found in every city of the Empire, and were of the most splendid and costly construction. Their plan was as follows:—

The first room the guest entered was filled with hot air. Here he remained long enough to break out in a profuse perspiration. Then he was ushered into a large apartment, in the centre of which was a basin of water, heated to about 100° or 105°. In this he soaked, sat, read, and gossiped for a half hour or hour, after which he was led to the next room, and plunged for a moment into cold, clear water. This sudden transition removed the languor left by the previous high temperature, and braced the system for exercise.