HAMAM, OR BATH.
In the East there is one source of comfort and enjoyment which is
more essential than all else, and that is the use of the bath, which
follows all other pleasures, when excess has wearied the system, and
precedes and prepares for anticipated luxuries physical or mental. This
process of purifying and refreshing the body, is eagerly sought for
as soon as the traveller arrives at Constantinople; indeed seems to
be second only in his mind to the impressions of an entrance to the
magnificent harbor.
The baths of classic memory, where the heroes of ancient Rome were
wont to prepare their sinews for the athletic games, and where the
patrician dames of Pompeii resorted, to add fresher and more glowing
tints to their fair charms, were all conducted on the same principle
as those of Stamboul at the present day.
It is wonderful that modern civilization should not yet have adopted
the refinements of olden times, when they are so essential to real
health and comfort.
As by some mishap this desideratum exists, it would not be mal-a-propos
to describe the real charm and merit of these institutions. The object
of all bathing is to free the skin from the deposits of insensible
perspiration. This idea has been much in vogue of late, as testify
the water-cures, vapor-baths, medicated, sulphurated, etc., being in
reality rather vehicles for disease than remedies. But the peculiar
substance which closes up the pores of the skin, cannot be removed
by simple immersion in soap and water, for, like all other greasy
substances, it is composed of solid and liquid, or stearine and olein,
the liquid part of which may, in a chemical combination, be absorbed
by the water, but the skin will still remain clogged up. Seeing the
futility of the process of immersion, many have supposed that a profuse
perspiration excited by fumigation, vaporization, etc., would carry
off these deposits, by which processes, however, the liquid portion
only would be removed, and the system reduced to a state of perfect
exhaustion. The Turkish baths are neither immersion nor vapor baths;
but the atmosphere is heated by means of flues through the walls, to
a temperature suited to induce a free perspiration, without causing
over-exhaustion; for the interior is so arranged that the bather, in
passing from one apartment to another, gradually becomes acclimated
to the heat.
These baths, unlike many other institutions in the East, are
perfectly accessible to all, both natives and foreigners, and are
the more attractive on account of their entire dissimilarity from
all establishments for the same purpose in Europe or America.
Frequent ablutions, and the greatest personal cleanliness being
strictly enjoined upon all true believers, by the precepts of the
Koran, it is considered an act of piety to erect edifices and public
fountains for those purposes, either during life-time, or by personal
bequest; consequently, such instances of benevolence are by no means
rare, nor are the structures deficient in architectural beauty. They
are built of stone, and adorned with cupolas, besprinkled with globular
glasses, which transmit a softened light to the interior.
The interior is divided into three compartments; the saloon, the
tepidarium, and the bath itself.
The saloon, where the visitors dress and undress, is a large apartment
surrounded on three sides by elevated platforms, on which are placed
mattresses and cushions for the comfort and accommodation of those
who frequent the bath. In the centre of this room there is usually a
marble fountain, whose trickling waters soothe the ear, and add beauty
to the scene, dispensing a delicious coolness to the atmosphere. On
his entrance to this saloon, the visitor is immediately greeted with
Bouyourun, (you are welcome), from the attendants, who conduct him to
one of the mattresses on the platform, where he is undressed, within
a temporary screen, made by holding up a towel to prevent exposure
of the person; for the Osmanlis are sensitively modest, and feel a
feminine delicacy in this respect, so that none ever bathe in public
without being suitably invested.
His watch, ring, and purse, are handed over to the Hamamgy for
safe keeping, and his apparel being carefully folded in a shawl, and
designated by his own head-gear, which is placed upon it, is deposited
by the side of the mattress, now appropriated to his exclusive use.
Notwithstanding all these precautions, very ludicrous mistakes
sometimes occur, as happened recently to a certain soldier, who was
anxious to abandon the ranks, and possessing no other means of changing
his uniform for a citizen's dress, entered the bath en militaire;
where, after having performed his ablutions, he committed the very
slight error of appropriating to himself a neighbor's mattress, with
its accompanying wardrobe, and thus was enabled to make an honorable
retreat en bourgeois.
Being now undressed, enveloped in large towels, and mounted on nalluns,
or wooden pattens, to protect his feet from the hot marble and the
water, the bather is conducted into the Halvet, or tepidarium, which
is heated to a degree a little above temperate, where he reposes on
cushions until he is gradually acclimated to the atmosphere.
When the pores of the skin are opened, and perspiration excited,
the visitor proceeds to the inner room to go through the process
of bathing.
The Hamam, or bath itself, whose temperature is raised to any requisite
degree by means of flues constructed within, and all along the walls,
so as to allow the flames to circulate freely in every direction,
is in many of these establishments, exceedingly beautiful; the dome
being supported on magnificent columns, and the walls and doors inlaid
with large slabs of marble, and adorned with finely chiselled fonts
on all sides, which are furnished with double ornamented brass cocks,
for the supply of warm and cold water.
There is an elevated marble platform in the middle, where the bathers
lie at full length, for the purpose of having their sinews relaxed, and
joints examined. Both the apartment, and this process in particular,
have been most ridiculously described, and, either through malice or
ignorance, most egregiously exaggerated by travellers; for example,
the public are informed that, "A dense vapor sometimes so fills the
saloon, that he (the bather), sees nothing distinctly, but figures
flit before him like visions in a mist. Having walked, or sat in this
heated mist, till a profuse perspiration bursts out, the tellak again
approaches, and commences his operations. He lays the bather on his
back or face, and pins him to the ground by kneeling heavily on him,
and having thus secured him, he handles him in the rudest and most
painful manner. He twists and turns the limbs, so as to seem to
dislocate every joint. The sufferer feels as if the very spine was
separated, and the vertebræ of the back torn asunder. It is in vain he
complains of this treatment, screams out in anguish and apprehension,
and struggles to extricate himself. The incubus sits grinning upon him,
and torturing him, till he becomes passive from very exhaustion."
In the first place, there is no dense vapor in a Turkish bath, but the
heat is produced by the flues in the walls; true, there is sometimes
the appearance of mist, which is only created momentarily by the
quantity of hot water poured over the bathers, and is soon dispersed by
ventilation, for such an atmosphere is never tolerated by the natives.
Now, as to the bather being pinned to the ground in the rudest and
most painful manner, etc., there is more of a spirit of ridicule than
simple truth in this description; it being only resorted to in cases
of rheumatism, and the like maladies, when the patient is extended
on the marble platform, and all his joints examined and rubbed by
the tellak, or assistant, who, owing to the relaxed condition of
the nervous system, easily discovers the seat of any local pain,
and proceeds to dispel it by friction.
Many having experienced decided relief from this mode of treatment,
it is very frequently resorted to in Turkey. No such treatment,
therefore, ever occurs on ordinary occasions, unless the farce
is got up by special request, and for the benefit of strangers or
travellers, who, not content with the usual modus operandi, insist
upon the realization of their own extravagant ideas.
A native of Constantinople had to stop at Smyrna on his way to
America. Being anxious to enjoy the luxury of a bath once more,
he repaired to one of the establishments. As he wore a hat, the
attendants mistook him for a regular Frank or European, and he resolved
to maintain the joke by pretending utter ignorance of all the languages
of the country. After having experienced many absurdities, all novel
to a native, he was at last stretched full length upon his stomach
on the marble platform of the bath. The tellak kneeling by his side
commenced a regular process of pommelling him, and, at the same time,
of cracking his joints. The incubus, as though not satisfied with
his own exertions, now called for assistance from another tellak,
who came and placed himself on the opposite side, when both commenced
in the rudest manner to push their victim from one to the other. The
sufferer, astonished at this extraordinary treatment, was ready to
split his sides with laughter, which one of the tellaks taking as an
indication of uneasiness, observed to the other not to be so rude in
his manipulations. He was, in return, assured "this is the way the
Franks like, the harder the better; also, they must not be allowed
to think they haven't had their money's worth!"
Doubtless an Osmanli would not only be much amused, but astonished,
could he behold the victim of a European vapor bath, as he sits boxed
up, and enveloped in blankets to his throat, parboiled with steam,
and suffocated by the fumes of brimstone; surely he would believe he
had by mistake got into the regions of Eblis.
When the person is in a state of free perspiration, he is seated by
the side of one of the fountains, beneath which are marble basins to
receive the water, both hot and cold, as it flows from the ornamented
cocks, for no Osmanli ever uses the tub, water which has once been
in contact with the body, having imbibed its impurities, is deemed
unfit for further use; therefore, on all occasions, their ablutions
are performed with flowing water, for they do not delight to wallow
and splash in a solution of their own dirt.
The tellak having upon his right hand a kesse, or bag made of raw
silk, commences a gentle rubbing (for they cannot bear any rude or
rough treatment, for which reason the delicate hands of boys are
employed), over the surface of the body, by which the deposits of
insensible perspiration are disengaged from the pores of the skin,
and combining together fall from the person like fibres of paste,
which, to the uninitiated, might seem like the peeling off of the
outer pellicle itself.
In this process consists the real virtue of a Hamam, and to it alone
is to be attributed the peculiar velvet-like softness of the skin of
an Oriental, which even gives them an air of effeminacy.
Immediately after the process of shampooing or rubbing, the marble
font having been filled with water of the desired temperature, it is
poured over the person of the bather from the brass tass, or bowl,
used for the purpose by the attendant. The person is now thoroughly
washed with perfumed soap, again water is poured over him in abundance,
and he is finally enveloped in the havlous, or large napped towels,
manufactured in the country expressly for the purpose, and admirably
adapted to absorb moisture.
Now perfectly purified, with a sensation of languor, the bather
proceeds to the dressing saloon, where, as he reclines upon luxurious
cushions, his whole being seems momentarily lost in that dreamy repose
of half-conscious existence, which is the true kief of an Oriental.
He is only awakened to real life by the assiduities of his attendants,
some gently fanning him, and others presenting sherbet, coffee,
pipes, etc.
The fatigue and languor gradually pass away, as, with a sensation
of renovated existence, he reposes until the heat of his body is
reduced to its natural temperature. His toilette being completed, he
surveys himself in a small enamelled mirror which is offered to him,
and after depositing upon it the amount of money compatible with
his own station in life, he quits the precincts of this luxurious
establishment, light, joyful, and contented.
The Hamams being altogether charitable institutions, there is no fixed
price demanded from visitors, for the use of the bath itself--it
being entirely left to their own option. But the personal services
of the attendants, and the wear and tear of the splendid bathing
paraphernalia not being included in the same category, an adequate
remuneration is of course expected. This also is left to individual
generosity; in ordinary cases, from half to three quarters of a dollar
is sufficient, but there may be no limit to a person's munificence,
nor to the attentions bestowed upon him.
A gentleman of rank once visited a bath where he was an entire
stranger, and although he was not treated with even ordinary
politeness, he left on his departure a sum of money far beyond the
expectations of the attendants, which, opening their eyes, forced them
to make a thousand apologies for their remissness, and protestations
for the future. The gentleman soon after gave them an opportunity to
retrieve their former errors, and contrary to their excited hopes
rewarded them with a couple of piasters (about 8 cents) observing,
"This is what you merited on my first visit, and what you then received
is the equivalent for your present services."
The money collected at the bath is divided into two portions; one
of which is for the Hamamgy, or proprietor, and the other is shared
among the attendants.
Many of the public bathing houses are divided into two parts, one
for men, and the other for women, and when the establishment is not
a double one, Fridays and Sundays only are reserved for men, and the
rest of the week allotted to the ladies.
There are always exquisite specimens of these Hamams attached to
the houses of the wealthy; and their friends and neighbors are often
invited to partake with them of this amusement.
As the Osmanli ladies very seldom enjoy the excitement and bustle
of a crowd, they consider the occasion of going to bathe as one of
the greatest festivity; and they always carry with them every article
necessary for comfort or luxury, the Hamamgy not furnishing mattresses,
towels, etc., as in the case of the gentlemen.
Besides the opportunity of displaying embroidered cushions, napkins,
etc., they find rare and ample amusement in the discussion of scandal,
moral and political, as well as general domestic gossip.
The tout ensemble of a lady's bath is one altogether peculiar, and of
course more enchanting to the eye than the ablutions of their lords
and masters.
The following description of a visit to a bath by a lady long a
resident in Constantinople, may be interesting as the result of
personal observation and experience.
"My first Turkish bath--shall I describe it, dear?--We were a large
party. The mother, her three daughters, three maids, and my humble
self. You would have supposed we were arranging our wardrobes for
a long season of travel--except that the garments would be rather
unpresentable on ordinary occasions. Very peculiar nappy towels, large
as sheets, issued forth from their repose in the vast closets, white
and colored, embroidered and fringed; head-gear of the same style;
curious-looking yellow woollen mittens, to rub with, they told me;
innumerable shining bowls; tremendous stilt-like clogs for the feet,
great bars of soap, precious packages of dyes, paints, capillary
antidotes, perfumes, essences, mirrors in embroidered frames, and a
thousand other etceteras of Oriental toilette, in due order entered the
vast bundles which were in preparation. Next appeared a beautiful rug
or carpet, a rich silken mattress and cushions, and a large piece of
crimson woollen, shaggy material, to envelope the cushions, such as I
have frequently seen spread in the beautiful cayiks. Really one would
have supposed we were to be deposited in some unfurnished dwelling
with all this paraphernalia.
"Then came the private wardrobe of each individual neatly folded in a
separate envelope--and last but not least; the most refreshing array
of fruit, sherbets, and a curious machine, some five stories high,
in whose different compartments were packed various specimens of
Turkish cookery. I began to wonder if we were ever to return from this
bathing pic-nic, so vast were the preparations; but every one was gay,
and nothing was tiresome. Besides we always go to bathe in this style,
at least once a month.
"Our carriage waited at the door, a grand spacious one, covered with
crimson shag, the ends trimmed with deep fringes of gold--no seats,
but plenty of cushions, and two milk-white oxen were our steeds.
"Having duly veiled ourselves, that our 'ornaments' or charms might
not be displayed to the eyes of the unprivileged, we ascended the
steps at the end of our araba, and were seated according to our
respective ranks. The old lady and myself occupying the honorable
places in the front, just behind the tails of the oxen, which were
fortunately looped up, so that they could neither switch us, nor
themselves. There is a decided advantage in this seat, the view
being unobstructed by any coachman, as that dignitary always walks
before the head of the animals. Next to us were the three Hanums,
behind whom were the maids and bundles, and the large pannier was
slung underneath full of its creature comforts.
"I felt as if I had suddenly been transformed into a houri, as they
all declared that the Yashmak converted me into a real Circassian
beauty. In due time we arrived, and descended from our airy
vehicle. As we entered the outer hall of the bath, each one made a
polite temennah to the Hamamgy-Kadun, or the lady proprietress, who was
squatting on her cushions in a corner. This salutation she returned,
to all genuine Turkish ladies (myself included) with the same polite
gesture--but the unfortunate giavours only received a slight nod, no
matter how profound their selams. It is well to be queen somewhere,
even of a bathing establishment.
"The maids, Eleny, Maria, and Sophy, spread out our cushions in one
of the niches upon the elevated platform, and as they modestly held
up a towel as a screen, we proceeded to reduce ourselves to a state
of nature. Enveloped from head to feet in our bathing habiliments,
which hung about us in just such folds as they drape the statues--we
willingly thrust our pedestrial extremities into the great clogs,
inlaid with mother of pearl, entered the antechamber of the bath,
and sat down on the marble platform to acclimate ourselves. Here we
take a coup d'oeil of the strange scene.
"Old women without any charms to conceal, spare themselves the effort,
and multitudes of naked cherubs patter about. Yonder sits a victim
to paints and dyes--her hair now white, suddenly becomes beautifully
black, and the colour streaming over her body bedecks her for the
moment à l'Indienne. But that was all washed off, and they proceeded
to rub a sort of mud all over her body, to take out the pains. Then
she underwent a process of pommelling, as she was stretched out on
the marble floor--poor thing, she had both rheumatism and grey hairs,
and was a fit subject for the most special and extra efforts of the
attendants of the bath. But the children! such victims, of all ages,
from one month upwards, were screaming to the highest pitch of their
little voices, as they were unmercifully rubbed and lathered from the
crown of their heads to the soles of their feet. 'Rough up and smooth
down,' seemed to be no part of the nursery creed of their unmerciful
mothers, but rough all ways. Amid these infantile yells and agonies,
the girls, young and pretty, walked up and down, pattering with their
clogs, and chanting their wild native melodies, as if to put out all
other noises, and the great marble halls did their best to re-echo
all these floating sounds.
"Was I in Paradise or Pandemonium; were these peris or demons, I
could not tell; everything was so bewildering. I was duly rubbed,
and washed like the rest--then it was proposed to take lunch. Our
party en déshabillé de-pechetemal, which means, crimson faces and
napkin drapery, with long and dripping hair, sea nymphs--maids of the
mist--seated themselves on the marble platform in the cooler room,
and the large round tray made its appearance.
"How delicious the iced sherbet, the little balls of rice covered with
delicate vine leaves--the artichokes à l'huile d'olive, the kebab,
the helva--in a word, spite of the strange table, strange costume,
and general humidity, we all had tremendous appetites.
"Then, came a chibouk to the old lady, little cigarettes to the young
maidens--a delicious cup of coffee, and we all raised our voices in
a sweet Turkish song, about loves, jessamines, güle and bülbüls.
"Being thus recruited, we were able to undergo the last ablutions,
and with a complete investment of pure white and delicately perfumed
towels, we proceeded to our first niche in the great dressing-room,
and laid us down to dream, or listlessly to watch the innumerable
toilettes of the devotees to Venus and Love.
"Some, all fair and rosy, were reclining luxuriously like ourselves,
enveloped in fine white drapery, richly embroidered and fringed with
gold, while their beautiful slaves, whose charming figures were not
so carefully concealed, were combing, braiding, and perfuming the
long silken tresses of the fair hanums.
"After we had amused ourselves at the indifference of the really
beautiful, and the minute and strenuous efforts of others to appear
so, we again sipped our coffee and completed our toilette, ready at
any time, to spend another day in such delightful aquatic luxuries. I
could not help contrasting my sensations with those I had often felt
on leaving one of the bathing establishments in my own country. There,
a solitary closet, a tub, from which perhaps some dirty wench had
just emerged, a hook or two, a dirty flesh brush for general service,
etc. True, the warm water was agreeable, and for the moment caused an
oblivion of all antecedents, the hook convenient, and the brush need
not be used. After an immersion of perhaps half an hour, you hurry
on your apparel, and hurry home, all à l'Américaine. But here, in
this Turkish bath, how imperceptibly a whole day had passed away, how
entertaining the scene, how beautiful the fair handmaidens of Nature,
so soft and pure, after their watery festivities. Their skin so white,
their lips so red, the delicate rosy tinge of their cheeks so tempting;
even old age seemed to bloom again, while a universal exhilaration
took possession of us all. A delicate tissue of softness seemed to
envelop my body, and a wonderful feeling of amiability and love for
all the race of human kind glowed within my breast. Every motion gave
me pleasure, and I could scarce recognize myself. Alas! for American
ladies, they can never feel the true oriental Kief in bathing; for
they have no cushions to repose upon, no softly murmuring fountains
to lull their senses, nor any such relaxation from all external and
internal woes, as follows a Turkish bath. In vain they tinge their
complexions, powder, and wash, they cannot attain this to kalon of
beauty, nor be electrified by this wand of enchantment, which renders
the humblest Cinderella of the Orient lovely as a princess, and says
avaunt to all the modern mysteries of the toilette."