“When all is done, a soft and luxurious feeling spreads itself over
your body; every limb is light and free as air; the marble-like
smoothness of the skin is delightful; and, after all this
pommelling, scrubbing, racking, parboiling, and perspiring, you
feel more enjoyment than you ever felt before.”
The object to be attained by the proceeding last described is to allow
the body to cool down after the perspiration produced by the bath, and
to encourage the free absorption of oxygen through the skin, the body
being fully exposed to the action of the air when the pores are in the
best condition to inhale it. We would here observe, that the Turks have
given up the cold immersion of the Romans, which succeeded the last
washing with warm water in the third or inner chamber, after which the
bather was again conducted to the hot room for a few moments previous
to his finally emerging into the first or cooling chamber. For this
immersion the Turks have substituted the fanning of the body by a boy
armed with a napkin or feather-fan, which, setting the cool air in
motion, rapidly cools the body; whilst, with the same view, Dr. Barter
uses, in some cases, the cold vertical and horizontal douches, or
simple plunge bath, [29] according to the strength and powers of the
individual, each mode realizing, however, the same end—namely, the
preventing the breaking out of a second perspiration.