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Chapter VIII: Scientific Bathing.2141
A bath should never be taken less than an hour after eating, nor should
one eat a meal in less than a half-hour after the bath. The temperature of
the cleansing bath should be regulated to suit the feelings and pleasure of
the person bathing. Nor should people take a bath when they are greatly
fatigued, or when the vitality is low. A medium temperature is preferable,
neither so cold as to chill one, nor so hot as to produce the feeling of great
heat. Both cold baths and very hot baths have their purposes and uses—we
are speaking of the ordinary cleansing bath now.
Having your bath at the proper temperature, either in a bath-tub, or
some substitute for the same, slip over your hands two mits made of Turkish
toweling, without thumbs, and plenty wide enough to give the hands free
movement. (The mits may be purchased ready made at the drug stores, or in
the large city department stores—but they may be made by the housewife
who understands sewing, from an ordinary Turkish towel, or bath-toweling.)
Dip these mits (on the hands) in the water, and then rub a piece of soap
well between the palms, so that the mits become thoroughly soaped. Then
getting into the tub, give your body a thorough scrubbing off from head to
foot. Then after the scrubbing, throw off the mits, and give the body a good
rinsing down and rubbing with the bare hands. There is no substitute for the
bare hands in this process, for they seem to have some virtue of their own,
and then they fit the curves of the body better than can any substitute. At
the same time you may administer to your body a gentle form of massage,
rolling and kneading the muscles and limbs, rubbing the abdomen. Then
dry the body with a thick towel. It is not necessary to rub the body roughly
in drying off, as so many do; a soft patting and pressing of the towel answers
the purpose and does not irritate the skin as does the rough drying process.
The waste matter and the dead scarf skin have already been removed by
the scrubbing and rinsing, so there is no necessity for the rough work with
the towel. A little mild exercise after the bath is beneficial. Those who have
not easy access to the bath-tub, may pursue the above method by standing