The Turkish Bath, Its Design and ConstructionAllsop, Robert Owen
Science
The Turkish Bath, Its Design and Construction
Allsop, Robert Owen
Baths, Turkish
The separate lavatorium need not be so large as its adjoining shampooing
room, as here the bathers will not recline, but sit or stand before
washing-basins, to which must be conducted the flow pipes of hot water,
and branches from the cold water supply pipe. These basins--which may be
of glazed earthenware if solid marble cannot be afforded--should be
large and capacious. Of water-fittings I shall speak under the head of
"Appliances."
In a combined shampooing and washing room the benches and basins will be
required together. The basins may be fixed under a hole in the marble
slabs, or affixed to the walls, as may be convenient. Whilst arranging
the position of the benches with regard to the room, and the basins with
regard to the benches, it will be as well to remember the postures that
the bather assumes whilst being shampooed--viz. 1st, sitting; 2nd, on
the back; 3rd, reverse. The basin must be so placed with respect to the
slab that the shampooer may, without altering his position, take water
from the basin with his handbowl, and pour it over the bather. A
shampooer cannot well work with less than 5 ft. 6 in. between his slab
and that of his adjoining fellow, when the slabs are at right angles to
the wall and the adjoining shampooer is also working in the same space
between the two benches. Where the room is long and a row of benches are
placed at right angles to the wall, the shampooers have each their
separate space to work in. Each one can then manage in 4 ft., and the
slabs can be set out 6 ft. from centre to centre. Where the long sides
of the slabs are against the walls and the basins are sunk into the
slabs, there must be at least 7 ft. 6 in. from basin to basin. In the
case of slabs at right angles to the walls, the basins are best placed
between the slabs.
It is an excellent plan to provide a slight screen in one corner of the
washing room, behind which the entering bather may, if he chooses, have
a warm spray from a large rose before proceeding to the hot rooms.
In ladies' baths it is well to provide private shampooing recesses by
means of partitions of sufficient height, which may be of wood and
obscure glass. In this way any shampooing room may be rendered more
private. Upright marble slabs will often be found useful in dividing the
benches.
The walls and ceilings of the apartments now under consideration may, so
long as there be a dado of glazed ware, be lined in the same way as the
hot rooms. But as regards flooring, still more care is required to
prevent slipperiness. The soap and water that will be plentifully spilt
around, renders this precaution needful. Moreover, provision must be
made for drainage.
The flooring may be of rough tile mosaic, or simple tiles. Marble is too
slippery, and glazed tiles are wholly inadmissible. Marble mosaics,
roughly set, may be employed. The fall to which the floor is laid must
be determined by the position of the gullies.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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