Twice a week after mid-day this bath is appropriated to the use of the women, and no man dare enter under pain of death. The male attendants are of course all cleared away, and the whole establishment and its furniture are taken possession of by females. These assemblages of the Moslem women at the bath form their greatest enjoyment. Precisely the same process is undergone by them as with the men; they smoke, they drink coffee, they are rubbed, pounded, and squeezed, etc; but being more playfully inclined, there is much more noise and romping. Nearly every week there is a wedding, when the young bride is bathed in state, perfumed, anointed, led round the hall and presented to the matrons, from whom she receives presents, the whole company being reduced to a state of nature. On these occasions the whole bath is taken by the bride and her friends for a certain period, and strangers are not admitted. When in the bath, the delicate skins of the ladies are anointed with an ointment brought from Cos, which makes them white and shining, and their bodies are sprinkled over with the most delicious perfumes.
Bath al-Misk: Earliest Reference
Bath al-Misk in 1835: Apodyterium
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