apartments.

THE SUDORIFIC CHAMBERS.

These are now generally required in a suite of three--"first, second,
and third hot." The first is the tepidarium, and must be by far the
largest of the three, since in it the greater number of bathers will
assemble at one time. The last must be the hottest room--the
laconicum--and need only be a very small one, as but few bathers use
it, and that, generally, for a very short time. The second hot room
should be about midway, in size and temperature, between the first and
the third. Of a given area allotted to the hot rooms, from one-half to
two-thirds may be devoted to the tepidarium, and from one-third to
one-half to the super-heated rooms, always remembering that it is well
to err on the side of providing a large and roomy tepidarium. Of the
space allowed for the smaller rooms, one-quarter to one-third may be
given to the hottest, and the remaining space to the second hot-room,
or calidarium.

The hot rooms, it should be remembered, are strictly bath rooms, and
must be treated as such; that is to say, the whole of the floors, walls,
ceilings, partitions, and fittings, must be capable of being frequently
cleansed with water. The choice of materials to be employed for lining
the walls, &c., is therefore limited. And in two ways. For not only must
they be of this washable nature, but they must be of a character to
resist the influence of the heat. Happily, this is an age of
glazed-ware and vitrified goods of every description. Glazed and
fire-burnt bricks and tiles, terracottas, faience, and pottery
generally, are now so extensively manufactured that there is little
excuse for not constructing a bath throughout of materials at once
washable and unaffected by high temperatures. Still, in baths where
rigid economy must be studied, and lowness of cost is the great object,
_plaster_ may be placed upon the walls of the hot rooms, and in its way
will answer admirably, and be fairly washable. It has even one
advantage--it does not become unbearably hot to the touch, should the
bather lean against the walls, whereas, with a highly glazed surface the
walls become burning hot, and need lining with a dado of felt or other
non-conducting substance. And since this latter method overcomes the
objection named, the best possible material for lining the walls is
glazed brickwork. In cases where elaboration is desired, they may be
lined with marbles and faience. With a judicious selection of col