CATHEDRALS OF THE FLESH: My Search for the Perfect Bath
Alexia Brue, . . Bloomsbury, $24.95 (256pp) ISBN 978-1-58234-116-3
Originally undertaken as research for setting up a Turkish bath business in New York City, journalist Brue's project revealed that her cultural curiosity was greater than her entrepreneurial drive. At first, the book hews too closely to the genesis of Brue's endeavor as the opening chapters, about her initiation at various Parisian baths and her first forays in Turkey, are overshadowed by the urge to take notes for the business. But then there's a trip to Greece to visit ancient thermae—a fine excuse to meditate on the centrality of baths to classical culture—followed by an amusing stay in Russia, where skillful flogging at scorching
Reviewed on: 11/18/2002
Genre: Nonfiction