she said into her cell phone.
Steams are the showers of this village. Since the homes here don't have running water, many have steam houses as a method of cleaning. The one that I went to today had 2 small rooms with enough space for the 3 of us in each one. The ceilings were low, although I could stand up in the outer room if I stood where the roof peaked.
The outer room had nails around the perimeter, and we left our clothes there. The inner room had an oil drum stove fired with wood and lava rocks (like you'd find in a gas grill) on top, and enough floor space for us and the basins of pond water and melting snow.
I really had no idea just how hot and intense the steam would be! My skin felt like I had just touched an oven rack. We held washcloths over our faces to keep the heat from searing our lungs. Yeah, it was HOT. I finally said, "That's it for me!' and dove out into the outer room, much to the amusement of my hostess. I cooled down, and went back in for another round.
We steamed, sweated, cooled down, and then repeated the process. The final step was to wash using the basins. We scrubbed and rinsed, and then sat in the outer room for a final cool down. My lobster red skin gradually faded.
I'm pretty sure that every single pore I have is completely clean now.
Not only an effective method of cleansing, but this rather lengthy process includes a valuable social aspect as well. It was a time of bonding: we enjoyed small talk, giggles, confidences and talked about God. There was even some singing!
I'm glad I had this opportunity. Now I am clean, incredibly relaxed, and have had a glimpse into another aspect of life in this village.
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