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The Scythians, as I said, take some of this hemp-seed, and,
creeping under the felt coverings, throw it upon the red-hot stones;
immediately it smokes, and gives out such a vapour as no Grecian
vapour-bath can exceed; the Scyths, delighted, shout for joy, and
this vapour serves them instead of a water-bath; for they never by any
chance wash their bodies with water. Their women make a mixture of
cypress, cedar, and frankincense wood, which they pound into a paste
upon a rough piece of stone, adding a little water to it. With this
substance, which is of a thick consistency, they plaster their faces
all over, and indeed their whole bodies. A sweet odour is thereby
imparted to them, and when they take off the plaster on the day
following, their skin is clean and glossy.
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