Schmeissing is a word I discovered only recently. It is pronounced ssh-my-sing and is originally derived from Yiddish. The practise was brought to the East End of London by the many Jewish families who settled there around the beginning of the 20th century.
Strictly a men-only affair, schmeissing involves going to a spa and sitting naked in a very hot steam-room. Once you are nice and hot, one of the other members of the group will offer to schmeiss you. If you accept, he will soap your body with a soft raffia brush, then fan you to make sure you’re really hot. He will then scrub your skin hard or slap it with the raffia. Sounds fun, eh? It apparently works wonders for the complexion and tone of your skin. Schmeissing is done by members of the spa, not by professionals – although the regulars will tell you it can take a year to learn to do it properly.
The original equipment used in the schmeissing practised by the early Jewish men involved not raffia but eucalyptus or birch twigs – much like the Finnish experience but without the snow.
If you think this sounds somewhat homoerotic, think again. These are East End boys and any suggestion they may be anything less than heterosexual may be met with strong disapproval! Schmeissing is reciprocal – if someone schmeisses you, you are expected to return the favour. Anyone not doing so is called a “schmeiss ponce”.
I discovered the hammam (highly recommended) a couple of months ago, where men and women can’t be naked and no schmeissing whatsoever is allowed. Less fun but still, you have steam-clean skin.
I think you’ll find that the gentlemen involved moved from East to North London, and now generally support Tottingham Hotspurs. Therefore, any questions about their sexual orientation are entirely justified.
P.S. First time caller, love the blog.
Minky: I had to look that up. Sounds brilliant, though. Not sure about the cold water – sounds a bit torturous.
Lynx: So all I heard about them is true? If you believe the chanting, they are all apparently Jewish, too. There must be gay Jewish people around but I’ve never met one. Perhaps they just keep it quiet! Glad you like the blog.
Shmeisse mice. As usual nearly got it right but oh well completely wrong. As with most things you could learn to Shmeisse badly in a year, or half a life time to get it right. Women can and do get shmeissed (Sunday evening) but tend not to wield the brush. simple question of skill stamina. The steam room needs to be seriously hot , the head of the shmeissed is best covered with an ice cold towel. The soft hot soap lathered brush, two foot long soft raffia , rhythmically coats the exposed body, bringing heat to the muscles and detoxes the skin –No slapping or tickling how ever occasional dowsing with cold soothing water is extra…In the East end you can’t buy a shmeisse but in the more louche West is the Porchester Spa. If you care to peruse TIME OUT you will see a recommendation for Shmeissing at the Spa. Also Westminster’s Web site for the Spa with times and prices. Or Guardian travel, two weekends ago, 29.09.07 page 11, ” unique aspect of second best spa in the world, Jewish art of shmeissing”..
Spurs footie all light on there toes Ruggers the game
[...] ‘treatments’ is quite the right word,a s they are all self administered, except for the schmeissing which I was offered by one of the regulars, but didn’t feel quite comfortable enought to [...]