Although Turkish baths are of no value in attempting to lose weight permanently, the belief that they are is strongly held. The cards issued by coin-in-the-slot weighing machines were, therefore, thought by Turkish bath proprietors to be a good place to advertise their establishments.

But the use of Turkish baths to achieve a temporary weight loss remains well-established even today among, for example, boxers and jockeys.

Despite this, the Pearce Bjelke-Peterson Institute placed an advertisement in the Melbourne Argus in 1931 headed 'Slim as a schoolgirl? Weight reduced? Pleasantly? Rapidly? The only sensible, natural method of acquiring the slimness of youth is by use of Bjelke-Peterson's Graduated Turkish Bath treatment.'

This item is from the collection of the Victorian Turkish Baths Project