"Rubbing down with oil"

When Telemachus arrives somewhere, he is first given food and wine, then bathed and rubbed down with oil by local women, and then dressed before sitting next to the leader of whoever he is visiting. It's easy to presume a sexual nature and I think indeed we're meant to assume as much. I noticed that most of the time they are just attended to by unnamed women:
"When women had washed them, rubbed them down with oil and drawn warm fleece and shirts around their shoulders..." book 4 (126, 56-57)

But in one case in book 3, they name the woman:
"During the ritual lovely Polycaste, youngest daughter
of Nestor, Neleus' son, had bathed Telemachus.
Rinsing him off now, rubbing him down with oil,
she drew a shirt and handsome cape around him.
Out of his bath he stepped, glistening like a god,
strode in and sat by the old commander Nestor." (122, 521-526)

Looking it up, I see that Polycaste will later become Telemachus' wife!

ALSO, it is easy to compare this to Stephen's completely opposite feelings towards bathing. He is said to despise bathing, and one of the Ulysses guides (Hart/Hayman) says that the reader is actually supposed to believe that Stephen hasn't bathed in 8 months. EIGHT MONTHS. I know that's there the understanding of cleanliness has changed drastically in the last century, but 8 months still is quite a long time.

Also, compare the above quotes to Stephen's stream-of-consciousness on bathing. He is thinking about someone who apparently died in a public bath, a place where men are bathed and treated very similar to the Homeric heroes as above. In his memory of discussing the story with a woman she remarks that all men do that. Stephen, unlike most men or the Homeric heroes, feels quite differently about bathing:

"Tous les messieurs" he recalls to the lady saying, i.e. all men do!
"No this Monsieur, I said. Most licentious custom. Bath a most private thing. I wouldn't let my brother, not even my own brother, most lascivious thing." Episode 3(p. 43, l. 17-20)