Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
section) to the
hararet
(steam room), where you sit and sweat for a while, relaxing and
loosening up, perhaps on the
göbektaşı
(central, raised platform atop the heating source).
Soon you will be half-asleep and as soft as putty from the steamy heat. The cheapest
bath is the one you do yourself, having brought your own soap, shampoo and towel. But
the real Turkish bath experience is to have an attendant wash, scrub and massage you.
If you have opted for the latter, an attendant douses you with warm water and lathers
you with a sudsy sponge. Next you are scrubbed with a
kese
(coarse cloth mitten), loosen-
ing dirt you never suspected you had. After a massage (these yo-yo between being enjoy-
able, limp-wristed or mortally dangerous) comes a shampoo and another dousing with
warm water, followed by one with cool water.
NEED TO KNOW
Business Hours
Most of the tourist hamams and hotel spas are open from 8am to 11pm or midnight. Local hamams
with only one bath have one set of hours for females and another for males; generally they close
earlier than the tourist hamams.
Practicalities
Soap, shampoo and towels are provided at all of the hamams we've reviewed. If you're only hav-
ing a bath, you'll need to pay for the soap and shampoo separately; it's always included in the cost
of full treatments. You'll get drenched, so make sure you take a comb, toiletries, make-up and (if
you choose to wear underwear during the massage) a dry pair of replacement underpants. There are
usually hair-dryers available for customer use.
Modesty
Traditional Turkish baths have separate sections for men and women, or have only one set of facil-
ities and admit men or women at different times.
Bath etiquette requires that men remain covered with a
peştemal
at all times. Women either bare
all or wear a bikini or a pair of knickers. During the bathing, everyone washes their private parts
themselves, without removing the bath-wrap or underclothes.
In tourist areas, there are a couple of hamams with only one bath area that allow foreign men and
women to bathe together. In these cases, women should wear a bikini.
