The Ultimate Guide to Visiting Turkish Baths

Turkish baths are the one thing you absolutely must do when in Istanbul. Some people have said that taking a Turkish bath is nothing less than a spiritual experience. One feels at ease, purified, and meditative during this lovely shared experience.

You need not fret if you are unfamiliar with the hammam’s mysticism, though. This site serves as a comprehensive resource for all you need to know about Turkish baths, including what to expect, appropriate behavior, the top Turkish baths in Istanbul, and much more.

To learn everything you need to know, keep reading!

What Are Turkish Baths?

Despite being known as Turkish baths, hammams can be found everywhere. Hamams, which are often linked with Islamic culture, began as modest, unadorned communal areas where people cleaned their bodies.

But as time went on, they grew to represent wealth and social gatherings. Hammams are a reminder of the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul. Turkish baths are renowned for their stunning and elaborate architectural elements, as you may already be aware.

Mimar Sinan, the principal architect of the Ottoman Empire, designed many of the renowned historic hammams in Istanbul. Sultans and other officials started to commission the construction of hammams next to mosque complexes all across the world.

Turkish baths have a long history that is entwined with those of Roman and Greek spas. But to put it simply, they are a kind of public steam bath with changing areas, cold rooms, warm rooms, and hot rooms.

What To Expect From Turkish Baths?

Turkish baths certainly sound regal and soothing. However, you can have a lot of concerns, like how much privacy you’d have. What manners are appropriate in a Turkish bath? How precisely does a Turkish bath work?

We are, in fact, here to assist you with that. What to anticipate from your time in a Turkish bath is explained in full below:

There Are Different Sections For Men and Women

Men’s and women’s areas are separate in traditional hammams. Therefore, if you are traveling with others, you may spend this experience apart from them.

Men and women can bathe together in a few freshly built hammams, though. The Cukurcuma Hamam, one of Istanbul’s most well-known Turkish baths, is one such location.

There are several ways to ensure privacy in Turkish baths besides this one. Each washing place in a hammam is separated by marble walls inside these distinct areas.

You can therefore take pleasure in this reviving experience in complete comfort and solitude.

All Attendants Will Be Of The Same

Turkish baths not only offer separate areas for men and women, but even the personnel will be of your gender. The female attendants are referred to as a nation, while the male attendants are referred to as tell.

They will provide you with massages, cleanses, shampoos, and other treatments to ensure that you are as calm as possible. Additionally, the staff will direct you when the bathing moves to warmer chambers at various points.

Undress As Much As You’re Comfortable With

How much should I undress? Possibly the most common question. In a Turkish bath, you don’t have to remove all of your clothing, but most individuals only dress in their underwear, swimwear, or nothing at all. If you choose to do so, bring a change of clothes with you in case your underwear gets wet.

To have something to cover yourself with during your Turkish bath, you will be provided a bath wrap called a peshtemal. The staff will occasionally move and work around the towel. And occasionally didn’t do a great job putting it back, funny… At times, I felt a little exposed, but that’s just a part of the experience.

You Can Choose To Do Things Yourself

Of course, everyone’s level of comfort varies. So you can opt to massage and scrub yourself rather than having an attendant do it for you.

You must allow the experts to provide you with a thorough experience in the classic hammam style if you want to unwind completely and understand what a Turkish bath is.

You Can Relax After The Bath

Last but not least, you might choose to make the most of your Turkish bath experience.

Once you’ve had a massage, scrub, bath, and hot room experience, you may also unwind in the hammam area by lounging around. You’ll see lots of people snoozing in the cozy space.

Additionally, the majority of Turkish baths offer traditional foods as well as drinks like tea and lemonade. After the bath is complete, it’s not uncommon to see individuals linger in the cozy spaces.

If you choose to nap, you may give the ascendant a precise time after which they should wake you up.

The Common Way Things Flow At Turkish Baths

Let’s get into the specifics now that you are aware of some general expectations for your time in a Turkish bath. What happens in a Turkish bath is as follows:

You must first be aware that most hammams open as early as six in the morning. In addition, hammams typically don’t close until after midnight. So, you may take advantage of this beautiful experience whenever you like during the day.

In a huge marble chamber with a dome ceiling, the adventure gets underway. Istanbul’s historic hammams are well known for their stunning dome tops. The göbektaş, a sizable elevated platform in this space, is over a heating source and is encircled by numerous basins. Here, you will spend between 10 to 20 minutes in a warm area sweating away toxins (sometimes this step takes place in a more traditional feeling sauna).

Your attendant will then enter and provide you with a warm water bath and a 15-minute massage. Scrubbing is the following procedure in a Turkish bath.

You’ll need to relocate to the nearby basins to scrub. The assistant accomplishes this using a case, a handwoven washcloth. There is no denying that you will feel more rested and rejuvenated than ever after doing this.

There are a variety of services that each hammam provides. It is best to make an appointment in advance if you intend to visit a Turkish bath. In this manner, you can select the services you require and avoid lines, especially at busy hammams.

A traditional Turkish bath lasts 45 minutes and consists of cleaning, scrubbing, a foam wash, and massage. Additionally, Turkish baths are distinctive since they provide several dry heat chambers where you may unwind and have a snack afterward.