Do you know what hamam is? This is not at all what we are now offered everywhere in any fitness center, it’s not even close to comparable! If you still haven’t enjoyed a bath in Turkey, now I’ll tell you how we went to a real hammam.
You can immediately see if you are a novice tourist - your pale skin color will immediately spot you in the crowd and the beach barkers and guides will begin their attack. Therefore, as soon as we checked into a hotel in Kemer, we were immediately invited to visit a hammam in Turkey. They said that the tan after the bath would be much better and last longer. We delayed this a little and went to the hammam already tanned. At first we were more drawn to boat trips than to some trip to the sauna. Don't repeat our mistakes, friends. If you want to get 100% benefit from the hammam, go to it as soon as you set foot on Turkish soil
How much does a hammam cost in Turkey?
A hammam in Turkey costs $50 for guides at a hotel, $20 at street agencies and when booking online , if you go to the bathhouse yourself it will be even cheaper, they charge only $10 . As you understand, an independent hike does not imply a transfer, whereas when booking through Tripster, for example, a taxi will come to pick you up at your hotel
A typical Turkish hammam includes:
- soapy massage
- peeling
- oil massage
- face mask
- a glass of tea
You must endure high temperatures, because in the steam room the air warms up to 50 degrees, and the humidity reaches 100 percent.
The entire washing procedure is divided in stages, so I will describe to you the hammam in Turkey in the same order as we went through it. The bathhouse is not divided into male and female halves, so you need to come to the hammam in a swimsuit. By the way, they will wash you in it, so it is advisable to wear a bikini.
Traditional arrangement of bathing places
As a rule, hamams are gender-based, but they can be visited by people of all social statuses and classes. Men and women are present in the hammam at different times or in different rooms.
When you enter the public Turkish bath, Hamam, you first find yourself in a changing room with wooden benches around the perimeter of the room. There are also hooks where you can hang your clothes.
At the entrance you can buy soap and exfoliating mittens. You can also hire a bathhouse attendant to perform your bathing ritual (unless you are too shy).
The steam rooms are rooms with a domed ceiling, heated floors and marble loungers. They heat up to a comfortable temperature so as not to burn your body, but to steam it before massage and peeling. There are taps built into the walls from which you can fill buckets with hot water for washing.
Hamam in Turkey
It was a large room, completely tiled with marble. In the middle of the room there was a huge rectangular lounger. We were asked to lie down on this table with our stomachs down and rest. Marble gets very hot, so it’s nice to lie on a warm stone, but after the sauna we were tired and almost fell asleep.
Because of the steam, I couldn’t see anything in the hammam; I was almost falling asleep. Then I realize that someone is starting to rub my back. It turns out that the Turks came and started a soapy massage. Each visitor, and there were three of us in the hammam, was entitled to a personal soaper. Essentially, this massage is a washing procedure. Take a mitten made of horsehair, lather it heavily and rub it all over your body from the top of your head to your heels. After such peeling, the skin becomes smooth and renewed - which is what the guides talk about when they advise going to the hammam.
The feeling of being washed like a child - every finger and fold of your body - is simply divine. Of course, at first I couldn’t relax. After all, I was touched by a strange man, a young Turk, but then I saw my husband lying calmly next to me and enjoying the procedure - I also relaxed. I don’t think that these men, through whose hands hundreds of such tourists pass, have dirty thoughts creeping into their minds. You wouldn't wish it on your enemy to work all day in such heat.
The soapy massage lasted about half an hour, although at that moment I was as if in a dream. The hot air of the steam room, the heated lounger, covered in soap foam, and your hands slide over your body... Although you are lying in a swimsuit at this moment, the procedure still seems intimate. I woke up from a kiss - my husband woke me up this way. It turns out we had already been washed and were offered to go for another massage. It was not easy to get up; after the hammam, my legs became completely weak. Now we were separated one by one and each went to his own room.
Between pain and pleasure
First comes the vigorous rubbing of the body with a hard washcloth to cleanse the skin, followed by the legendary soapy massage. This process is a real art in the hands of a professional bath attendant. The body is soaped with a rag bubble with warm foam.
The soap massage itself gives extraordinary sensations, because it alternates between minutes of relaxation and tension - the bath attendant controls the guest’s body quite harshly, bending, unbending and pressing on the necessary points. After finishing the soap massage, the foam is washed off by dousing the body with cool water several times.
preparing the client for foam massage
Now anyone can dive into the pool. Some hammams have several of them - with hot water inside and cold water outside, in order to feel the contrast. This is reminiscent of Russian diving into an ice hole after a bath. At the end of all procedures, guests are sent to a relaxation room called “keif”. After hamam you are usually very thirsty, but it is not recommended to drink cold water; warm green tea is best.
Oil massage in Turkish hammam
This type of massage was also performed by a Turkish man. In a small room there was a sun lounger covered with a Turkish towel. Here, instead of soap, warm, delicious-smelling oil is applied to the entire body. I don't like the impact on my body and usually I feel pain during a massage, especially on my back. But then either I found a skilled massage therapist, or my body relaxed after the hammam - I happily spent the entire massage) The procedure lasted about half an hour. My husband’s massage was done much faster, and he was still waiting for me outside the door.
Ban on healing bathing
Despite the obvious health benefits, there are contraindications for visiting the hammam. So, you should not visit a Turkish bath if you have:
- cardiac dysfunction;
- oncological diseases;
- recent heart attack or stroke;
- phlebeurysm;
- thyroid diseases;
- liver diseases;
- peptic ulcer;
- tuberculosis;
- active stage of infectious disease;
- active stage of skin disease;
- pregnancy.
Turkish tea
The final stage of the spa treatments was a pleasant relaxation on the couches with aromatic tea. The tea was hot and fragrant with the smell of tangerines.
A transfer will take us back to the hotel, which also took us to the bathhouse. Two hours later, the taxi driver was already waiting for us at the exit. So don’t be afraid to buy a hammam excursion in Turkey from local barkers, their service will not let you down. By the way, as it turned out, the guides did not lie about the fact that after the hammam you will have a beautiful tan. We returned home so chocolatey that passersby turned to look at us for a long time.
What you need to visit the hammam
Previously, a certain set of things was collected to visit the hammam. Included from 15 to 20 items.
I'll tell you about the main things included in the set:
- “Pestemal” (Pesh-te-mal) is the name of a towel with fringes for wrapping around the body. The width should reach the middle of the thigh. The towel can be striped or plain. Usually made from cotton or silk. The hammam uses three towels: one wrapped around the head like a turban, a second around the waist and a third on the shoulders.
- Wooden clogs or sandals, “nalin” in Turkish. These sandals perfectly protect your feet from dampness. They were decorated with various materials from pearl to silver. They could also have bells or a woven straw case, or they were made of felt and decorated with copper items.• A “basin” or bowl for pouring water over the body. Basins were made of various metals: silver, copper or gilding and had a beautiful fluted mosaic ornament.
- Metal container for soap. Most often it was made of copper with a handle on top like a hand bag and with holes at the bottom to allow water to drain. In such a container they carried not only soap, but also a mitt for scrubbing the skin and a hair comb, which was often made of ivory.
- Kese (keh-zeh) is a coarse woven mitten made of wool or plant fiber.
- Jewelry box. When the woman undressed, she put the jewelry in this box.
- Small carpet. The rug was placed on the floor and covered with cloth. We used this mat to undress and lay out our things. After each visit to the hammam, the carpet was washed, dried and put away until the next visit.
- Mirror.
- A henna bowl that was often used as a hair mask.
- Metal container. Used to dilute eyebrow dye (“rastik”). The second container with “surma” for the eyelids.
- Rose oil. After the bath, women used only rose oil with its subtle and delicate scent.
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Hammam dimensions
When determining the area of the room, you must remember that the larger it is, the more powerful the generator you need to buy. If the bathhouse will be used by a family of 4-5 people, a room of 2.5 * 2.5 m will be optimal. A larger steam room is made if it is planned to install a massage table here. For one steam generator to be enough, the room size must be at least 3.5 m².
The optimal height of a massage table is 70 cm. If it is higher, it will be uncomfortable for a person of average height to do a massage.
Turkish steam room with massage table Source turistics.com It is worth considering that the materials used for waterproofing and finishing the room take at least 3-4 cm. If you plan to reinforce the walls, then another 2.3 cm will be lost.
The following can be used in the hamam:
- seating areas with a flat surface;
- curved shelves;
- structures for sitting or lying.
When determining the location where there will be holes for the steam to escape, make sure that it cannot burn your feet. The height at which the hole is located is 20-30 cm from the floor.
Duration of procedures
In some hammams “for locals” the treatment time is quite short compared to tourist spas. I experienced this myself. For example, the basic set of procedures tourist hammam in the resort town of Kemer, near Antalya, consisted of: a visit to 2 paired rooms with dry and humid air, 20 minutes of peeling, 20 minutes of foam massage, a visit to the jacuzzi, a white face mask clay and kelp, 20 minutes of oil massage. The total visiting time was 1 hour 40 minutes, and the cost was $15.
At the traditional Tarihi Aga Hamam in Istanbul's Üsküdar district, things were much simpler; I steamed on my own for about 20 minutes, and after that the hammam employee gave me a 10-minute peeling and a 10-minute foam massage. The cost was $10, and the stay in the hammam took 45 minutes. But this hammam is truly historical - the construction dates back to the 17th century. I touched the history of the city and at the same time enjoyed pleasant procedures.
How to choose material?
The material that will be used for the construction or decoration of the hammam must be:
- durable;
- withstands high temperatures;
- moisture resistant.
The ideal material is natural marble. This material is strong, durable, pleasant to the touch and has a status appearance. The only drawback of the stone is its high price. To reduce possible temperature changes, marble can be replaced with telcochloridote. The cost of this material is almost the same as that of marble, but its heat capacity is higher.
Instead of marble, you can use ceramic tiles or mosaics. Using smalt, you can create beautiful designs in oriental style. This material can be plates or small tiles. Their surface can be bright or colorless, smooth or rough. The advantage of smalt is that it can be laid even on a curved surface, while for tiles it must be perfectly flat. Other advantages of smalt include:
- frost and heat resistance;
- variety of shades;
- zero water absorption.
The only drawback of this material is the installation time. Therefore, manufacturers began to make ready-made panels that made work easier. The most budget-friendly and easiest-to-install material is ceramic tiles.
