When I went to Istanbul last October, I wanted to try a Turkish hammam (also called a Turkish bath) but had no idea what to expect. I understood this to be culturally unique, with devotees who love the experience, and I wanted to try it. But what happens inside a Turkish hammam?
I enjoy spa experiences here in the U.S. and have been lucky to try different pampering services occasionally. But I am not a regular spa attendee. Heading to a Turkish hammam while in Turkiye was a beautiful experience, one I am so glad I did.
We went to Cağaloğlu Hammam in Istanbul. I highly recommend this particular hammam. My friend and I each booked the Istanbul Dream service.
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What is the point of a Turkish bath?
Hammams date back to the 15th century and the Ottoman Empire. They were built to mimic Roman baths, with heat, steam, and soap being the primary purpose. They were a place for purification and cleanliness, which a Muslim society emphasized. (They believed cleanliness and purity were necessary before prayers or ablutions.)
Eventually, good conversation, influential visitors, and music performances encouraged people to view the bath experience as socially significant.
The first public bath was opened in Istanbul in the 15th century, and the hammam culture peaked in the 16th century.
A Turkish bath is primarily related to cleanliness but it delivers overall wellness benefits. The steam detoxifies, the heat relaxes the muscles, and time in the Turkish bath is said to reduce anxiety. Those with money began to build their own hammams in their homes.
It’s a tradition that has been embraced and going strong for seven centuries! (That’s a long time.)
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Do I need to book my Turkish bath in advance?
YES! If you want a highly-rated hammam, especially in Istanbul, you are best served to book in advance. We booked our services a couple of months in advance, and they were fully booked a couple of weeks before we visited.
You can pop into the less popular and less well-known hammams with a day’s notice, but we wanted to be sure we had a hammam we felt we could trust for our first experience, so were pretty picky.
It is possible to book additional services alongside a traditional bath if you’d like. Every hammam we looked at had a lengthy spa services menu. We wanted to try the simple, traditional, time-honored service.
What do I wear in a Turkish hammam?
This was the thing that caused me the most stress – the thing I felt the least educated on what to expect.
But plan to wear nothing! Do not wear a swimsuit.
The hammam we visited gave us disposable underwear and robes to cover up. The disposable underwear are worn the entire experience and bath. They should not be removed.
But the bathing ritual itself is full of soap, suds, and water everywhere. One of the other women who had a service at the same time we did wore a two-piece swimsuit that she eventually removed (to save the suit and for a better experience).
Is this weird? Honestly, it wasn’t. In America, we can get pretty uncomfortable around nudity. I could postulate why, but that’s for a different website article.
But I never for a moment felt uncomfortable at the hammam – either with my own nudity or that of the other women around me. We were robed until our service provider came to get us, then we were pretty far apart and separated from each other. The bathing experience requires closed eyes and encourages a lot of relaxation. So while I was (mostly) naked in a room with about 10 other women, it oddly still felt somewhat private.
What happens in a traditional Turkish hammam experience?
We had a traditional hammam service, and it was just what it says: a bath!
Women and men were separated as soon as they leave the lobby area.
We entered the hammam, checked in, and were led to the women’s area and a “cold room.” Inside Cağaloğlu this was a small conservatory room with a fountain. Dressing rooms (which locked) were on the perimeter. Some chairs and bistro tables were in the center. The room wasn’t actually “cold,” just not heated.
We hung up our clothes and changed into the disposable underwear provided and put the robes they provided overtop. The hammam also provided us with plastic flip-flops to wear. We were then led by one of the hammam specialists to a steam room, where all the women who were booked for the same time slot were gathered on benches to wait.
We sat in the steam room quietly for about 15 minutes. Eventually, we were called by name by the woman who would be giving us our bath. We were gently led out by the hand and taken to a bathing station. These were sinks and spigots that surrounded a large octagon table made of stone. The large slab table sat in the middle of the room, with space for each of the women receiving a bath to lay prone on top.
We then began our bath! The provider gently and efficiently guided me through where to go, and which way to turn, and washed me. I lay on the stone table, covered with a blanket of bubbles that defy explanation. My hair was scrubbed by powerful fingers. I was rinsed and doused and soaped and rinsed again.
When the bath was concluded, I was rewrapped in my robe and guided by hand to the “cold room,” where a hot cup of tea and some Turkish delight awaited me. I sat in the light-filled room, feeling thoroughly refreshed and the cleanest I had ever felt in my life.
When my friend and I were ready, we returned to our private changing rooms, left the robe, threw away the disposable underwear, changed, and walked out of the hammam ready for our next Istanbul adventure.
How long does a Turkish bath take?
The service we received was 45 minutes from start to finish, but we arrived early and enjoyed the “solarium” with the tea provided for a bit. In the end, we were there for just over an hour.
What is appropriate etiquette in a Turkish hammam?
Plan to tip! We were unprepared for this, but it is expected.
It is best to honor the quiet. Gentle conversation is allowed, but this is not the place for boisterous conversation.
It should be obvious but leave your phone locked up – no photos or videos inside the hammam.
Is going to a Turkish hammam worth it?
This was a surprisingly spiritual experience for me. My connection to the past felt deep, and I never once felt uncomfortable or exposed.
I lay on the stone slab, the chill penetrating my back while warm water poured over my front, staring up at Turkish arches and glorious marble that have been there for years. I felt loved and cared for by a tender person who, while she didn’t speak English, made me feel incredibly special.
The Turkish hammam experience isn’t like a standard U.S. spa experience. There is a relationship of trust that gently forms with the service provider and the woman I had gave warm smiles and firm massages. I loved my body in that moment. Being in the Turkish bath felt like a gift to this shell of skin and bones that serves me so well on a daily basis.
I’d do this again.
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