The Infamous Turkish Bath
Everyone seems to know about the Turkish baths. And when people
come, they all say, oh, let's try a Turkish bath!
And then I inform them about the specifics of it and then for most
people the interest is gone.
These same reasons are why I haven't yet tried a Turkish bath. A
stranger bathing you, scrubbing you down, all while you are almost in your
birthday suit.
Finally, this weekend, I gave up my insecurities and visited my
first hamam. While I wasn't brave enough to try a really local place, I
think the experience is probably similar. I'm sure I would have gotten a bit
less rushed and more friendly experience at a local place, but I wanted to know
what I was getting into.
So, I picked out the Çemberlitas Hamam
in the old town. It has a history dating back to 1584 when it was built by the
prolific Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan. I figured if nothing else, I would have
a pretty old building to look at.
I got the full service, bathing, scrub, and massage. So what were my thoughts? It was everything I expected and a bit more that I didn't expect. I expected the scrub, the sauna atmosphere of the room, the normal massage. What I didn't expect was the comraderie in the room. Even at a tourist place, there seemed to be plenty of locals, people talking, laughing and lounging (although I didn't do much lounging by myself). And despite being almost in the nude, everyone was so comfortable. Forget about American scruples and confidence issues, we’re all women, right?
Thinking about trying a Turkish bath? I say give it a shot. And, while the hamam I
tried was nice, try something with a bit more local flavor. You'll probably get a better deal and better service. Don't worry about being totally confused, just give in and do what everyone else is doing. You can't go wrong!
Love going to the hamam! I just keep on my bikini bottoms and have no issues with the rest. I also like being able to go to a spa hamam with my husband. We've had great couple experiences in Fethiye and recently at the Gönüferah Hotel in Bursa!
ReplyDeleteJoy - I enjoyed it! I think it will be better the next time now that I know the routine. We'll have to check out the couples spa
Delete