TURKISH BATH

Recently, I went to Greece and Turkey with my family and in-laws. We went on a Celebirty Cruise to Greece and Turkey – the highlight being an overnight stop in Istanbul. Both my husband and I had Istanbul on our bucket list. The first day we did a full day tour of Istanbul. We saw the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazzar, and so much more! Overall, we loved it and want to go back!

My favorite thing that we did was a Turkish Bath. I had heard from some friends that it was a amazing experience – so I decided to give it a try. There are lots of different Turkish baths in Instanbul, refferred to as Hamams. The Hamams or public bathing facilities are a part of the culture and date back centuries. They are a great place to unwind and relax!

So I googled Hamams in Istanbul and starting searching. A couple things were necessary in my search:

• I needed a location that was walkable from the Grand Bazzar
• I needed a location that would allow both men and women at the same time
• I wanted a place that would take a reservation online.

The Cağaloğlu hamam met all my requirements and had the easiest reservation system for me to use! I signed up my husband and I for this new experience.

As with most spa experience when we checked in, we were given forms to fill out, which we did while we waited. My husband was taken back to the men’s area and I went back to the women’s area. We changed out of our clothes and got a Hammam towel. (I got a pair of disposable underwear, my husband did not). You areassigned one Spa attendant through out the whole process – they do all spa services and escort you around.

The first stop was the steam room or sauna. It was a little different than most saunas I have experienced – it was all marble and the purpose was to sit or lay on the hot stone and loosen up your muscles. This stop lasted about 15 minutes and was quite relaxing.

Next, I was taken to a public room where you lay down on a round marble low table. Full disclosure – this is where everyone receiving the hammam service will be laying. You don’t really see anyone else as in general you are staring at the ceiling or you are lying face first on marble. First, the spa attendant takes a mitt and brushes your body to exfoiliate – very similar to dry-brushing. After that you are “washed” with buckets of water. This was a tad surprising for me. (I have very curly hair which I almost always wear straight – so when they dumped a bucket of water over my head – I almost freaked out.) After the initial shock, it was actually very refreshing and unlike any other spa experience.

The next part was my favorite – it was a bubble massage! The spa attendant makes a bubble foam from olive oil soap and gives you a massage. The soap leaves you feeling super clean and refreshed. One thing to note is that this massage goes a bit further than most typical massages. They massage your chest and stomach which was nice but as I said just different. After the bubble massage is done – you are again washed with buckets of water. Then the spa attendant bundles you up in a robe.

The next stage is a little bit of a rest with Turkish Delights, tea and dried fruits. You can stay in this part for as long as you like. I had a massage scheduled after so I went on to a private room and had a more traditional massage – with more pressure and oil to moisturize the skin.

After that was done – I was escorted back to the entrance to meet up with my husband. I knew that the whole experience would be a bit of a shock for my husband. He is not really into the spa life and has very limited experience. As he walked out – I saw how much it had shocked him. Overall, he still really liked it but did not realize that he would completely naked for most of the experience.