Traditional Hammam Experience

The Turkish hammam is much more than a bath: it's a purification ritual that the Ottomans elevated to an art form and has been an essential part of Turkish culture for over 600 years. In a city that once had more than 300 hammams, the tradition of the Turkish bath lives on, and it's an experience every Istanbul visitor should have at least once. Our traditional hammam experience introduces you to this ancient ritual in some of the city's most historic and authentic bathhouses.

The experience begins as you cross the threshold of a building that may be 400 or 500 years old. The hammam's architecture is itself a work of art: domes pierced by small glass stars that filter natural light, marble walls that trap heat, and a layout following a precise order inherited from ancient Roman baths. You'll be received in the camekan, the vestibule where you'll change your clothes for a pestemal — the traditional fine cotton towel — and wooden sandals.

From there you'll pass to the soğukluk, the warm room that serves as a transition, and finally to the hararet, the hot room that is the hammam's heart. In the center you'll find the göbektaşı, a large marble platform heated from below where you'll lie down to receive the treatment. The hararet's humid heat opens pores and relaxes muscles, preparing your body for the next step.

An expert tellak (bath attendant) will apply a vigorous exfoliation with a kese, a rough fabric glove that removes dead skin cells and leaves skin incredibly soft. The amount of dead skin that comes off always surprises first-time visitors. Then comes the soaping: mountains of foam created with a special pillowcase that envelop your body in an aromatic cloud. The foam massage is deeply relaxing and will leave you in a state of total calm.