How to Hammam Like a Local

By Michele Sponagle

A trip to Turkey just wouldn’t be complete without a sticky piece of flaky baklava, a cup of Turkish coffee, or heading to a hammam, also known as a Turkish bath. It’s home to a wellness ritual that spans centuries with roots dating back to the Roman and Byzantine times.

To get the most out of the experience, take cues from locals who continue to go to socialize and honour religious traditions. Whether you’re battling jet lag or want to understand more about Turkish culture, a hammam is designed to leave you feeling blissful and give you the softest skin you’ve had since you were a baby.

Throughout the country, there are different types of hammams catering to locals and tourists. What you choose depends on your budget and your comfort level with being rubbed and scrubbed head-to-toe by a stranger.

A traditional Turkish hammam starts with a steamy wet sauna for 10-20 minutes to get a good sweat going and help untie those knotted muscles before you stretch out on a raised white marble slab, which is also heated.

Next is a dry exfoliation with a textured mitt to remove dead skin cells, a thorough soaping with a tsunami’s worth of fragrant bubbles, oodles of massaging, and repeated rinsing with warm or cool water poured from large metal bowls or jugs. Some facilities offer a DIY option.

It’s less expensive than having an attendant (usually of the same sex as you, but not always) do all the hard work. If your budget permits, spring for an attendant so you can be babied like a member of Ottoman royalty, lay back and do nothing. It is gloriously indulgent – which is what you’re aiming for during your vacation, right?

Some hammams have separate facilities for women and men, while others post designated times by gender. Not very many are co-ed, so double-check before you arrive. First-timers often wonder how to cover up during the treatment. It is a matter of personal preference.

Depending on the hammam, you can go naked, or use the large, cotton cloth towel provided (a pestemal), to keep everything under wraps. Men don’t usually wear anything underneath, but some women wear swimsuit tops or bottoms (or both). Still unsure? Follow the crowd. In Istanbul, go low or go high.

If you’re keen on authenticity, then forget the frills. Try a rustic neighbourhood place like the Kadirga Hammami, built in 1734, where a treatment with exfoliation and foam massage rings in at less than $25.

The Çirağan Palace Kempinski hotel offers a luxurious spa setting for a gentler version of a traditional hammam, which may be overly vigorous and uncomfortable for unseasoned Westerners. Treatments start at around $200. Chic or cheap, copy the locals and bask in your afterglow by sipping on mint tea and just chilling. It’s an experience not to be hurried.