Turkish Hamam Bath - What to Expect

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I will admit that I was definitely nervous before my first Turkish Hamam bath. The idea of being completely nude and vulnerable while a complete stranger vigorously scrubbed me down kind of intimidated me. But now that I’ve gone through it, I can guide you on what to expect with your first Turkish Hamam bath!

Location

We chose our first Hamam experience with Ayasofya Hürrem Sultan Hamamı, conveniently located near Hagia Sophia. Historically, the bathhouse was originally used by the Ottoman sultans during the 16th century. The hamam eventually shut down, but was modernized and beautifully restored into a high-end hamam in 2011. It’s great because it still has the traditional architecture and historical feel, but the interior is very clean and modern.

Since it is a higher end hamam, prices are a little more expensive depending on what package you choose. We chose this hamam because it’s the highest rated bathhouse on TripAdvisor and we needed to trust that we were in good hands. We decided on the 35 minute PİR-İ PAK package, which includes the traditional body scrub, bubble wash massage, and head and neck massage for 85‎€ each.

The facilities are completely separate for men and women. The men have the grand entrance near the Mihri Restaurant while the women’s entrance is around the corner and down a flight of stairs. Once inside, you’ll be asked to fill out a form regarding your health conditions and other general information. Afterwards you’ll head to the locker area where you’ll find a pair of slippers, disposable string underwear, and a colorful checkered cloth to wrap around your body. (No underwear for men, you’ll be completely nude under your cloth!) After you’ve declothed, you’ll head out of the dressing area to find your attendant wrapped in a similar checkered cloth. She will then take your hand and lead you to the hot room.

Body Scrub

The hot room is where you’ll see the huge dome on the ceiling with little shafts of light peeking through. This beautiful room is completely covered in marble, with a raised circular heated platform in the very center under the dome. Surrounding the platform are little open areas where you’ll be seated on a marble step next to a big basin of water. The attendant will turn on the water and ask you to wash yourself and relax in the hot room for around 5 minutes to loosen up.

When the attendant returns, she will once more take your hand and led you to the warm room, this time a rectangular room covered in marble. Again there were marble steps to sit on and basins directly next to the steps. This is when the attendant took a textured washcloth that felt exactly like sandpaper and started vigorously scrubbing my body.

There were actually shavings coming off my body with each scrub, similar to eraser shavings left on a piece of paper. Some parts of my body were a little more sensitive to the sandpaper like scrub, but overall it didn’t hurt and I have to say my body felt very fresh afterwards. At the end, the attendant takes a bowl of water from the basin and splashes my skin clean of all the eraser-like shavings.

Bubble Massage

Now we head back to the hot room for the bubble wash massage. On the edge of the circular heated platform, she places a towel for me to rest my head on before I lay down completely nude. She then soaks me in warm water and spreads a sheet of foam to cover my entire body. It’s a pretty pleasant sensation to lay on a heated marble platform all lathered up and slippery while receiving a head and neck massage. It’s different from other massages because I’m not slathered in oil, I’m covered in soapy suds so I definitely feel squeaky clean.  

Midway with the bubble massage, she asked me to flip over and lay on my stomach. This side wasn’t as pleasant because she didn’t allow me to lay my head to one side while she was massaging my neck. I was forced to lay face down on the wet towel which made it a bit difficult to breathe. After the bubble massage we head back to the warm room where she proceeds to wash and condition my hair.

With my hair cleanly washed, she commences to dump bowl after bowl of warm water over my head to cleanse away the soapy residue. I also didn’t appreciate this part too much because I felt way too overwhelmed with the heavy splashes of water. It kind of made me feel like a child, standing there naked while somebody zealously poured water on my head. At one point water went straight up my nose and I was still recovering from that before I could register that she was talking to me and warning me that the cold water was coming up. It wasn’t a gentle peaceful wash anymore, it was a burst of cold water splashed on my skin. Luckily after the cold water, she immediately wrapped me up in a warm terrycloth towel and lead me back to the cooling room.

Relaxation

In the dark cooling room I was seated on the couch and told to relax and cool off with a glass of sweet şerbet. and turkish delight. The attendant then handed me a small toiletries bag that included a comb, shampoo and conditioner, lotion, and the bath glove she scrubbed me down with. At this point the package has concluded, but everyone has the option of going back into the hot room to lay on the heated platform for as long as you’d like.

After blow drying my hair in the wooden dressing room, I donned my clothes again and exited the hamam feeling reenergized. There were certain parts of the procedure that I didn’t enjoy too much, but overall it was a positive experience that I would recommend. By the time I finished, it was already dark outside and the cooler air definitely helped with my feeling of relaxation. Not to mention that I was treated to some gorgeous dusk views of Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.