I have traveled to Turkey several times, and enjoying a traditional Turkish bath experience has been a highlight of every stay. On my first visit to Turkey I was confused about what happens in a Turkish bath, but with each visit I felt more comfortable and confident with the process. Although there are about sixty different Turkish bathhouses in Istanbul, and hundreds more across the rest of the country, the basic Turkish bath experience is generally the same no matter where you go.
Of course, that being said, many Turkish bath houses in Turkey now try to attract foreign tourists by adding on additional, non-traditional spa services to their Turkish bath offerings. Historically, Turkish baths (called hammam in Turkish) were the only place to get clean, but now that Turkish houses have modern plumbing the public bath has gone from being a necessity to a luxury.
In this guide I’ll talk about what happens in a Turkish bath that is done the traditional way, as well as what you can expect in some of the more modern, spa-like hammams.
Arriving at the Turkish Bath
When you arrive at a Turkish bath house in Turkey you will be greeted by the reception or front desk staff, and they will confirm which treatments you’d like to have.
Then, you’ll be led to a private changing cabin, like the ones shown above at Kardiga Hammam in Sultanahmet, Istanbul. In most Turkish baths you will have a key for the cabin, so you can lock your things inside during your treatments. However, some of the busier touristic hammams don’t have enough cabins for the volume of visitors they receive, so after you’ve changed you will take your things out of the cabin and put them in a nearby locker.
Inside the changing cabin you will find a thin cotton towel, called a pestamal. Take off all of your clothes (yes, everything!) and wrap the pestamal around your body. You should also find rubber sandals in the changing cabin; put those on as well.
Almost every Turkish bath in Turkey is segregated by gender, so unless you’ve intentionally booked a co-ed couples hammam experience then you can assume it will be single-sex. The dress code for co-ed hammams is sort of vague, as these aren’t traditional and are rarely frequented by locals. Some visitors prefer to go naked (just using the pestamal for modesty) while others prefer to wear a swimsuit (bring your own).
Once you’re wrapped in the towel, leave the changing cabin, lock the door and let the staff know that you’re ready to begin.
Steaming in the Hot Room
The first thing that happens in a Turkish bath is the steam experience in a hot room. This is often the most spectacular room in the hammam, and it may be under a sky-high dome or feature intricate marble details. The interior shown above is at Sifa Hammam, one of the most affordable Turkish baths in Sultanhamet, Istanbul.
The air in Turkish baths tends to be somewhat humid. It’s definitely not dry like a Finnish sauna, but it’s also not blindingly steamy like, for example, your gym change room back home.
Usually, there will be a large marble or stone platform in the hottest part of the room. There will be ample space on the platform for all of the hammam guests to lay down (place your pestamel between your bare skin and the stone) and relax for between fifteen and thirty minutes. You can rest and relax quietly or talk to the other people in the Turkish bath. If you get too hot, you can turn on one of the faucets around the edge of the room and splash your face with cold water, or fill a bucket with cold water and pour it over your body.
You probably won’t encounter any staff during this time, as they’ll be busy administering treatments to other customers in the other rooms of the bathhouse.
Turkish Bath Treatments
Imagine you wanted to peel a label off a glass jar. Would you do it straight out of the fridge, or would you soak the jar in hot water first?
The same principle applies to scrubbing dead skin off your body. The heat and moisture in the first room of the Turkish bath prepares your skin for the full exfoliation that comes next.
After you’ve spent fifteen to thirty minutes sweating in the hot, steamy hammam, a staff member will come and lead you to the treatment area. This could be an alcove off the main room, or an entirely separate treatment area. They will lay your towel down on the warm stone and direct you to lay down either face down or face up. Yes, you’ll be fully naked for your treatment!
Note: The employees of a Turkish bath house work in hot, steamy, wet conditions all day. They often strip down to just their underwear during treatments. Don’t be surprised if the person scrubbing you is wearing little more than you are!
A traditional Turkish bath treatment begins with a full-body exfoliation using a special glove or cloth called a kese. These gloves are made from various fabrics including linen, wool, silk and even goat hair. As the attendant vigorously scrubs your entire body you’ll be able to watch the dead skin peel off in small (and occasionally large) pieces. For a first-timer it can be quite shocking, but don’t worry! It’s perfectly safe and healthy to remove all this dead skin.
Once your dead skin has been removed, it’s time to wash all that new skin! This is the last step in a traditional Turkish bath, and it’s sometimes referred to as a “foam massage” or a “soap massage”. The attendant will use liberal amounts of sudsy soap to lather your entire body until it’s squeaky clean. Then, they will pour bucket after bucket of warm water all over your body, rinsing all of those bubbles away and leaving your clean new skin behind.
To indicate your treatment is over, the attendant will give you a clean, dry pestamal to wrap around your body. They’ll then direct you back towards the changing cabins, where you can dry off and get dressed. Most hammams will have hair dryers and mirrors available near the changing cabins for people who don’t want to end their Turkish bath experience with wet hair; personally I don’t mind throwing my hair up in a bun and styling it when I’m back at my hotel.
Turkish Bath Add-Ons
What I’ve just described is what happens in a traditional Turkish bath, and it forms the foundation of any hammam package sold at Turkish baths across Turkey. However, as I mentioned above, many Turkish baths in Istanbul and across Turkey now cater more to tourists than locals, and often offer a more luxurious, spa-like experience. Some common add-on treatments that come at an extra cost include:
- Oil massage. After your skin is exfoliated and washed, the attendant will massage your body with perfumed oil to moisturize and hydrate your new skin.
- Hair wash and scalp massage. In a traditional Turkish bath, your hair will get wet during the soap massage, but it won’t get properly washed. You can add on a wash treatment to save yourself a shampoo the next day.
- Jacuzzis and hot tubs – Soaking in a hot bath isn’t part of a traditional Turkish bath, but many hammams offer it as an add-on. Try to do this before your exfoliation treatment, as it will help further soften that dead skin.
- Food and drink – You can always expect to be served complimentary Turkish teas before and after your Turkish bath experience, but full drink menus, snacks and meals are never included in a basic package.
Hotels Near the Turkish Baths in Istanbul
Tips for Your First Turkish Bath
Personally, I would never just show up at a hammam and expect them to have availability. Booking ahead ensures the hammam will have the space and staff necessary to deliver their best Turkish bath experience. Here are a few Turkish baths in Istanbul that you can easily reserve online, in advance:
- Cemberlitas Hammam – Dating back to the 1580s, this historic Turkish bath in Istanbul has a rich legacy and historic interior. Once you have this ticket you’re free to drop into the hammam at any time that is convenient for you – they’re typically open from 7:30 am to midnight.
- Hurrem Sultan Hammam – The location doesn’t get any better than this. Hurren Sultan Hammam is a historic Turkish bath located in the heart of Sultanahmet, just steps away from the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia. This is a luxury hammam where the available packages include upscale extras.
- Cagaloglu Hamam Experience – This 18th-century bathhouse is located just a few blocks away from Topkapi Palace, near Gulhane Park. Despite its busy surroundings, the interior of this Turkish bath is tranquil and relaxing. You can choose from a range of hammam packages that last between 45 minutes and two hours.
- DoubleTree Hilton Sirkeci Spa – Personally, I don’t recommend visiting a Turkish bath in Istanbul that’s in a modern building, but if you’re put off by the idea of being naked around other, all of the steam and treatment areas here are private.
Once you’ve booked your Turkish bath experience, here are a few other tips to make your first hammam visit enjoyable:
- Try to arrive at the Turkish bath house with as little skincare and makeup on as possible. It just doesn’t feel very nice to have mascara running down your face in the hot steam room.
- My favorite time to visit a Turkish bath is in the evening, an hour or two after a light dinner. I find the experience to be very relaxing, and when it’s done I like to go straight back to my hotel to rest. However, some people find it energizing and love going earlier in the day.
- Pack a few personal care items to tidy up afterwards, like hair elastics (if you have long hair), a wide-tooth comb and body lotion (if your package doesn’t include an oil massage).
- It is customary to tip 10-20% directly to the attendants, so have some small local currency handy. Usually, the person who did your treatments will come out to the reception area to say goodbye to you, and that’s when you can discreetly give them the tip (and your thanks!).
- It’s been more than a decade since my first Turkish bath experience, and I still exfoliate with a kese cloth two or three times per month. You can buy them at pharmacies and gift shops all over Turkey, or you can wait until you get home and grab one from Amazon here or here. I also own a Baiden Mitten, a cult-following exfoliator inspired by kese cloths but that works even better… you just have to decide if it’s worth the investment.
I hope that helps you understand what happens in a Turkish bath house! If you’re interested in spas, you might also want to read my guide to the two mega-spas in Baden-Baden, Germany, or my review of the QC Terme Milano spa in Italy.
And if you’re planning a trip to Turkey, make sure to read all of my Turkey travel guides before you go!
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