My First Turkish Hammam:Istanbul, Türkiye

Going inside a Turkish Hamaam is a very unique experience that is exciting and relaxing at the same time. It is meant to purify the body as well as relax. We wanted to experience this traditional part of Turkish culture and I didn’t want to miss out! 

Earlier in the day we made an appointment at 6:45 pm  for our Turkish Hammam. Close to 6:15 we headed down to the spa to relax, swim, and sauna before we were greeted by our natirs (female hammam therapists). At first glance the area was quiet and relaxing until we all realized there were no doors. As the ladies were preparing for the treatment we were all told to change into disposable underwear. We were all topless which was normal for my dad but a bit awkward for my mom and I.

Next, we lay down on a stone table with towels and then were bombarded with bowls of warm water. Thankfully, there were drains on the ground because there was so much water going everywhere. As we lay there, the therapists started making mountains of bubbles with the towels. They whipped around the towels in circular motions and wrung out the bubbles as they started spilling out everywhere and put them on our bodies. After the bubbles were all over me, she started the massage. She massaged my back with the bubbles and then I flipped over and she finished on the front. After about 25 minutes, my natir told me that the massage was done. I was happy that the treatment wasn’t quite done. She then shampooed my hair and gave be an intense scalp massage. She rinsed me with more fresh, warm water and I felt squeaky clean!  I was really bummed because the treatment was finished. The message felt really good but on the bright side, I was happy to have my bathing suit back on. She then escorted me to a spa relaxing room to wait for my parents.

My parents’ treatment included a full body scrub with an exfoliating glove to vigorously remove dead skin cells but I was told I couldn’t do that because I was too young. As I was waiting in the relaxing room, I was greeted with some hot ginger tea. Then the  relaxing music started playing in the room and I felt like I was going to fall asleep. Shortly after, my parents arrived in the room as well. We all sipped our tea and talked about the Hamaam .
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We all enjoyed our first Turkish hammam experience and now know what to expect!