Essential Experience in Istanbul: Visit a Hammam
Updated: Oct 27
An essential experience in Istanbul for many travelers is a visit to a Hammam. I've been to a few former historic buildings that were hammams in other parts of Eastern Europe that were under Ottoman rule. Budapest has a few of the most well-known, but I hadn't actually been to a hammam for the full scrub.
The Kılıç Ali Paşa Hamam, on the Galata side of the bridge in Istanbul's Karaköy neighborhood, dates to 1580, making it one of the oldest in the city. Set just across the street from a waterfront mosque, this banded red brick and limestone building, complete with a repeated series of domes, invites visitors as it has for centuries.
Upon entering, you will find yourself in a cozy area designed for relaxation, featuring spacious sofas placed along the walls. Just like in many places in Türkiye (Turkey, as it is written locally), visitors are greeted with a small cup of tea.
Historically, Ottoman hammams were open to all classes and utilized by worshippers to cleanse themselves prior to presenting themselves before Allah. The proximity of this hammam to a notable mosque near the water is not accidental. Despite the advent of indoor plumbing rendering communal facilities like this one unnecessary, many still remain, sometimes for tourists, but not always. Regardless, it remains common to find fountains near mosques worldwide where worshippers cleanse their feet, hands, arms, and sometimes faces before prayers.
After arrival, check in and a welcome tea, guests change into a cotton towel and are then guided to a section located past the central courtyard. At this specific establishment, men are accommodated in the late afternoon until evening, while women have access in the morning until late afternoon. Different venues may have alternating schedules, so it is advisable to confirm before arriving or, even better, to make a reservation, which is highly recommended at this particular location.
In the the following chamber, you will find yourself seated in a marble alcove next to a marble basin. Here, an attendant will provide you with a rejuvenating soak before guiding you to the focal point of the room - a heated flat marble stone. Reclining on this pleasantly warm slab is truly soothing, and helps to relax the muscles. The architectural beauty of this domed, white walled room, is highlighted further as you gaze up at the glass stars embedded in the dome. The particular timing of my visit meant that they were illuminated by the twilight of a late summer evening outside, a sense of tranquility, and contemplation, washes over you.
After 10-15 minutes, an attendant returns and takes you to another alcove, soaking you again while you change into a slightly smaller cotton towel. After a quick soak, the scrub and lathering begins. By what I would best describe as a pillow case dipped into a soapy basin of water. The attendant holds the open end in one hand, forms a ring with the other hand and then rings the soapy water downward out of the case and onto you repeatedly until your alcove, and you, are nothing but your head floating about several feet of lather and bubbles.
While the bubbles settle and move towards the drain in the alcove, the attendant starts with a shampoo and scalp rub before scrubbing your torso, neck, back, arms, and legs with a pair of mitts. Having spent seven weeks traveling in the summer sun, I naturally had a late summer tan and plenty of skin to exfoliate, but I was still quite surprised to see a noticeable amount of dead skin sloughed off on my arms and feel it on the floor all around me!
Afterwards, the attendant gently pushed me forward to start a brief massage on my shoulders, neck, chest and back then followed that up with legs and feet. Similar to most massages, you may not fully comprehend just how tense and knotted your muscles truly are. But the extent became apparent when experiencing this Turkish hammam attendant's vigorous technique; when he finished working on my legs and feet, he returned to my upper back and applied even more pressure, this time, not just with his thumbs and hands, but also with his elbows. Safe to say, I may have needed that intense massage!
Following another quick rinse, the attendant provided me with a dry cotton towel to put around my waist. He then handed me a couple of dry towels, one of which he intricately folded and wrapped around my head in a turban style, while the other was carefully wrapped and placed over my shoulders. I was guided back to the central courtyard and settled onto one of the large sofa beds, with one of the courtyard attendants instructing me to "Enjoy your rest" as a small tea service was left on the nearby table. Surrounded by comfortable pillows and settled on a the sofa, the sound of gently falling water, and the complete relaxation of the prior 45 minutes, an enjoyable rest was undeniable.
Is a hamami in Istanbul on your travel must do list? If not, it should be! Set up a conversation and we'll get started with a plan for you to experience this for yourself.
Want to see more photos of the hammam interior? Google "kilic ali pasa hamami" and click on the images tab along the top of the search results.
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