Itchy Feets

Running to Adventures around the World

Header Right

Main navigation

Hammam Time in Istanbul

by

Hammam Time in Istanbul

Spread over two continents, along the Bosphorus strait, Istanbul is a massive city, with a population equal to the entirety of Australia.  Countless mosques cover the city, as do carpet salesmen, who pester nonstop to visit their shops.  The highlights include the Aya Sofia (or Hagia Sofia- Church of Divine Wisdom that Emperor Justinian built),

We don't read Arabic, but were told that the 2 medallions spell "Mohammed" and "Allah". A bit ironic, as Jesus is seated in between them.
We don’t read Arabic, but were told that the 2 medallions spell “Mohammed” and “Allah”. A bit ironic, as Jesus is seated in between them.

the Blue Mosque,ist2 ist4

Topkapi Palace, ist6 ist5grand Bazaar,ist19ist8ist9 and spice bazaar where you can purchase any type of spice or sample Turkish Delight.ist23

Turkish Delight
Turkish Delight

The Basilica Cistern, an underground water tank from the 6th century, was awesome – so dark, enchanting and ancient.ist16

Medusa head, placed upside down to negate her powers.
Medusa head, placed upside down to negate her powers.

ist17

We spent five days in the touristic area, and another five days across the water, in more residential neighborhoods.  Outside the very center, the cafe culture prevails.  We visited so many trendy coffee shops, where locals spend hours chatting and sipping lattes.

ist13

ist20

We also tried smoking flavored tobacco from a water pipe, which is a favorite pastime of Turks.
We also tried smoking flavored tobacco from a water pipe, which is a favorite pastime of Turks.

 

One of our favorite meals was when we went to the docks for a grilled fish sandwich.  Fishermen stood on a nearby bridge, catching fish, then immediately sold them to the floating, bouncing boat “restaurants”, which are really just grills on boats.

A bunch of fishermen catch fish off the bridge, then sell them to the little covered boats in the background.
A bunch of fishermen catch fish off the bridge, then sell them to the little covered boats in the background.

There, the fish were quickly gutted, cooked, and slapped on a roll with lettuce.  They were served with lemon juice in a squeeze bottle, and pickled turnip juice.

Note the bright yellow squeeze bottle of lemon juice, and the magenta turnip juice.
Note the bright yellow squeeze bottle of lemon juice, and the magenta turnip juice.
Hammams (Turkish baths) are a big part of the culture.  Islam stresses hygiene, and prior to running water being commonplace in homes, hammams enabled Turks to bathe.  Although everyone has the capabilities to shower at home now, visiting a hammam is a ritual that is still performed a few times a month.

I’ve always thought of Turkish baths as a spa-like experience, and we had free access to a  hammam frequented by locals, so we eagerly took advantage of it.

We apologize in advance for the lack of pictures, but it’s not really acceptable to take pictures of people bathing.  So, we did the next best thing, and took pictures of photos of the hammam. 
The octagonal hammam room
The octagonal hammam room
The term “bath” is totally a misnomer.  There is no bath.  We didn’t really know what to expect, but we figured it was somewhat like an ancient Roman bathhouse, with a pool to soak in.

Asking the receptionist at the hammam what the protocol was, she looked at us like we had 3 heads and told us to “take a bath”.  Totally unprepared, we walked in to the octagonal room, and stealing sneaky glances out of the corners of our eyes, copied the locals.

 The procedure goes something like this:

  • Men have to wear a red checkered cloth, called at pestamel (pictured on the stone slab in the middle of the room in the photo above) around their waist. Women can either wear a pestamel or a bikini.  I wore the later.
  • There are 8 stone basins on the walls around the room.  Chose one, scoop out the water remaining from the previous user (there are no drains), then fill with water from taps.

    The basin which gets filled with water. During the bathing process, you sit on the bench, where the towels are.
    The basin which gets filled with water. During the bathing process, you sit on the bench, where the towels are.

  •  Throw some water onto the octagonal stone in the center of the room, then lie on it.  It’s surprisingly warm. Try not to feel too awkward doing this.
  • Go back to your basin.  Sit on the stone bench that encircles the room.  Use a metal pan to dump water over your head.
  • While sitting on the stone bench, use the provided soap and shampoo to wash your hair and body.  If you have a loofah, scrub off dead skin cells.
  • Try not to look at other people who are bathing.
  • Surreptitiously wash private parts, under the bikini or pestamel.
  • Use the metal pan to dump water over your head and wash the soap off.
  • Towel dry, then go to locker room to change into your clothes.
  • Go to hotel and take a real shower, because you feel dirtier than when you started.
Beer of choice: Efes dark. Most Turks drink Danish lagers.  Turkish beer is generally pretty bad.