The Turkish Hammam Experience – Life Begins At The End of Your Comfort Zone

 Here is your geography lesson for the day. Officially, the country of Türkiye is called the Republic of Turkey which sits on both the European and Asian continents. Very cool! It is bordered by the Black Sea to the north; Iran plus others to the east; Iraq and Syria and the Mediterranean Sea to the south; and the Aegean Sea the west. Turkey is home to over 85 million people; most are ethnic Turks, while ethnic Kurds are the largest minority. Türkiye is a Muslim-majority population. Istanbul is its largest city with a population over 15 million and is considered the largest city in Europe. 

We awake to the call to prayer which I think is recorded but find out later it is recited by muezzins from all the mosques live and in stereo, 5 times a day! The loudspeaker is outside our window and jolts us awake at dawn. Listening to the call to prayer is very beautiful. I haven’t a clue what they are saying but it is haunting, and I love how the sounds bounces off the buildings. As well, there are other mosques doing the same thing all over the city. It’s like a competition. Just when you think they are done, they are not. 

Up, shower and dressed, we head up to the top floor for breakfast. We are greeted with delicious cheeses, interesting breads and spreads…and horrible coffee. I thought Türkiye would be more of a coffee culture, but tea is the daily beverage of choice. We make the best of it.

Today is a big day! We are going for a hammam, a “Turkish bath”. I have no idea what to expect but, I know this is going to be outside my comfort zone. As Neale Donald Walsch said, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”

Like a lamb to slaughter

We were fortunate to get a reservation at one of the top hammams in Istanbul, built in 1720. Tarihi Çesme Hamami. After choosing our package which is a traditional hammam plus a massage, we are led to a locker room where we are presented with a Turkish towel called a peshtemal, paper underwear, paper slippers, and a fluffy robe. Keeping on our bathing suit bottoms with the peshtemal wrapped around our torsos, we are led down into the bowels of the building. I can feel the heat building as I descend the stairs, but my mind is focusing on navigating the slippery stairs in paper slippers which too big for my size 7 feet. I look like a puppy wearing booties in the winter as I take each step. At the bottom, we meet our attendants who promptly tell us to drop the towels and lead us to a heated marble slab in the centre of the room. The room is stunning with golden water fonts along the walls and crested by a beautiful dome built in the early 1700s. Sounds of gurgling water and our hushed voices bounce off the marble floors and walls adding to the mystery of this tradition. Shannon and I have the room to ourselves. I can’t even imagine doing this with strangers! 

I am certain I have a deer-in-the-headlight look on my face. I can’t make eye-contact with the attendant and I’m certain my entire body is blushing!  I am extremely modest and even being seen naked by women makes me shudder. Flashback to group showers after high school gym. OMG, I hated it. I grew up with just boys in our family and so modesty was a standard. I have lived on my own for 20 years, so once again this delicious body is not used to being seen. Recently, my son and 3 grandsons moved in, so again, modesty is paramount.

Slip, Sliding Away

I climb or should I say slide on to the marble slab on my stomach waiting for whatever is about to happen next. The attendant pulls down my suit bottoms, and I just lay there stiff as a board, my eyes glued shut. My body stiffens even more, if that is possible, as buckets of warm water are poured over my back and legs. Suddenly the attendant begins scrubbing my body with a mitt called a ‘kese’. My skin is being rubbed and scrubbed vigorously removing layers of skins and dirt. It reminds me of rolling out the pizza dough on my quartz countertop. I’m starting to relax a little more now. The attendant prepares a bubble soap wash in a bag called a ‘torba’. Imagine having bubbles laid over your body and then massaged in. This phase of bubble wash is called ‘köpük’. Who doesn’t like bubbles! I feel myself going with the experience, relaxing. Then, both attendants start pounding our backs in perfect timing. It catches me off guard judging by my squeal and giggle. Warm water rinses you off. 

Time to roll over. Now on dry land, this can be hard enough, but on a wet, marble slab I felt like a seal on an iceberg. The attendant grabs my feet and slides me around the slab to make sure I don’t fall off. My body doesn’t fight the motion. A little hammam slip n’ slide. I giggle partially out of embarrassment and partially because I’m ticklish. I’m sure she has seen boobies before, but I thought this was funny. Shannon is across from me, and my eyes are still squeezed tight. My hair is being washed, and scalped massaged. I finally allow myself to look up at the impressive ceiling and watch pigeons fly across the sky creating a flickering effect. This all adds to the mystery of this experience. I take a deep breath as my hair is being rinsed off. A final massage and rinse and it is time to get up and put on those dang paper slippers and head upstairs.

As Dorothy said, “I’m not in Kansas anymore!”

We have a quick rest and then are shuttled down a different set of stairs to the massage room. I wasn’t anticipating a couples massage, but Shannon and I are situated next to each other face down, naked underneath a sheet and ready for a one-hour relaxing massage. Face downwards with my head the hole, my senses are heightened. I hear the door open and the whispers of the attendants as they enter. Suddenly, there is a knee between my legs as my attendant climbs on my back. Thankfully, there are no cameras! The look of surprise would have been hilarious. 

Once the shock is over, I relax into the massage and enjoy the remaining time. At the end I am a puddle of joy. Wrapped in a luxurious cotton robe, we are led up the stairs to the lounge where we are given water and tea and permission to stay as long as we want. Approximately 30 minutes later we head back up the marble stairs, and back to the locker room where we cloth ourselves and prepare to pay up for the services. 

It was a lovely experience and if I was to have another, I would be a lot more relaxed. Still, we should attempt to do things foreign to us and stretch ourselves outside of our comfort zone. I’m so glad I did. 

We are to meet up with our tour for dinner later today, so we have time to explore the nearby streets to the Galata Tower which is under renovation. This beautiful tower is currently a museum. It was built in the 1348 and due to conflict and weather has been damaged or destroyed over the years. In the 1700s, it was a watch tower to oversee fires in Old Istanbul. This Romanesque architecture is quite impressive as it rises above the Galata neighbourhood.

Meeting Our Group

Back at the hotel, we change and dress for our tour meeting and dinner. Kivanç, our guide leads us through the streets and back up the hill we had just come from to a restaurant called Balkon. Up to the roof, we are presented with a table overlooking the beautiful harbour and eventually an impressive sunset.

I haven’t been part of a tour group in a while, so it was interesting getting to know other people from Australia, England, and the U.S.A. 9 people in total plus our guide. A nice size. Dinner was included tonight, but drinks would be on us. A Turkish blush wine was our choice as we dined on dips and deconstructed kebabs presented beautifully.

We fell into bed at a decent time as we were to meet in the hotel lobby early for our walking tour.

Intrepid Travel – Turkey Real Food Adventure