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The hamam or Turkish bath is a tradition handed
down across the millennia from ancient Rome.
It started simply as a way of keeping clean and
remains a place of pampered luxury.
Most are open from 6am to 11pm. Bathing is strictly
segregated by sex, although a few places offer limited hours for mixed
bathing.
After leaving your clothes in a locker you put on a wrap
and wooden clogs and proceed to the main bath area, where an attendant
delivers a refreshing body scrub. Rinsing and shampooing follows, in
preparation for the massage.
The massage should be on a great slab on marble in the
centre of the hamam. If the masseur uses only soap, rather than oil,
then it's not the real thing.
Many upmarket hotels have their own hamam, but the
nearest independent one is a 16th century hamam in
Fethiye. |
