How We Went to the Turkish Bath

The idea of visiting a Turkish bath, or hamam, came from two ladies in our Istanbul travel group. As nothing of the sort had been mentioned in the programme, we had not prepared for this idea - but driven by curiosity we agreed immediately. The guide Ibrahim immediately agreed to arrange an evening trip for us to the Suleymaniye Hamam, located next to Sultan Suleiman's mosque. The bath has been historically preserved from 1550, when it was designed and built by the architect Sinan. This is the only bath that can be visited by women and men together, as it is intended specifically for tourists - locals would not set foot in it.

And so on Friday evening a group of 12 was transported by minibus to the hamam, where a Turkish boy in national costume greeted us in the entrance hall. First the administrator asked us to wait a few minutes and, having asked which language we understood best, handed us a written set of bathing rules - so many rooms, such and such procedures. It seems nobody really paid much attention to it. Everyone then removed their shoes and stepped into wooden clogs. On the second floor were small cabins where 2–3 people or a couple could leave their belongings and change. We were assigned cabin number 13.

Absolutely nothing had to be brought along - not a swimming costume, not a towel, not any toiletries - as everything was provided. The Turkish boy distributed to each person a red checked linen bathing outfit (which completely reminded one of something genuinely Latvian) - shorts and a bra top for women, a hip towel for men. Then, with the wooden clogs clattering on the wooden staircase and later on the stone floor, we headed inside the bath like an awkward group of ducklings.

The interior was all white marble - floors and a raised platform in the centre of the larger room, all heated. Initially we lay for about an hour on this large "table", gazing through the dome openings in the high ceiling at the night sky, warming our backs and sides and working up a proper sweat. If anyone could not take it, they could go to the water tap on the wall, scoop cool water with a metal bowl and pour it over themselves. Any excess water immediately drained away through a channel cut into the marble.

After about half an hour the bath attendants invited us for scrubbing and massage. Four attendants - men - were working in the hamam simultaneously, scrubbing and kneading the tourists. I should say immediately that women in Istanbul's service and retail sector we practically never saw - vendors, bath attendants, cooks, waiters, hotel receptionists - everywhere only men were working.

It all started with sitting down on the floor by the wall and the customary "What is your name? Where are you from?", after which two proper buckets of not particularly warm - rather cool - water came over the head. The attendant with a rough exfoliating mitt and quick, powerful movements scrubbed the arms, legs, back, and shoulders. A sort of peeling treatment. He asked whether I would mind shampoo and washed my hair. Another couple of buckets of water over the head, barely giving one time to catch one's breath. Then an invitation to lie down on the stone heated slab, where the so-called soap massage was performed. First, with a sort of inflated soap sack, the body was covered in thick white foam, then with powerful, fairly rough hand movements the back, legs, arms, neck, and forehead and shoulders after turning over were given a somewhat brisk massage. This was considerably different from the soap massage I had enjoyed at "Sokolovskije Bani" in Jūrmala. So - if anyone is accustomed to a relaxing massage, there was cause to grit one's teeth here. For me, being a woman, it was a little less so - but Ēriks really got a proper working over and did not look particularly happy about it.

After all these procedures we moved to a smaller room where one could rinse again and change out of wet clothes. The bath attendant boy was already waiting on the other side of the door, who wrapped each person in two more towels. So one towel went around the hips, a second was tied around the shoulders and wrapped snugly to keep one warm after the bath, and a third was tied around the head. In the entrance hall one could sit, drink tea or Turkish coffee of one's choosing, for an additional fee. We sampled Turkish tea (regular black tea) for 2 TL (approximately LVL 0.50). Those in the know chose apple tea, as it is said to be especially popular in Turkey.

After changing we could also rest a little in the lounge on patterned cushions, where the next tourist group from Germany was already waiting. As we were leaving, rose water for the face and sweets of various flavours were offered. So on the way back the minibus smelled of roses and the rustle of sweet wrappers could be heard.

Overall the pleasure cost 35 EUR per person. The conclusion - it was worth experiencing, simply to know what a hamam is. Although everything supposedly proceeded without the usual daily rush, there was already something of a conveyor-belt principle at work, as the attendant did not particularly strain himself with an "individual approach" - the massage was done very quickly, even leaving bruises on one's legs (though this is subjective - I bruise easily when pressed firmly). The best impression remained from lying there, warming up and looking at the perforated ceiling - a small moment of relaxation. Overall the feeling and the sleep after the bath were good, despite the airlessness and heat that reigned in the hotel room.

If anyone is planning to stop in Istanbul, a bath evening at the hamam can be booked here - www.suleymaniyehamami.com