Yesterday I had a very interesting experience (I know, only one?) that I want to offer my perspective on: Turkish bath! Locally known as Hamam, some of the baths currently operating have been in place for hundreds of years. They used to be an actual hygienic need as well as place to socialize. Nowadays, they are a pretty awesome novelty/experience, albeit quite peculiar. First off: unexpected nakedness. Id heard from other travelers that you wear a bathing suit in bath houses, but that must be an Istanbul-specific Westernization, because in this Hamam the lady in charge literally pulled our robes off once we were in the bath. Men and women are in different bath rooms, no exceptions. Next surprise was the conspicuous lack of steam. A Hamam is nothing like a sauna - you sit in a big heated room, so naturally there is a little bit of steam, but the main idea is that you pour water over your body from a special little fountain you sit next to. Optionally, you can have the robe-taking woman give you a peel (more like a body scrub really) and a soap massage. This particular lady knew zero words in English, so her way of telling you to turn around is a small slap in the butt :P Based on my experience working in a high-end spa in the US, I think what would really get to some people is the difference in hygiene standards. Over here, you lay down in a stone table that gets cleaned by throwing water at it - American spas typically disinfect surfaces and/or change sheets after each client. Also, the same glove was used to scrub every client. Personally I could care less, but it made me laugh to imagine someone trying to do that in the spa I work at. Instafired. In short, I had an awesome time. If youre looking for a relaxing experience, I dont think this is it, but its really cool and something you could NOT find at home. Approved. #traveling #Turkey
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 07:40:44 +0000