When you leave your clothes in the private change room of the haman it is best to also leave there any pre-conceived ideas about Turkish bath houses. The hamam we visited was built between 1551 and 1557 by the great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan. It was built during the time of Suleymaniye the Magnificent, as part of the Suleymaniye Mosque. So, at over 450 years old it's ancient. It is also lavish. A great domed building, and inside the rooms are marble. The whole experience there is sublime.
We are shown to a private change room where we leave our clothes and wrap ourselves - sarong-style - in our provided checked, fringed pestamal (Turkish bath towel) and wearing our takunya, wooden platform 'slippers' we are shown to the first of the hamam's bathing rooms.
The hamam has three rooms; the warm room, the hot room (sicaklik) and the cool room (sogukluk). We are led first to the warm room which is designed to help bathers 'acclimatise' to the heat. Next it's in to the hot room - the magnificent marble room under the largest dome of the building. At the centre of this room is the massive marble slab called the 'tummy stone'. It is here lying on the tummy stone with the room temperature ranging between 40-60 degrees C that we begin to sweat, sweat, sweat. Around the vast room are ornate marble sinks with brass fittings and over the next 30-40 minutes we douse ourself with cool water and then return to the tummy stone for more baking. I am surprised at how gloriously relaxing this hot room is. The domed ceiling high above us has tiny glass windows, like stars, through which shards of sunlight stream. It is 11.00am and we are the only bathers in the hot room.
After our time on the marble stone two polite young telleks (masseurs) arrive, introduce themselves, and we move through an archway which displays a small brass plaque "Suleymaniye the Magnificent bathed in this room". The space has two large marble benches and two marble sinks. The telleks prepare the room by turning on the brass taps so that cool water is gently running. Also in the sinks they place two beaten silver bowls. The telleks then begin our 45 minute washing, scrubbing and massage treatment. It is luxurious, magnificent.......
First, the scrub - pumice on the feet, and a fine loofah all over! Then a foam treatment - a mountain of tiny foam bubbles covers us from neck to toe. The telleks apply these bubbles incredibly by running their hands down the length of a muslin cloth lifted from a large silver bowl of soapy water. Hard to believe that so much fine foam is created by this simple movement. We are left for 10 minutes to soak and dream under the foam blanket and then the wonderful head to toe massage begins.
Each segment of our treatment concludes with a thorough slushing and dousing with cool water from the ancient marble sink using the silver bowls.
The architecture of the room is fascinating. Apart from the impressive domes and half-light, the water from the constant dousing quickly drains from the sleek marble floor into and along tiny channels. The draining slope of the floor is so finely calculated that within seconds it has drained away and the floor is almost dry. Every marble surface is spotlessly clean.
The telleks, Amir and the other whose name I have forgotten, massage senor and I in seemingly synchronised moves so that on completion of each segment they both step up to one of the marble sinks and douse themselves, straight over their heads, with bowls of water. This is to keep themselves cool in the 40-60 degree air. The full body massage is heavenly and at its completion we slide off the marble benches to sit on the marble floor beside the sink. Amir washes my hair and then the final rinse. Unbelievable.
We are helped into our wooden takunyas and are led back, sodden, to the warm room to be dried. We are given a dry pestamal to wrap around ourselves and then we are draped and dried with more towels - one around our shoulders and one draped and tied around our heads, which make us look like we are about to appear as shepherds in a kindergarten nativity play! We are then led then into the cool room where we are invited to sit comfortable lounges and enjoy cool drinks or mint tea. We are encouraged to sit there, relaxing, for a long as we wish.
Finally, when we think we can bear to leave this luxurious experience behind us we return to the change room and dress. We pay our 35E each, our wrists are dabbed with rose oil, and we step back out into the glittering Istanbul sunshine.
After our ritual bathing we feel refreshed, definitely clean, and ready to take on the next of Istanbul's delights - the Grand Bazaar.
We are shown to a private change room where we leave our clothes and wrap ourselves - sarong-style - in our provided checked, fringed pestamal (Turkish bath towel) and wearing our takunya, wooden platform 'slippers' we are shown to the first of the hamam's bathing rooms.
The hamam has three rooms; the warm room, the hot room (sicaklik) and the cool room (sogukluk). We are led first to the warm room which is designed to help bathers 'acclimatise' to the heat. Next it's in to the hot room - the magnificent marble room under the largest dome of the building. At the centre of this room is the massive marble slab called the 'tummy stone'. It is here lying on the tummy stone with the room temperature ranging between 40-60 degrees C that we begin to sweat, sweat, sweat. Around the vast room are ornate marble sinks with brass fittings and over the next 30-40 minutes we douse ourself with cool water and then return to the tummy stone for more baking. I am surprised at how gloriously relaxing this hot room is. The domed ceiling high above us has tiny glass windows, like stars, through which shards of sunlight stream. It is 11.00am and we are the only bathers in the hot room.
After our time on the marble stone two polite young telleks (masseurs) arrive, introduce themselves, and we move through an archway which displays a small brass plaque "Suleymaniye the Magnificent bathed in this room". The space has two large marble benches and two marble sinks. The telleks prepare the room by turning on the brass taps so that cool water is gently running. Also in the sinks they place two beaten silver bowls. The telleks then begin our 45 minute washing, scrubbing and massage treatment. It is luxurious, magnificent.......
First, the scrub - pumice on the feet, and a fine loofah all over! Then a foam treatment - a mountain of tiny foam bubbles covers us from neck to toe. The telleks apply these bubbles incredibly by running their hands down the length of a muslin cloth lifted from a large silver bowl of soapy water. Hard to believe that so much fine foam is created by this simple movement. We are left for 10 minutes to soak and dream under the foam blanket and then the wonderful head to toe massage begins.
Each segment of our treatment concludes with a thorough slushing and dousing with cool water from the ancient marble sink using the silver bowls.
The architecture of the room is fascinating. Apart from the impressive domes and half-light, the water from the constant dousing quickly drains from the sleek marble floor into and along tiny channels. The draining slope of the floor is so finely calculated that within seconds it has drained away and the floor is almost dry. Every marble surface is spotlessly clean.
The telleks, Amir and the other whose name I have forgotten, massage senor and I in seemingly synchronised moves so that on completion of each segment they both step up to one of the marble sinks and douse themselves, straight over their heads, with bowls of water. This is to keep themselves cool in the 40-60 degree air. The full body massage is heavenly and at its completion we slide off the marble benches to sit on the marble floor beside the sink. Amir washes my hair and then the final rinse. Unbelievable.
We are helped into our wooden takunyas and are led back, sodden, to the warm room to be dried. We are given a dry pestamal to wrap around ourselves and then we are draped and dried with more towels - one around our shoulders and one draped and tied around our heads, which make us look like we are about to appear as shepherds in a kindergarten nativity play! We are then led then into the cool room where we are invited to sit comfortable lounges and enjoy cool drinks or mint tea. We are encouraged to sit there, relaxing, for a long as we wish.
Finally, when we think we can bear to leave this luxurious experience behind us we return to the change room and dress. We pay our 35E each, our wrists are dabbed with rose oil, and we step back out into the glittering Istanbul sunshine.
After our ritual bathing we feel refreshed, definitely clean, and ready to take on the next of Istanbul's delights - the Grand Bazaar.
completely heavenly.
ReplyDeletetoday i went for steam after my swim at tuggeranong pool... comparable experience perhaps?
xx