Turkish Bath.
A Turkish Bath. Is it just for the tourists? Well actually NO. The Turkish Bath ( Hamam ) is for everyone. The Turkish Bath dates back hundreds of years & served many purposes. Not only was it a place to have a bath but it was , and still is , a meeting place & social occasion for all Turks.
The introduction of the Turkish Bath lifted the souls of the people that visited one, simply because the bath was a place where all classes of people would sit & discuss an assortment of issues, from family morals to politics. The introduction of the bath also freed women from the suppression they endured by only being allowed to socialise in their own home. The bath allowed the women folk to mingle with others they would not normally meet & therefore new friendships were made.
The bath was very much of a social event for women & instead of the bath taking the usual 2 hours or so it became a day out event, with wedding baths, baby birth celebrating baths etc.
The Turkish bath also saw rich folk bringing their own musicians & slaves to the bath so they were cared for as if it home. Most rich people would have their own Turkish Bath area in their own home.
So as you
can see, there is more to a Turkish Bath than you may have thought. Granted
today many of these baths do cater for the tourist, but many Turks still visit a
Turkish Bath daily, mainly to keep clean, rather than just to socialise , which
is very important before they go to pray in the Mosque.
Most tourists will go for a Turkish Bath sometime whilst they are on holiday. Most will not experience a 2 hour or so bath though. Most large hotels have their own Turkish Bath, but from my experience these tend to be more tame than the public Hamams.
The best time to have a Turkish Bath would be at the beginning of your holiday. Why? Because the bath will clean out your pores, dead skin will be scrubbed away & you will be totally cleansed & ready. Ready for what? I hear you say! Ready to go & get that tan. The tan will last longer because of all the dirt , & I don't mean to be nasty here, but no matter how well you shower, bath or wash yourself, you will be surprised how much dirt still comes out of your pores. After the bath that will now be gone leaving good clean skin to grab & hold the tan helping it to last longer.
If you have not had a Turkish bath before then I would suggest you try one in your hotel first, ( if they have the service of course ), due to the fact I mentioned earlier, if there isn't one available then I would suggest asking people you meet ,like other tourists, if they have had a Turkish Bath, where they went & what it was like.
With a 'Proper' Turkish Bath you will be scrubbed vigorously, pulled all ways as if you were made of rubber & pounded by great big hands, that's just the bathing. Then comes the most soothing part of the 'Oil Massage' where you are lathered in what seems to be enough oil to form a natural disaster. Just lay there & enjoy. You will be left for a while laying on the bed letting the oil sink in, then wrapped in a robe & led off to another room where you can sit & enjoy the most refreshing glass of Apple Tea you will have on your holiday. If you don't have Apple Tea then make sure you take in some sort of liquid because you will have lost a lot of fluid during the bathing session.
Whilst you are visiting the local markets or bazaars then why not pick
yourself up one of the Turkish Bath sets so you can enjoy the experience
yourself when you get back home.
So to sum up, may I first say I hope I haven't put you off the idea of having a Turkish Bath whilst you are on holiday, it really is an experience I am sure you will enjoy & probably never forget & remember your tan will last longer. Secondly, I always think to myself, 'when in Turkey do as the Turks do', remember what I said earlier? this is a social function & a great place to meet others, especially those just as nervous as you are taking the Turkish Bath for the first time. Thirdly, & most importantly, PLEASE remember to take in plenty of fluids afterwards as you will be dehydrated which isn't a good thing at the best of times & even worse on a hot summers day in Turkey.
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