The article “Turkish Sauna or Hamam” introduces Turkish sauna culture. How does a Turkish bath differ from a Finnish sauna? Do you have to go in naked? Do men and women take a sauna separately? What are the special features of hamam? How did it all start?
History of the Turkish bath
Turkey has always had a strong spa culture as it is closely connected to the Islamic tradition. Prophet Muhammad was hesitant about the sweat baths at first. He thought the old Arab way was better and healthier.
The old tradition was to only wash with cold water. However, Muhammad later changed his mind. He became convinced that sweat baths could actually increase fertility.
The word “hammam” means to heat up in Arabic. In Hebrew, Haman means to be warm.
The Turks conquered Constantinople in 1453. At that time there were 153 spas and 8 large terms there. The Islamic Turks had been acquainted with the Greek sweat sauna as well as the Roman spas for hundreds of years.
Gradually, two different types of Hamam emerged: Kaplica and Ilica. They were built near hot springs and had a hot water pool in the middle of the warmest room. The latter also had a “sweat podium” in the middle of the room.
Massages are also a big part of the Turkish bath. In the middle of Harare is an octagonal marble podium. The podium is said to be the “navel stone” on which the bather is washed. On it, the bather reveals his belly button to the washer, hence the name.
There are also smaller chambers where bathers can wash privately.
The Islamic hamam has its origins in Syrian terms, and the tradition started as early as the 300s and 600s.
The first hamams were built outside of the city, in the deserts.
Hamam belongs to the Islamic religion and is a requisite part of mosque visits. A Muslim cannot go to a mosque to pray unless he is washed and these religious wash rituals can be done in hamam.
The hamams were open to everyone regardless of social status. The spa fee was paid according to wealth and conscience.
Hamam had many services; you could get your hair cut, shave your beard and pubic hair, wash your hair and torso. The lower body hair removal was done in a private room. It could be done by someone else, or the washer could use a depilatory cream. This was very popular and was made of a mineral called rusma mixed with lime powder and water.
Hamam or the Turkish bath
The hamam, or the Turkish bath, does not have a stove. It is heated by a heating system running through the floors and walls. The hamam is heated through a pipe system with either wood or coal. In some countries, they were even heated with cow or camel manure or straw.
Usually, there is one cool room called Maslak, a warm room called tepidarium and a hot room called harara/harare. In addition to these, there may be a dressing room, washroom, small washbasins, hot tub or jacuzzi.
Hammams usually do not have windows, there are only vents on the walls and on the ceiling.
The idea is to move from a cooler room to a warm room and then to the hot room. Between the different rooms, you can visit the hot tub or a whirlpool.
Are people naked in the hamam?
There are dressing rooms where you undress and leave your clothes before you enter the baths and saunas. You change to a swimsuit or wrap a towel around you.
In the past, it was customary to take a bath naked. Women and men had their own separate rooms. According to some old texts, sometimes (especially) the women could get a bit wild in the baths.
Washing in the hamam
Hamams have separate washers for men and women. In other words, men wash men and women wash women. Washing is probably the most important part of hamam experience. Soap and foam are used extensively. It is possible for you to wash yourself if you so wish.
Massage in the hamam
It is also possible to have a massage in the hamams. This takes place before the washing and/or at the end of the sauna visit.
After sauna
You may be able to have a massage. The massage can be just a normal massage or mixed with beautician’s services. You might get a face mask or an exfoliation as a part of your massage.
The difference between a Turkish bath and a Finnish sauna is that even though it is hot, it is not necessarily as hot as a Finnish sauna. There is no stove in the saunas and therefore you
cannot throw water onto the sauna stove to create steam. The humidity percentage is higher because the baths use a lot of water. Turkish baths are built of marble, tiles, and mortar.
My own experiences
I was on vacation in the summer of 2011 in Alanya, Turkey and one day trip destination was a Hamam. I wanted to experience the Turkish bath. I can say that the experience was one of the best. I highly recommend it.
Our hotel arranged a trip to a nearby hamam. We weren’t really instructed in any way about what we should take with us to the sauna. We grabbed towels, bikinis and a change of clothes. I didn’t take my wallet with me because we had already paid the hotel for the hammam. That was a mistake.
It’s been so long since this trip, so I don’t necessarily remember the order in which things happened.
We changed into bikinis in the dressing room, took the towels with us and went to listen to the instructions. If I remember correctly, we showered first.
The first room we went into was a Finnish type of sauna which was really hot. I remember being able to choose which sauna to go to first. Afterwards, we took a shower and went to a whirlpool.
After the jacuzzi, we went to a eucalyptus steam bath. The temperature was around 40-50 Celsius.
After that, we went to the “cold sauna”. It probably did not make any sense to go to the saunas in that order. We showered again and then waited for our treatment.
The first treatment meant going to the “navel stone” where the dead skin cells were washed away. The washer was a woman and she washed me with a sponge orcloth.
After another shower, I went to wait for the foam wash. If I remember correctly, the foam wash was done by a man. He also did something to my neck and back. I felt super relaxed after that.
The face mask incident
After all this, it was time for the massage. It was really nice, and, in the end, she put a lovely clay mask on my face. I don’t remember at what point we washed it away. Maybe before we got on the bus.
There is a funny story about the face mask. We had become acquainted with a Finnish woman, and she came to us after her massage with a clay mask on her face. She asked us: “Since when do we have face masks on?”. We almost died of laughter; it was just so funny. I still remember it like it was yesterday.
The most embarrassing thing about this Hamam experience was that we did not bring any cash. We should have tipped the employees. I felt so bad leaving without paying them properly. Especially as I know now that they get the bulk of their income from tips.
Based on this personal experience, I can only recommend a Turkish bath or hamam.
Hopefully this “Turkish sauna or Hamam” article was helpful to you when you are looking for information about the Turkish sauna culture. Or maybe you are planning a trip to Turkey and want to visit a real hamam?
Are you interested in other sauna cultures? The blog also provides comprehensive information on other sauna cultures. Why not start with Russian sauna culture?
Read more: Russian sauna culture
Regards Sauna-Kati
Source: Martti Vuorenjuuri: Sauna kautta aikojen (Sauna through the ages) book.
