How to Enjoy a Turkish Sauna?

Answer 1

If you want to experience a sauna, treat yourself to a hamman.A hamman is a Turkish steambath, much like the early Greek and Roman baths.The facade of a hamman is typically in marble, painted brightly with traditional designs.And once inside, it’s pillars, arcs and arches, and more marble all around.Hammans, which are considered a softer more smoothing version of the sauna, offer a low temperature, high humidity level.

Step 1:Put on your swimsuit and a pestemal (cotton wrap), and your terlik (a pair of slippers).Once inside the hamman, take a shower, and rub your body down with a brown concoction, which smells sweet, and evokes thoughts of honey.

Step 2:Go to the harara, which is a very humid heat room with wooden seats, heated to 40-50®Celsius.The room will steam up periodically in spurts, and it’s in here that you’ll break into a decent sweat.It’s for this room that you’re well-advised to bring in a water bottle.Then you can lie on a raised marble slab or platform, one meter above the floor, in a warm, humid room, called the goebektas.

Step 3:Wait until one of the hamman attendants calls you over to the massage table to do your body scrub.These ladies are often scantily clad and chatting away in Arabic, while they put some elbow into the task.The scrub, performed with a coarse mitt, helps rub off the dead layer of skin.This is almost as relaxing as a massage itself, and once you’re done, you’re asked to stand up so you can be gently rinsed with a small hose.And then it’s time to take a dip in the pretty colored quartz tile bathing alcove.You may wish to opt for a massage before or after your scrub, however this is treated as an extra.

Hammans have a religious feel to them and in large part because they are considered a sacred place for purification.You will leave feeling refreshed and reflective.

Answer 2

If you want to experience a sauna, treat yourself to a hamman. A hamman is a Turkish steambath, much like the early Greek and Roman baths. The facade of a hamman is typically in marble, painted brightly with traditional designs. Once inside, there are pillars, arcs and arches, and more marble all around. Hammans, which are considered a softer more smoothing version of the sauna, offer a low temperature and a high humidity level.

• Step 1: Put on your swimsuit, a pestemal (cotton wrap) and your terlik (a pair of slippers). Once inside the hamman, take a shower and rub your body down with a brown concoction, which smells sweet, and evokes thoughts of honey.
• Step 2: Go to the harara, which is a very humid heat room with wooden seats, heated to 40-50 degrees celsius. The room will steam up periodically in spurts, and it's in here that you'll break into a decent sweat. For this room, you're well-advised to bring in a water bottle. After this, you can lie on a raised marble slab or platform, one meter above the floor, in a warm, humid room, called the goebektas.
• Step 3: Wait until one of the hamman attendants calls you over to the massage table to do your body scrub. These ladies are often scantily clad and chatting away in Arabic, while they put some elbow into the task. The scrub, performed with a coarse mitt, helps rub off the dead layer of skin. This is almost as relaxing as a massage itself. Once you're done, you're asked to stand up so you can be gently rinsed with a small hose. And then it's time to take a dip in the pretty colored quartz tile bathing alcove. You may wish to opt for a massage before or after your scrub, however this is treated as an extra.

Hammans have a religious feel to them, in large part because they are considered a sacred place for purification. You will leave feeling refreshed and reflective.