Historic Hamams (Turkish Baths)

The number of hamams in Istanbul mushroomed in the 18th century when the realization hit that they were big business. Mahmut I had the Cagaloglu Hamami built to finance the construction of his library near the Ayasofya, but later that century new constructions were limited because the hamams were using up the city's resources of water and wood. Only about 20 hamams have survived, the most visited of which are the palatial Çemberlitas Hamami, Vezirhan Cad. 8 (off Divanyolu at the Column of Constantine; tel. 0212/522-7974; 33YTL ($25) bath, massage, and kese [a scrubbing using an abrasive mitt], including tip; 18YTL ($13) bath only; daily 6am-midnight with separate sections; MasterCard and Visa accepted), which was based on a design by Sinan, and the 18th-century Cagaloglu Hamami, Yerebatan Caddesi at Ankara Caddesi (tel. 0212/522-2424; $24 bath and kese and 49YTL ($36) if you add the "special massage"; daily 7am-10pm for men, 8am-8pm for women), which allegedly saw the bare bottoms of Franz Liszt, Edward VIII, Kaiser Wilhelm, and Florence Nightingale, and even had a part as an extra in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

The Tarihi Galatasaray Hamami, Sütterazi Sok. 24, Beyoglu (from Istiklal Caddesi in front of the Galatasaray High School, it's the second street to the left of the gate; tel. 0212/249-4342; 34YTL ($25) combined massage and kese; daily 5am-midnight for men, 8am-8pm for women), was built by Beyazit II as part of the Galata Sarayi school complex. The men's section is generally accepted as gay.

Probably the most spectacular hamam in Istanbul is the Haseki Sultan Hamami, in Sultanahmet Parki. Built by Sinan in 1557 on a symmetrical plan that provided two separate sections of identical domed halls, the hamam was decommissioned in later years when it was found that the elongated layout resulted in too much heat loss. The Haseki Sultan Hamami is now a beautifully restored exhibition center for Dösim and is used for textile and carpet displays.

Steam Heat: Taking the Hamam

In characteristic socially conscious fashion, the Selçuks were the ones to adopt the Roman and Byzantine tradition of public bathing and treat it like a public work. Lacking baths or running water at home, society embraced the hamam, which evolved into not only a place to cleanse body and soul, but a social destination as well. Even the accouterments of the hamam took on symbols of status: wooden clogs inlaid with mother of pearl, towels embroidered with gold thread, and so on. Men gathered to talk about politics, sports, and women, while the ladies kept an eagle eye out for suitable wives for their sons.

Hamams were generally designed with separate sections for men and women, and anyone caught trespassing on the wrong side would be sentenced to death. Today it's not uncommon to find a co-ed hamam, except that insensitive (and flaccid) members of the opposite sex can detract from the experience, although most do cover up. Better to stick to a hamam that provides alternating times for the two sexes.

The utility of the hamam has evolved and fallen out of daily use, probably because the neighborhood ones have a reputation for being dirty, and the historic ones come with a hefty admission charge. But when experienced sparingly and in the right spirit, a visit to a hamam can be a cleansing one -- for both mind and body.

The main entrance of a Turkish bath opens up to a camekan, a central courtyard lined with changing cubicles surrounding an ornamental marble fountain. Visitors are presented with the traditional pestamal, a checkered cloth worn like a sarong (up higher for women). Valuables are secured in a private locker, provided for each customer, although it's a good idea to leave the best of it at home.

The experience begins past the cooling section (and often the toilets), into the steam room, or hararet. For centuries architects worked to perfect the design of the hararet: a domed, octagonal (or square) room, often with marvelous oculi to provide entry for sunlight, and with intricate basins at various intervals and a heated marble platform, known as the naval stone, in the center. Often the hamam is covered with elaborately crafted and ornately designed tiles.

Hamam protocol goes like this: As you lie on the platform, a half-naked attendant (woman attendants wear panties, men wear pestamals; your attendant may be male or female) will soap you up and give you a scrubbing using an abrasive mitt (kese) aimed at removing the outer layer of dead skin and other organic detritus. Many first-time visitors have questions about how much clothing to take off; in segregated hamams it's customary and acceptable to strip, although I personally would opt for a bathing suit when confronted with a male masseur.

In hotel hamams, you're guaranteed a new mitt; not so in local ones, although the Çemberlitas Hamami now offers a pretty package containing a mitt and olive-oil soap for an additional 6.75YTL ($5). The massage is next -- although techniques vary in intensity, you may want to instruct your masseur or masseuse to go easy to avoid having your kneecaps pummeled into a slab of marble. Finally you'll be instructed to move over to one of the low marble basins, where your attendant will wash your hair, using a lovely engraved copper tas (bowl) for rinsing. If you've been nice (and tipped in advance, if allowed), you may even get a relaxing facial massage. You'll receive a definitive tap on the shoulder followed by "You like?" -- an indication that your session is over. At this point you are most likely dehydrated and sleepy, which is when the purpose of that cold room with the lounge chairs becomes evident. Refreshments are available and the price list is usually displayed nearby. You can go back into the hararet as often as you like, but an hour total in the hamam is usually more than enough.

The experience can be delightful and highly utilitarian during those hot summer days when a power outage has cut the water pumps off. Sign up for "the works" at least once and you'll forever reminisce about how you spent an hour in a room with a bunch of naked ladies (or men -- or both).