Embrace Your Dreams Turkey Video

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• published: 19 Jan 2013
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Traditional Turkish Baths Turkish Baths Turkish baths are one of the most important elements of Turkish culture. There is an incredible environment, architecture, service and everything of absolutely necessary to see. When you come to Turkey, please do not forget to go to a hammam. Turkish baths that was built with the purpose of the water use for health is not only a cleaning place for Turks. Today, hammams are still health and entertainment centers where people having social activities in Turkey. When you travel to Turkey, you should experience a Turkish bath. Every Turkish town still has at least one hamam, and cities have many. Most are simple, functional, and inexpensive, but the historic hamams, especially those built by the sultans to serve their imperial mosques, are beautiful works of Ottoman architecture made of fine marble with rich decoration. Best Hammams in Istanbul A selection of recommended and historical Turkish hammams in Istanbul: Cemberlitas Hammam, Istanbul Suleymaniye Hammam, Istanbul Cagaloglu Hammam, Istanbul Galatasaray Hammam, Istanbul Buyuk Hammam, Istanbul Cinili Hammam, Istanbul Aga Hammam, Istanbul Gedikpasa Hammam, Istanbul Ayasofya Hurrem Sultan Hammam, Istanbul Kilic Ali Pasa Hammam, Istanbul Cardakli Hammam, Istanbul Sofular Hammam, Istanbul Eski Hammam, Istanbul Experience Turkish Hammams Turkish hammams are considered to be one of the classical bathing traditions that still remain popular. Hammam is a product of a Turkish culture that expanded beyond the borders of religion, hygiene or health treatment. Hammams have been significant for Turkish culture for centuries as they held many social occasions. For instance previously, women would go to the hammams to check the single girls out and then tell their sons. Similarly, single girls would go to hammams with their mothers and hang out with their potential mother in laws. All the women would bring traditional cuisine there to enjoy and that would serve as a test for the brides-to-be. After the marriage was decided then it was time for the bride hammam. The bride's friends and relatives would come together with musicians and food, dance and eat in the hammam. The bride would be washed three times in the middle to purify before the wedding ceremony. It was also common to take newborn babies to the hammam after 40 days to be washed in the middle. Also, many people would go to the hammam when a wish was fulfilled, or when a promise was kept. Turkish Hammam and its Rituals Going to Turkish bath has its own rituals; knowing what to do saves energy and makes the experience more worthwhile. Feel free to take your own shampoo, soap, towel, etc. to the hammam. If you do not have those, they will be given to you. When you get to the hammam, you decide if you want to get a traditional Turkish bath in which someone washes you a bit harshly, kind of like a massage with a lot of foam, a self wash or some kind of modern massage that are becoming popular in fancy hammams. You will get your a small pouch type of cloth to wash (kese), a traditional cotton body wrap (pestemal) and soap if you like. Then you go to the dressing room area where you take off your clothes and wrap your body with the pestemal. Now you are ready to get into the hot area which has a heated marble platform in the middle. This area is called heat (sicaklik) and has many bathing basins (kurna) and private bathing cubicles (halve). The first thing to do is to let your body perspire. Lay down on the hot marble and start watching light coming in from the holes of the hammam's dome. When you get too hot, you could go to one of the basins and pour some water on yourself. If you chose to be washed by a attendant (tellak), she/he comes and tells you to lay down. He/she will give you an exfoliating scrub which at the end surprises many people by the amount of dead skin and dirt coming out of the body. It is truly purifying. After the bath another attendant will wash you by the one of the basins, including hair wash if you like. After the washing session, you may wish to stay and relax while enjoying a cold drink as many people do. And leave whenever you want, there is no time limit in hammams. In some hammams there is a cold (sogukluk) section at the end where they give you the dry pestemal and you cool off. After you leave the bathing section you could still spend time in the dressing area where some people chat and have drinks. After 2-3 hours you are as good as new, clean and relaxed.