Turkish Bath at Suleymaniye Hamam
Rating: ****1/2
Add: Mimar Sinan Cad. No:20
Süleymaniye/ İSTANBUL - TURKEY
Tel: +90 (212) 519 55 69, +90 (212) 519 55 69
Price:
€30 FIRST AREA (Sultanahmet, Sirkeci, Beyazýt and Laleli)
€35 SECOND AREA (Taksim Square, Pera and its surroundings)

Price includes the following:
1. Washing
2. Peeling (Scrubbing)
3. Soap Massage
4. Towel (Petamal)
5. Slippers (Takunya)
6. Two-way Shuttle Service
7. Free Life Insurance during bathing and shuttle service

This entry is meant to serve as a guide if anyone is keen for a Turkish Bath during their stay in Istanbul.

I visited the place on 16 Sept 2006 (Saturday). We arrived at Istanbul at 6.00am and would be joining a cruise which departs at 5.00 pm. After a 12-hour flight, we needed a shower desperately.

They always say you haven't been to Turkey if you didn't try the Turkish Bath. So try the bath, we must.

Not just for the experience but simply because we needed a bath urgently. We have been recommended highly by our hotel manager (we have made a reservation for 1 night after we are back from the cruise. The manager had kindly agreed to let us deposit our luggages at the hotel for the day) in Istanbul that this Suleymaniye Hamam is among the cleanest and most decent Turkish Bath around.

NOTE: Ladies... It is highly recommended that you wear bikini during the bath session. Of course that would be unnecessary if you feel completely comfortable being stark naked in front of your fellow friends.

Of course in order to give a fair and impartial opinion, I have tried 2 of the most famous Hamam in Turkey, namely Suleymaniya Hamam and Cagaloglu Hamami. Later I would be doing a comparison between the two.

Before that, perhaps a little background about Turkish Bath.

Turkish Bath generally consists of three sections. These are as follows in sequence from the entry:

1- Cold section: This is a place where you can change your clothes with your bath towel and also you can drink something, if you wish.

2- Lukewarm section: This section is a place where you can adapt your body to temperature while passing to the hot section in a balanced manner.

3- Hot section: The temperature of this section is approximately 40-60 deg C(72-108 F) . If you have any problem with your health, please do not venture yourself. Please inform us about your health conditions. This section is the place where the guests sleep and relax and also where rubbing the body with bath glove, massage and bath takes place.

Our guests sweep and relax in hot section (on central massage platform) for a period varying from 30 minutes to 55 minutes according to their health condition. After your relaxing, the Hamam attendant (masseur) will come and rub your body with bath-glove first and than make massage with soap and bath you in a seperate place (halvet section).

After rubbing, massage and bath is completed, you can change your wet bath towel with the dry one in changing room or you may obtain assistance from the personnel on duty.

After that, your bath process in Turkish Bath is completed. If you wish, you may continue to relax in lukewarm or cold section again.



Allow me to walk through the step-by-step ritual of the Turkish Bath.

1. The reception area of the Suleymaniye Hamam

2. This van is the one that picks us and sends us back to our hotel at Suleymaniye area

3. We were served hot tea at the sitting area (indicated on
picture 4) before our bath

5. That's us posing in front of the rather
disappointing entrance. The interior proved to be totally
different. Cozy and homey





6. We are to change our clothes in one of these cubicles which lined the perimeter of the square lobby area. We will take out every strand of clothing and wrap ourselves with bath-towels provided. One to wrap the lower body, one for the upper body. This is when a pair of bikini would be really useful.

7. Next we put on the clogs provided for using on wet grounds. Be careful as the clogs can be really slippery. The picture shows the soap, the scrub, the steel plate for splashing water, the clogs and our checkered red & white towels

8. We will then enter this heated area with high ceilings illuminated by skylights from the domed roof (Picture 9). The whole place is heated by hot water circulating under the marble floor. It is like a mega sauna room without the charcoal. We would sit at the elevated marble platform right at the centre while waiting for our Hamam attendants (masseurs) to arrive and at the same time, warming up our body temperature. They are going to be males!! How vulnerable we were... :p We can sleep and relax in this hot section for a period varying from 30 minutes to 55 minutes depending on individual's health condition

10. The masseurs (whom later turned out to be young and quite good looking) would first wash us in this cubicle (halvet section) which is found around the circumference of the heated area. The cubicles are not totally enclosed. You can still see the people at the platform and in the other cubicles.

11. There are 2 taps dispensing very hot and very cold water. The masseurs will use the steel plate to splash water on us. Sometimes they will alternate warm water with cold water. Its BBBRRRrrrrrrrrrrr cold!!!


12. The masseurs will rub our body with bath-glove (scrub) first and then massage with soap. They will make rich lather by blowing into this cotton bag and squeezing out the bubbles my running through their thumb and index finger (in a letter "O") along the length of the cotton bag. When we were lying face down, we took out our top towel and used it as a pillow. The bottom towels stayed where they are. Then when we turned around (face up), you would then have to quickly grab the towel we used as pillow to cover your front (you know where). We wouldn't be this nervous if we had our bikinis on!

13. After we are squeaky clean, we will proceed from the hot section back to this luke warm section. Here you can order some hot drinks but it's not free :)

14. This picture shows the view from where we were seated. The door on the left leads to the ladies, while the door on the right leads to the hot section (the bathing section).

15. Here we are back at the reception area (the cold section). Now we have a head towel apart from our top and bottom towel.

16. Staring at the "Evil Eye". Good luck charm for Turkish people.

Now that you have a rough idea what a Turkish bath is all about, I will now do a comparison (in no particular order) between Suleymaniye Hamam and Cagaloglu Hamam.

Suleymaniye VS Cagaloglu
1. Unisex VS Separate male and female masseurs
2. Male masseurs (young and good looking) VS Old male masseurs for males, very fat and noisy female masseurs for females (during the bath, they laughed alot! We were suspecting they could be laughing about our tiny 'assets')
3. Changing rooms are very private VS Doors of changing rooms have glass windows that are only partially covered with curtains
4. Bathing is done in cubicles VS Masseurs doesn't move from centre platform. They just do the soaping and massaging. All the washing is DIY
5. Scrubs and sponges are clean VS Scrubs and sponges look like mops!
6. Less commercialized VS Very commercialized. They have been mentioned in NY's bestseller
"1000 places to visit before you die", Marie Claire and Herald Tribune. Famous celebrities like Cameron Diaz and Florence Nightingale have bathed here before
7. More private and personal experience VS We felt like naked cattle waiting to be washed
8. Tipping is very discreet. Tip boxes with photographs of masseurs are located at the reception area VS Masseurs just wait around outside the changing rooms.
9. Build in 1557 (almost 500 years of history) VS Built in 1741 (only 300 years)
10. Dressing area is equipped with perfume, cotton buds, hair gel and even cosmetics VS Only hairdryer is provided
11. Free tea prior to bath VS No nothing

Source: http://www.suleymaniyehamami.com
http://www.cagalogluhamami.com.tr

...the one who definitely knows which Hamam to choose the next time I step into Istanbul