General

Here is the short version, before the detail. Ten to twenty percent of the service price is the convention. Cash, in Turkish…

At the main historic hammams, expect around 57 to 110 euros for a visit. The floor is a self service entry at…

You wear a peştemal, the thin checked cotton wrap every hammam hands you at the door, and under it most guests keep…

A hammam does three physical things to you in sequence. It raises your core temperature in humid air at around 38 to…

The short answer is that the historic baths need booking and the neighbourhood ones do not. At least two of the main…

The single rule that matters most is that you stay covered from the waist down for the whole visit. Everything else follows…

At the main historic hammams in Istanbul, a men’s traditional package covering the hot room, the kese scrub and the foam wash…

The short version, before the detail. You keep your bottom half covered. Underwear or a bikini bottom, under the pestemal. Full nudity…

The choice comes down to one question, do you want the ritual as the Ottomans knew it, under a dome that has…

Istanbul’s hammams fall into two camps, the historic Ottoman baths and the modern spa hammams, and they suit different visitors. A historic…