Hammams—the public baths that have been an integral part of Istanbul life for centuries—can be found everywhere from the city’s quiet historic neighborhoods to inside the best hotels in Turkey, and even further afield at some of the best spas in the world.
But these bathhouses have never been about hygiene alone. They’re also community spaces. People from all walks of life gather at hammams to wash, making them a great equalizer; whether you are rich or poor, it is a place where everyone can experience a moment of luxury and a moment of peace together—they’re even sites of communal rituals and traditions like bridal preparation, representing centuries of communal rituals and traditions like bridal preparation. (You might even see the families of the groom and the bride bringing their best cooked dishes to the cold room of the hammam prior to the wedding.) Visitors to the hammam engage in activities like singing, reciting poetry, and conversing.
While historians cannot pin down exactly when people began bathing indoors, it is known that the Ottoman Empire fell heir to the Roman Bath tradition, and the first “Turkish bath” was built in Istanbul in the 15th Century. Hammams are, of course, a widespread practice across the Islamic world, present as well in the Middle East and Northern Africa.
The ritual itself
The hammam features several traditional rooms: the vestiary (cold room) which is approximately 75 degrees Fahrenheit, the warm room (around 85 degrees Fahrenheit), and the hot room (around 95 degrees Fahrenheit). The cold room serves as a welcoming space, preparing visitors for the serene ambiance of the hammam, complete with its impressive dome and spacious layout. This room also allows bathers to relax, enjoy refreshments, and [historically] partake in tobacco, a practice known as “hammam pleasure.” This is also where sherbet, a sweet, Ottoman-era fruit juice, is offered to hydrate guests.
The ritual begins with warm marble therapy, traditionally known as göbektaşı, where the guests are welcomed to relax under the majestic dome. This custom prepares and softens the skin and helps calm the mind. The hammam therapists (natır for women and tellak for men) care for each guest individually, gently scrubbing the skin with a single-use exfoliating glove, called a kese.
Know before you go
You will be provided with a peshtemal and slippers. It is worth noting that, per the tradition, visitors remove all clothes and underwear and cover with a peshtemal, or thin towel. If you do not feel comfortable, you can instead opt for disposable underwear. The spaces for men and women remain separate. Lastly, in keeping with Turkish tradition, be sure to leave a tip for your tellak or natır.
Where to learn about the history of hammam
The Zeyrek Çinili Hamam, a site where you can experience the hammam and also learn the ritual’s history at the onsite museum, was built in the 1530s in the Zeyrek district during the height of the Ottoman Empire. This particular hammam is a significant structure celebrating the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent by Ottoman architect Sinan from the commission of navy admiral Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha; two iconic figures from the Ottoman era.
The hammam today is still recovering this history—before opening, the team embarked on a 13-year journey of archaeological research. The name “Çinili Hamam,” which means “Tiled Bathhouse,” was initially a mystery because there were only a few tiles on the walls. As the team dug beneath the building, though, they started to uncover tile fragments hidden under rubble and inside the walls that matched some of those in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and Musée de Louvre in Paris.
