You can not come to Turkey and not immerse yourself in the old tradition of taking a Turkish Bath - also known as a hamam. When the Ottoman Empire conquered Turkey it was confronted with the traditions of the Roman and Byzantine cultures, which had their own style of bathing, as we know through their own history. The Ottomans meshed together these new methods as well as using their own traditions and the Turkish Bath came about. Water is an important element of the Islam faith. Washing was and still is an essential ritual in their religious practises. With this as a driving force and motivation the hamams popularity soared. All ranks of society would use the baths as a communal gathering spot to catch up with one another, share news and have a general catch up. The women embraced the Turkish Bath, as it was the only other place, apart from their own homes they could be fully unrestricted and free. The women had separate bathing times to the men.
Today most of the hamams you will visit are mixed sexes, you wear swimsuits and its usually the men who work within. The whole process is a real treat and you do walk away feeling very cleansed and relaxed. Its well worth the experience.
