HAMMAM
Hammam [hamam] known also as ‘Turkish bath’ is the
History of Hammam
Besides bathing, hammams always represented places to socialize and of religious cleansing. Hammam was an important part of Islam culture and their life. Even the wealthy citizens, possessing their own private hammams, visited the public ones in order to show the people their cleanliness. Hammam has also become important part of life for Moslem women, for whom it represented the only opportunity to socialize outside their homes. The
Bathing stages in hammam
Hammam usually includes separated parts for men and women. The process of bathing consists of several phases, leading the bather to the heavenly experience. These phases can be best described by the words of Mikkel Aaland. After his experience of Cagaloglu Hammam in Istanbu he wrote: “We entered the first stage of the five-step progression through the hammam. First is the seasoning of the body with heat; second is the vigorous massage; third is the peeling off of the outer layer of skin, and removal of body hairs; fourth, the soaping, and fifth, relaxation.”
An attendant, staff working in hammam called tellak leads you to the dressing room, where you get the cotton wrap – pestemal to cover your body, kese – a rough glove for the massage, and you slip into the special wooden clogs called nalin, that will prevent you from slipping on the wet floor, your bowl and natural black soap if you wish. First, you enter the hot steam room (harara) with the large, heated marble stone platform at the centre, on which bathers are laying. In the corners of the room there are niches with the fountains for pouring the water over your body. This is the hottest room of the hammam (45 ºC), where your body will start to perspire, and the pores start to open. Then, if you wish you can experience a vigorous Turkish massage. After the short relaxation, a tellak will pour the water over you, and then rub your back with the coarse (usually horse or camel hair) glove, removing the layers of dead skin. After the scrubbing, your entire body will be soaped and rinsed with the water poured all over you from the basin.
The bathing in hammam ends up in the resting room (soğukluk) where you will relax in the comfortable couches or sofas, let your skin pores to close and refresh yourself with the offered tea, coffee, or a soft drink.
Where to visit a genuine hammam?
If you wish to visit a genuine hammam, we recommend you the “Cağaloğlu Hamami” in
In
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