On my list of “must-do” things while in Turkey was making a visit to a hamam.  The hamam is a public bathhouse and is a tradition in Turkey.  Before they had modern bathrooms in their own homes, Turks would come here to get clean.  And with socially restricted lives, the domain of the hamam was one of the few place where 19th-century Turkish women could let loose.  Hamams are still popular among locals and foreigners.  Jen and I went late one evening not sure of what to expect…

Jen opted for the basic “self-service” option, while I splurged and paid for the chance to have someone else scrub me down.  We entered the changing area and an attendant handed us each a pair of very large, black grandma panties, which immediately set us into giggles.  We then wrapped our almost-naked selves in towels and then entered the steam room.   We laid on the huge marble slab in the centre of the room uncertain of what to do next.  There were a number of small washing rooms off the main room, and after steaming for awhile, Jen tried to enter one of the rooms to wash but a very large naked Turkish woman yelled something indecipherable at her so Jen went elsewhere.  My friend was very confused and a bit frightened, I think.  An old woman with breasts sagging down to her hips came over to scrub me down…thankfully she put her bikini top back on before she started.  She proceeded to scrub me from head to toe with what I suspect was detergent…there was a bit of massage thrown in the there and then she washed my hair for me.  It was a pretty interesting experience and like most things, I just went with it.  After you’re finished steaming and washing, there’s a lounge area where you can hang out and drink tea.  I loved the experience and pure laziness of having someone else scrub me, but it’s not something I would pay for on the regular.  But it’s like Turkish delight…you can’t come all the way to Turkey and not try the Turkish bath.  And there’s no cameras allowed in the hamam, so unfortunately this is the only shot we snuck in the dressing room: