An Istanbul Dream… in the Bath

Ancient Greek considered the bath houses as health centers. The life of Rome and Byzantine with baths was inalienable. For Romans, it was more than washing. Meeting people and discussing politics were part of the culture. Turkic from Central Asia, however, stressed the “Manchu” steam baths.

The combination of tradition became Hamam, when it assimilated in Anatolia. The Byzantine bath was built as part of the külliye, which was a large religious charity complex, including mosque, hospital and clerics’ lodgings. The material and decoration of the “bath bowls”symbolized your class and taste.

We picked the bath of Cağaloğlu Hamam, which was constructed in 1741. It cost 50 USD each for the “Istanbul Dream” service. Masseur brought us to a private room, so we could change our clothes and store our personal belongings. Bathhouses were gender-based. Nude was no longer an issue.

At the beginning, we enjoyed a steam bath for 20 minutes. Similar to a sauna, yet the marble was conducive to soften our skin. What’s next? The masseurs brought us to the central bathroom. Just simply laid back. They would start to do the massage and clean our body. From head to toe.

The masseurs were truly magicians. They turned the soap into bubbles, as if covering our body with clouds. Splash yourself with cold water in the basin afterwards. Our dream lasted for half an hour. At last, all customers would be served with some Turkish delight and a cup of black tea in the lobby.

Such a perfect day, for daydreaming…