By Navitas Spa & SportsPublished: 25 August 20262 min read
At a glance
A Turkish hammam is a heated marble bathhouse and the cleansing ritual performed in it: you warm up on a heated marble platform, are washed with warm water, exfoliated over the whole body with a rough mitt called a kese, massaged under a cloud of soap foam and rinsed. A full ritual takes about 45 minutes and leaves the skin visibly renewed.
The place
A hammam is a bath built for heat and water rather than for soaking: marble on every surface, a domed or lit ceiling, basins along the walls and a raised heated platform — the göbek taşı — in the middle. The room is warm and humid, around 40 °C, so you can stay in it comfortably for the whole ritual. In the Ottoman city it was a public institution, a place of hygiene, celebration and gossip; in a modern spa it is a private ritual by appointment.
The ritual
- 01Change into a peştemal, the cotton wrap, with swimwear underneath if you prefer.
- 02Lie on the heated marble for ten minutes while your attendant pours warm water over you; the skin softens and opens.
- 03The kese: a rough mitt worked over the whole body in firm strokes. Dead skin comes off in small grey rolls — a strangely satisfying sight.
- 04The köpük: a cloth filled with soap and air is squeezed into a cloud of foam that covers you, then worked in with long strokes.
- 05A rinse with warm water, a fresh wrap, and a rest with tea.
What it does
Physically, the hammam exfoliates more thoroughly than anything you can do at home, boosts circulation, relaxes the muscles through heat and leaves the skin soft for days. Mentally, it is forty-five minutes in which nothing is required of you. Most guests sleep very well that night.
Trying it near Istanbul Airport
Navitas Spa inside Hilton Istanbul Airport has a purpose-built marble hammam a short walk from the terminal. The full Scrub & Foam Ritual is 45 minutes; a 20-minute scrub or a 25-minute foam massage suits you well if you are between flights. Ask us on WhatsApp for the current price.
Frequently asked questions
Is a hammam the same as a sauna?
No. A sauna is dry heat you sit in; a hammam is a warm, humid room where an attendant washes, scrubs and massages you.
Will I be naked?
No — you wear a peştemal throughout, with swimwear underneath if you like.