no soaking in a tub. It’s all about scrubbing and dumping bowls of hot on oneself and then getting a thorough scrubbing from one of the two attendants. You’d be surprised how much dead skin they can get off.
Entrance to the Hamam
We went to the B. Pasa Hamam, just down from the castle. Historians have reckoned that it was constructed in 1564/65 and was once part of a complex containing a mosque. You enter a small door, which you might miss if it weren’t for the historical plaque outside. The Hamam itself is underground. The first area you enter is a kind of domed atrium with domedm raised changing areas on either side. There were benches on the three sides of the tiled changing area, with hooks on the walls above. There was one woman there waiting to enter, stripped down to her underpants. So we figured out that’s what you did. We were give plastic flip flops and ushered into the bath itself.
Historical plaque. Click on this and you can read the text.This was an amazing space. Under a large dome was a raised, octagonal marble slab. It was a dark coral in color and about three feet off the ground. This area is surrounded by eight arched alcoves, each with a marble basin on the back wall. The idea is that you sit next to the basin on a low stool, turn the hot and cold water on full blast, and use bowls to scoop out the water and dump it over yourselves. One woman had brought soap and shampoo, but we had to be satisfied with dousing ourselves – and it did feel good.
We were then summoned to the marble slab. We discovered it was heated from beneath somehow. Boy, did that drain the tension out of your body. It could have lain there forever, looking at the doom above me. There was an eight-pointed star cut into the center of the dome. The rest of the dome was pitted with octagonal openings. Actually, the dome itself appeared to be about a foot thick, and the actual openings to the outside were just rough-hewn circles topped with glass that wasn’t very well sealed; occasionally you’d watch a big drop fall toward you. After a while you felt like you were in a kind of planetarium, looking up at the stars. There was one woman who spoke a bit of English and asked us where we were from and what we were doing in Gaziantep. I can see how these baths could have provided a real social outlet, a kind of place for female bonding (the men get the evening timeslot – after 5 PM). I wish I actually spoke Turkish. I would liked to have known more about those other women.
It didn’t take too long to feel thorough enervated. Then one of the attendants, clad only in black shorts, motioned me over. She commenced a thorough, almost rough scrubbing with a mitt that was strapped onto her wrist. When she finishes scrubbing a person, she tosses several bowls of water over that part of the slab and squeegees it off.
After the scrubbing you return to your stool and rinse again with bowls of water. Then one of the attendants came over with a bottle of shampoo and scrubbed our hair. I’m not certain that’s a regular part of the service. Everyone else did their own hair, but we obviously hadn’t come prepared. When we finally left to return to the changing room, I was so relaxed I wasn’t sure my knees were going to hold me up. And all this for a mere 4 TL – less than $3. I should add that there much fancier hamams, equipped with saunas and masseuses – probably more like a spa. This was more of a “just folks” hamam, which is frankly perfect for me. And nearly 600 years old at that. A return visit is definitely right around the corner.
Update: I'm a bit late in publishing this. We returned to the hamam this weekend. We only went about a half hour later, but the place was packed. There were lots of little kids, even a baby. Not quite the quiet experience of last weekend but fun and ultimately relaxing the same. In fact, we almost fell asleep on the bus home. Also last week we somehow didn't pay the 10 TL to actually use the hamam. The 4 TL payed for the scrub. But at 14 TL it's still a bargin.
Where does all the water come from, and what happens to it once it's been used? Does it just drain off through canals in the floor? Probably it is recycled. But is it first filtered and purified? If the water is fresh, the "Turkish bath" sounds like a great indulgence!
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