Turkish Bath Experience at Cemberlitas Hamami in Istanbul

Deep cleanse your body and mind during a 2-hour traditional Turkish bath experience at Istanbul’s Çemberlitaş Hamamı, a gorgeous 16th-century bath house. As authentic as cultural experiences get, a Turkish bath experience remains much the same now as it was during the Ottoman era. Relax on a marble slab in a steamy bath chamber, have a vigorous and exfoliating scrub to strip away dead skin cells, and then relax in a cooler room. Hotel pickup from hotels on the European side of Istanbul are also included.

If your hotel is located on the European side of Istanbul, start your hammam experience with a hotel pickup. Alternatively, make your own way to Çemberlitaş Hamamı, the beautiful Turkish bath house that dates back to the 16th century, and head inside with your entrance ticket.

The building was designed by the great Minar Sinan – one of the most prominent architects of the Ottoman era – at the bequest of a sultan’s wife. Its elaborate interiors remain much the same as they were in the Ottoman days, and you’d be hard-pushed to find a more resplendent-looking place to while away a couple of hours.

Leave your coyness at the door and follow the locals’ lead to strip off completely or alternatively, change into your bikini or swimming shorts if you want to reserve your modesty. Then slip on your peştamal (traditional cotton robe) and step inside the bath chamber where a heated marble platform covers the floor. Lie on the marble slab to encourage your body to sweat, and splash yourself with hot water from the bathing basins that line the edges of the room.

After roughly 45 minutes of relaxing and building up a sweat in the steamy bath chamber, one of the baths’ attendants will exfoliate your body, scrubbing you down with a loofah mitten and hot, soapy water. Halfway between a slippery massage and a vigorous rub with sweeping strokes, the scrubbing has well-documented benefits; clearing your pores, removing dead skin cells and regulating your blood circulation are just a few of them!

Rinse away the soapy suds with hot water from the bathing basins, put your peştamal back on and then visit one of the baths’ cooler rooms to relax. The duration of each stage of your Turkish baths experience varies, but most people find 45 minutes on the marble slab, 15 minutes of exfoliation and an hour of relaxation time to be the norm.

Feeling relaxed and rejuvenated, return to the changing rooms to dress and then leave the bath house.

• Hotel pickup (selected hotels only)
• Entrance fee

• Food and drinks
• Gratuities (optional)
• Hotel drop-off