My first Turkish bath experience back in 2010 (I believe) with my friend Jenna didn't go quite as well as we had both anticipated. That first visit was at a bath in a hotel where the guy left us in the Sauna for a good 20 minutes (15 should have been the max!) and then when he was giving Jenna her massage and scrub down, he was very very creepy and continuously telling her how beautiful she was. Creepy probably isn't the right word – maybe rapey?
Anyways, the girls (my team) arranged for a trip to a local bath with our tour operator and he even provided us with a really nice van for free to get to and from the bath, all for a great price. He took us to the Hamami (bath) and is was beautiful and covered in blue tiles on the inside.
We were escorted to a changing room where we all changed into our swimsuits before going into the sauna. They put you in the sauna to warm you up so it’s easier for them to scrub all the dead skin off. After the sauna, we go into the room for the bath. It’s a room that’s warm (but not as warm as the sauna) with a large marble slab in the middle of the room that’s heated and then faucets around the outside walls where you can rinse yourself or your face. One gentleman scrubs you with an exfoliating mitt and makes your skin feel ridiculously soft before sending you to the second guy that has a large pillowcase (at least that’s what it looks like). The guy with the pillowcase dips it in soapy water (olive oil soap) before filling it with air and letting the suds go all over you before they rub you down with it. Then, you rinse off under the shower.
Following the bath portion of our afternoon, we all got 30 minute oil massages upstairs. Needless to say, we were all very relaxed before we headed back to the ship in our chauffeured mini-van. What can I say – living the life! ;)
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