I was wondering: when I go to a hamam, do I have to undress completely? Or do I get a towel to wrap around myself? Or do I have to wear a bathing suit?
It's not that I am very self-conscious, I'd just like to know the routine because I have heard different versions of stories and visits.

Tesekkürler

Elisa

Hi Elisa! Regarding your question,I wore a 2 piece bathing suit and felt pretty comfortable. Two other girls who went with me did the same thing.

ha interesting topic.. & güsel kiz, could u exactly tell us wht they do to u in a hamam? i mean, i've read in some books there's a woman that helps to wash yourself.. is it true? tell me a little more about it pls! i'm really curious (:

Thanks Güzel Kiz! In which city and to which hamam did you go?
I found this on www.turkeytravelplanner.com (http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/Articles/TakingTeaInTk.html):
"...the Turkish bath, for a restorative soak and massage. Men are given a light towel modestly to gird their loins, and it will not do to let it drop even while washing down there. Women, on the other hand, may be greeted by gales of derisory laughter should they attempt to keep any part of their anatomy covered. And it's depilatory all round."

Uhhmmm, does that mean that in some places you really can't wear anything? And do I have to shave "it" all of then?? :-S

(itchy) Elisa

LoL (: In this movie i saw once: "Hamam, the turkish bath" it seems that the women didn't wear anything and yes, they have to shave "it" all hahah at least that's wht i understood from the movie..

Now I'm really curious!! Is pubic hair considered dirty to muslim people?
In a week I'll be in Istanbul, I really don't want to be kicked out of a hamam because I'm a "dirty girl"...
Please help me out! :-s

Last year I took a trip to Turkey, I staied in a hotel called 'Maksim Ottimo' in a small town Konakli near Alanya. Before I went to get a Turkish bath, I did not know very much about it, just heard from friends that it would be a nice experience. Our tourist guide provided an entertainment list which included a visit to a turkish bath. It looked interesting, so me and two of my travel companions decided to sign up for it. The hotel where we stayed provided this service and the guide tald us that would be the best place to get it. Since it was our first time in Turkey we did not feel comfortable experimenting,so we decided to go to the Ottimo's hamam (if we went to a city hamam, the price would be about 3 times lower than the services provided by the hotel). Even though it was a little bit pricy $30 per person,the experience was worth it. I may not remember all of the details of the whole process, but I remember that after I left hamam I felt like a new person. Here comes the description... A nice lady greeted us at the reception of the hamam. She gave us small linen towels and walked us to the changing room. When we asked if changing to the bathing suits would be appropriate, she said yes. After we changed, the same lady took us to the steam room and left us there for about 10 minutes, she said it would be a good idea to use the towels that she provided to cover our heads, to avoid our hair getting too dry. Once we staid long enough in a steam room, we were walked to a large room with a big marble stone in the middle of it. There were faucets with running water on every wall of the room. There were two men in that room, the hamam workers. They told us to lye on the marble stone, which turned out to be very warm. One started working on me. He got a pot with warm water and started pouring it on my body. After doing so a few times, he got linen and poured aromatic foaming soap on it, bit the linen with his hands to make the soap more foamy and than poured this stuff on me, covering me with the linen for a few moments. Than, he put on a glove (the glow had a sandy surface) and started scrubbing my body with it, everything but the face. The straps of the bathing suit were a little bit on the way, but not too bad (one of the girls that came with me, took the top off, but I did not feel comfortable). While scrubbing and massaging my body, he kept pouring warm water on me from the pot and than again pouring the foaming soap. The whole process lasted, I would say, about 20 minutes. It was incredibly relaxing, the pleasant scent of the soap was adding to the experience. Once the scrubbing part was over, the men told me to get up and took me to one of the faucets. Than he poured some warm water, to wash all the scrubbed stuff off, than he got another pot of water and poured the water on me again. I was startled! This time the water was freezing cold! I don’t know if he did it just to make a joke, or to bring me back to reality. Next pot of water was warm again. Once I was washed off, I was wrapped in a big warm towel and walked to another room with a few reclining chairs in it, there was a quite sound of a beautiful music. The lady that met us at the entrance in the beginning of the story told me to sit in one of the chairs and to relax for a few minutes. She brought a cup of Turkish apple tea and some clay in a cup. She said she would give me a clay face mask. After the clay on my face dried and I washed it off, I was taken to a small massage room. Here I got one of the most relaxing massages in my whole life. It lasted about 30 or 40 minutes, was done with different aroma oils by a lady who seemed to know what she was doing. When the massage was over, I felt totally renewed. It was time to leave the hamam. I am glad I did not go to a town hamam, it may have been less expensive, but I would have to take a trip back to my hotel, which meant I would have to wait for the bus to take me back. The only thing I wanted was to get promptly to my room and to fall asleep. I was very happy with the experience I had. I don’t know if at other hamams they do things differently. You may have a different experience I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did!

hi guzel kiz,
well i felt so excited for reading ur experience i asked what if i went throught it by myself??

but if u want the truth?? frankly i think that the hamam u took u can find in any good hotel in other countries what i want to say is that these things has no relation to any turkish traditions!!
ok do u undersatnd me because i dont think in hamam were people go would prefer to be washed by aman ok and also u didnt unswer elisa about her queston?
ok what did u saw is it true

Güsel kiz thnks very much for sharing your experience with us.. i enjoyed myself reading it

alyaa, yeah, maybe u r right and she went to a more modern hamam.. but i think it mustnt b very different from a traditional one ¿?

and i'd like somebody to answer elisa's question.. i'm so curious (:

Thank you for sharing your story güzel kiz, I also enjoyed reading it.
But I also think that a hamam in the city is quite different. I've never read that people had "relaxing massages" over there. On the contrary, it can be rough and painful if you're not used to it. But that won't stop me from going though

One question remains, who would be so kind to answer it?

Here is some info on the Cemberlitas hamam: http://www.cemberlitashamami.com.tr/

hi girls,

ok listen to me i'll speak frankly
i am muslim but am not turkish but i think it is the same ideas both men and women must be clean especialy women
ok and i think it is from this point but am not sure r they going to kick the girl out or not i dont know??
but it is recomended that a women must remove the hair
also dont forget this is applied for any undesired hair
for instance from the hand it will be better iam muslim i understand this matter in this way.

Sorry, that it was not the response everybody expected. It was presented to me as if it was a turkish hamam, that is how the guide called it, so I just told you what was going on. I guess this summer I will have to try the city hamam to know what it should be like. According to my other friends, who told me about the hamams they visited, they had sort of a similar experience I had. So... I don't know... maybe all of us were cheated out of the REAL TURKISH HAMAM .

to alyaa

For some reason I felt like you were trying to attack me... I prefer not to get into arguments on the forums. I think this specific forum designed for sharing information and not for trying to offend or insult someone. I was just talking about my experience. If you can tell about yours, go ahead, I think everyone will be happy to read about it!

pls am sorry
guzel kiz yemin ediyorum i didnt mean to ofend i swear i didnt want to what i wanted to is tell something i felt thats all on the contrary i told i liked the way u spoke about ur going to hamam vallah this what i meant am sorry guzel kiz realy sorry if i hurted u and if i wzs sever in my msg trust me i didnt mean to be so especialy with u
there is no reason that i will ofend u in one way or another if u will think of it i ask u pls to read my msg again to make sure that i didnt mean to ofend u
u put ur visit on the forum and talked to u about it isnt it this is the reason why they put the forum for, or i am wrong pls tell me that u r not upset from or i will not participate again

Alyaa,
no problem!!! I guess I just misunderstood,sometimes happens, I am not upset! I am just not used to participating in forums very much, this is the first I've ever been to... plus, I forget, we all are from different cultures and have different ways of expressing our thought... I took it a little bit too personally, I should not have. I also apologize

Elisa must be now in Turkey.. if I'm not wrong she was going there the 2 last weeks of March.. hope she'll tell us everything about Hamam when she comes back!

Well, the hamam was a bad experience. My mistake I guess, I chose a touristic one, the Cemberlitas Hamam. They kept letting people in at the entrance, though the ladies who did the bathing really couldn't follow anymore! When I left, there were no clean towels anymore... After 45 minutes I was back on the street. Normally you would stay in a hamam for at least an hour, sometimes two or more...
My advice: if you want to try a Turkish bath, don't go to the touristy places. Try one off the beaten track. It'll be much more relaxed I'm sure.
But! As it was so crowded there, I couldn't help but notice other women who didn't shave at all, not even bikini lines or anything! I felt embarassed in their place!
But the bathing ladies didn't seem to mind... They must be used to it, I guess.
Anyway, next time I'll visit a hamam on the Asian side I think. Because there will definitely be a next time

thanks for telling us Elisa! what a pity u didnt enjoy the Hamam experience very much
definitely when I go to Turkey I'll keep myself far from Hamams for tourists!
so there were some women who didnt shave at all? OMG (:

when i was a little kid, i used to go to hamam.. if i go now, i would rather women go there undressed completely - not with a bath suit-

aahahha...
i am just kiddin

i ve heard about turkish hamam and as far as i know there was a turkish movie named "hamam" i watched it. one of my turkish friend lend me.anyway what is the diffrence between finnish bath and turkish hamam ? is there anybody know that=?

what made you laugh ?
haha

i bet you would goner

i bet most of Turkish men have nice memories about women 's bath from their childood

is here women's bath? thats a very famous Turkish saying about when become much noisey

Just thought i would post this for anyone heading to marmaris or around there ho has now been put off going to the hamam. I would say do not be put off in the slightest it is a really nice low cost way to pamper yourself.Plus at the end of a hot day you come out feeling squeaky clean. I have been to the 'touristy' one in marmaris, the non touristy one in Marmaris and the non touristy one in Bodrum as well as a tourist one in Olu deniz and have never felt uncomfortable in any of them.
I have generally found that when you go in you are ushered to a changing room where you can change into your bikini or bathing costume, bikinis are better when it comes to the massage later and to the scrub down but my bikini wearing days are over and my tankini did not pose a problem.

welcome to historical Süleymaniye bath>>>>http://www.videosofturkey.com/video_details.asp?id=146

Just thought i would post this for anyone heading to marmaris or around there ho has now been put off going to the hamam. I would say do not be put off in the slightest it is a really nice low cost way to pamper yourself.Plus at the end of a hot day you come out feeling squeaky clean. I have been to the 'touristy' one in marmaris, the non touristy one in Marmaris and the non touristy one in Bodrum as well as a tourist one in Olu deniz and have never felt uncomfortable in any of them.
I have generally found that when you go in you are ushered to a changing room where you can change into your bikini or bathing costume, bikinis are better when it comes to the massage later and to the scrub down but my bikini wearing days are over and my tankini did not pose a problem.
once changed you are taken to the steam room where there are little sinks all around the room where you can obtain cold water and use the little dishes provided to douse yourself in water. Once you have spent some time in here relaxing yodelling ( yes I have heard it all done) and generally carrying on in the fantastic echoing room the man or woman but my experience is its generally a man, comes in and then scrubs you down using a loofah cloth. Dont worry yout tan is safe but it does get rid of the burnt bits! After that he then fills what looks like a pillowcase with soap and uses this to cover you in foam and give you a gentle massage. This is when the ability to undo your bikini strap is useful as you then get the most out of the back massage.
Once that is done you are left to shower, still wearing your bikini etc and if you want take my advice and take in some shampoo and do your hair too.
After that you are wrapped in some what look like dishclothes, I am sure they have a proper name, and are taken to an area where you can relax and have a clod drink to replenish the liquid you lost in the hot steam room.
You are then led to the massage area where again usually a man will give you a very good massage using baby oil ( hence the reason to do your hair so you don't then have to shower and wash of the nice oil)
Do not worry about it being a man they are all very nice and totally professional. I have sometimes been on my own when I have gone and have not felt at all uncomfortable. If you do meet a chancer who insists you bare all at the front a nice smile and firm no usually is the answer.
I don't like the touristy ones they do have a jacuzzi you can also use but that is not the traditional way and also you feel like you are on a conveyor belt and it is generally a noisy rabble and not at all relaxing.
Sorry to have gone on at length but I hope this helps and if in Marmaris I highly recommend the one nearest the marina with the parrot outside called Pasha, please say hi to it if you go!!

ok..question...

Is it ok if a couple visited the hamam-girlfriend & boyfriend or husband & wife? Can they have massage in same room as well?

If I understood, female should shave if wanted to have massage in the Hamam? What about males??? Kinda weird...

Phoena there is no problem if you and your husband/boyfriend wanted to be in the same room when you get your massage it just depends on where the massage room is. As for the shaving part I have seen many people use the hamam and have seen lots of hairy men and some hairier women but none were refused a massage.
As for shaving all over it may be a Turkish custom but no one checks whether you have or have not as you enter and anyway you always wear your swim suit or bikini so no one will know

I recommend you ladies read "Tales from the Expat Harem." It's an excellent anthology which includes the separate stories of the lives of woman living in Turkey. There is one section of the book with great stories about the Hamam. One woman went to a Gelin party @ the hamam and they politely gave her a razor b/c locals DO shave. I'm not sure why they shave but I'm almost positive that in Muslim religion the hair has to be removed.

Cheers,
Nicole

http://www.expatharem.com/

This is an interesting subject. I think it can be carried on on another forum. Thank you for your understanding.

Hey Linaa,where are you? in hamam

I have been to 4 hammams in Turkey: Cemberlitas in Istanbul (bad, expensive, touristic and they still ask for a tip - no way), Cağaloğlu in Istanbul (much better, less expensive), Sengul Merkez in Ankara (very good, cheap and cosy, absolutely only locals) and the hamman of The Marathon Hotel in Elazig (very very good, moderately priced).At the first 3 there were only women as staff, the last one only had a male for washing. In the first three I was without bathing clothes or peshtemal - I asked if I needed to but they all said no, the last one I covered myself in a peshtemal (they gave me 8, every time it was wet, I got a new one!). Used to sauna's in Holland I am not ashamed of being naked, even in mixed company but because I know my standards are not those of other people, I always ask what to do. If they do not speak English I ask with gestures. No problems ever happened. Next year I hope to go back to Elazig and I sure want to use that hamman in The Marathon again. That it was a male,it did not bother me. Besides if his hands were even a inch too far, I would not only have punched him very hard () I also would have complained of harrassment to the management (or even police), the same as I would do here when a staff member does not behave correctly.

my husband says that the hamam visited by the women were washed by men was just for tourists..thats not heard of in turkey as a man would NEVER wash a woman and a Turkish woman woudl not allow this..neither would i actually in answer to elisa'a question if u feel the need to visit such an establishment i would suggest u do shave ur pubic hair if u dont already do so.. to be honest ive never met amyone that didnt shave their pubic hair nowadays..and no i havent seen a lot of people's downstairs..its just from general chit chat

if u want my advice u want to make sure it's a woman and not a man washing u unless u want people to get the wrong idea if u feel the need to go to a hamam

@ Robin01 - you will be right in public hammams, but in hotel hammams they do not have a large staff most of the time. And giving the wrong idea? No way, you never saw my eyes and body language.... they are sure they can't try a thing!

BTW Of course I do shave, even the 'Turkish way'....

..well it doesn't really matter to me becuase i would never visit such a place..im a prude in that way..man or woman i don't want them to see me although of course i too don't have a problem with pubic hair..
i think the idea of someone washing me is weird..im not a child or incapable yet

and the hotel hamam is exactly my point..its four tourists..u wouldnt get a female turkish local going in these places..

for tourists i meant of course..

...

There is one on the coast in ölüdeniz which is hilarious to go to.
It is done by three men but they do not have a bad bone in their body. They were always joking around with men and women (tourists). Also every women who comes in wares their bikini and of course it is not objected to. There is only one women that worked there and she is the one serving the tea.

When people were finished in the steam room and had to wait to be scrubbed, the men used to fill buckets of cold/freezing water over the wall to get the tourist. We all ended up throwing water everywhere it was so hilarious and they are really nice.
Oh and guzel kiz the answer to the cold water was that some do pour cold water over you to sort of wake you up...but if they do it more than once it's a joke

Also if you have a turkish bath at the start of your holiday apparantly to foreigners it is helps you to get a better tan. Not sure if it's true though. :-S

I went to one in Kusadasi. It was great! My skin was so soft afterwards.

Ok after having read all these I have some questions too.

I read that it is normal for girlfriend and boyfriend to go together, but is it also possible to 'rent' a massage/sauna? In Holland in the more luxurous spas and sauna centres you can also choose to have your own small sauna and massagetable etc, instead of having to share it with other people. I for myself would defintely not enjoy watching my bf being massaged by someone else

Secondly.. the pubic-hair-shaving issue caught my intention . I remember I once read that many Turkish women get it done. Where do they do that and how does that go? What are the prices?

Thanks in advance.

Deli-kizin, that pubic hair shaving I find interesting too. In the Dutch book "Turkse vlinders' (Turkish butterflies) the writer tells that women do it at the hairdresser (küafor). But else you can do that too, it is called 'Brazilian wax'.

in answer to how ur pubic parts get shaved..you get a razor and shave it all off..you can do this at home in the bath or shower i dont see why u would go tro a hairdresser if u maintain it properly and hygienically at home..

Ladies, bu thread'i kadınlar hamamına çevirdiniz.

You are actually right We ,men,have no place at all in a kadınlar hamamı

A very old topic, but while reading a book a question popped up, so I got this one up. I know many women in Turkey (other countries too?) have a ´Brazilian wax´ but what I didn´t know and what was in the book is that many of them ´design´ their pubic hair with models of flowers, the first letter of the name of their husband etc. Is that really true?

 Thank you Trudy!  I knew this thread existed but I could never find it!

 Can you also answer my ´designing´ question?

 Not sure about Turkey, but I know the "designing" and "templates" do exist!  Having seen it on TV might I very quickly add

 Yes it´s true. You can google it!  Ouch-I´m not saying anything else!

 Must be quite time consuming and a considerable amount of dedication involved!

 Yes.... having seen on TV, they all say that.....

 No? No confessions my dear?   But is it really common? Or just for ´the happy few´?

  can´t say anything-you don´t know who might be listening!

 Listening is not the problem, but looking.....

http://www.videosift.com/video/Pubic-Hair-Fashion-Designs

Only look if you are open minded!  Please don´t blame me.................someone else egged me on!

.....thanks for that liberal lady!  

Thank you for sharing this cultural peice of information with us LL. We all fee more enlightened now after seeing this video.

But just the intial of bfs or husbands not creative enough if you ask me.

How about the bust of bfs used as a model? That will definetely impress your men

So, can someone please tell me - do Turkish men actually mind whether their European gf´s shave their ´lady garden´ or not (as long as it´s not an actual forest!!!)

 Funny question! I like to know the answers as well!

I think  they wouldn´t mind anything when it comes to it , but you can modify the question as "do they prefer"...

..

 Isn´t it what YOU prefer that counts?      

Actually - you are quite right!! If they don´t like it they can lump it!!! (as we say in Lancashire) What is it when it comes to us ladies and our men, does all our common sense fly out of the window?? The answer is ´Yes´ it probably does!!!!

I´d prefer it if all the men had back waxes-can´t see it happening though. Men are wimps when it comes to pain.

 Ouch, that´ll hurt the pride of many men....

Can´t hurt as much as having your ´bits´ waxed!!!!