In the blurry, almost mystical atmosphere of a Turkish baththe world seems to stop. In the warm embrace of hammamthe sounds drown. Soft light from the oak, the “eyes” on the big dome on the roof, draws designs on the marble surfaces. The running water and taps Gently dripping, touching the edges of consciousness as a lullaby.

Going to a hammam or to ConstantinopleEither in any Turkey city, it is very different from being in the bathroom of your home or even in a private room of a day spa.

“In the bathroom or in the shower you are alone but the hammam is public space‘, Ahmet Igdirligil, architect and expert in the culture and history of Turkish baths tells CNN. “It is a social place and a unique historical place for women to socialize outside the home without the need for permission.”

In the past, women from wealthy families regularly visited the steam room. Some even had their own hammam at home. Each used personal belongings such as Hamam tası, A bowl of embossed patterns, sometimes even adorned with jewelry, to pour water into her body. They also used satin fabrics embroidered with silk or linen with lace on the finish, and the pestemalor towel. Traditionally made of pure cotton, the best has a handmade finish (Selvedge instead of a hem), so that it does not fray.

Numerous Complex Cleanliness Rules – “After sex, menstruation or childbirth“, Continues Igdirligil, from prayer to marriage and birth, have been shaped and perfected over the centuries. Even today, women in small cities go to the hammam to escape their home roles or to seek brides for their sons.

Igdirligil explains that each hammam has at least three spaces, carefully designed to enhance the experience. First is the entrance, which was traditionally heated by sofas, wood stoves or fire. There are the locker room and a rest after the bathroom. A small door leads to a half -room room with toilets, waxing services and trough (marble basins). The main and larger space has in the center of the göbek taşıan elevated marble slab, with more troughs along the walls. Some hammams have smaller rooms, the halvet (warm rooms), in the sides or in the corners of Göbek Taşı.

“The structure is very important, because it is a trip in and out of the hammam“, Says Igdirligil. “The last two rooms always have a dome, and their height is always greater than the width. The openings in the dome enhance the atmosphere and increase the sense of space. They look like stars in the sky and it’s like looking at the universe.‘

This is especially true for Hammam Jagaloglou. Built in 1741 to finance the Sultan Mahmut library, it has an interior of white marble. The result is like floating in a cloud. With the ‘heat, humidity and sound, pulsating like a heartbeat, you feel like you are in the womb“, Says Igdirligil.

Elif Cartal, responsible for the hospitality and operation of Zerek Chinili Hammam, has been working in Turkish baths for almost 20 years. States that while most hammams offer similar services such as kese (body exfoliation with special glove) and the Turkish Köpük Masaj (soap massage), ‘There are differences in their way of operation, sometimes due to preference and sometimes because of their own construction“

Of the 237 hammam of Constantinople, only 60 remain in operation. The smaller ones usually have a single installation, which means that men and women bathe at different times or even on different days. The biggest, historical steam baths such as Zerek Chinili and the luxurious Hagia Sophia Humam of Hurrem Sultanhave separate spaces for men and women. The latter, designed in 1556 for Roxolana, wife of Suleiman of the Magnificent, by Mimar Sinan, the architect of the Ottoman court, was the first to have part of women the same as that of men.

Elif Tamthartar, Natır (Female Loutrarisa) in Zerek Chinili Hammam with 25 years of experience, says customers should avoid a few things before the visit: “Do not wax immediately before the hammam and avoid lotion and fatty products the day before, because they reduce the efficiency of Kese.” It also suggests light food before and abstaining from alcohol, because heat can cause discomfort.

All the hammams have a locker room where you leave clothes and lock valuables. They usually provide one use underwear, but you can wear your own or swimwear. Because the kese covers the whole body, the full -body swimsuit is not recommended – and you have to be ready to get you up or lower your underwear.

The absolute luxury

Washing you else is the ultimate luxury. He travels you back to childhood memories when you were warm, sleepy and cared for.

After you change and wrapped in Pestemal, your Natır awaits you – or Tellak for men. In Zerek Chinil Hammam they grab you by hand and lead you to the central room. There they rinse you with warm water and lie down on a towel on Göbek Taşı. The heat of the marble and the pleasant atmosphere relax perfectly and, when 15 minutes of sweating, may need to wake you up.

With a small bowl, Loutraris throws water into hair, face and body. Despite the name, the Turkish hammam has no bathtubs. “Before Islam,” explains Igdirligil, “the Turks had shamanic beliefs and considered water to be sanctified. If you bathe in the water, you make it dirty. In Turkish Islam, if the water touches the body, then neither the water nor the body are now clear. “

After the rinsing comes Kese. Although the words Natır and TELLAK They describe the Loutrarides, “between us,” says Tamtrartar, “we just tell them kesciregardless of gender. ” She herself learned the art of Kesecilik (exfoliation) from her family: “My mother and grandmother worked in this profession. I didn’t learn it at a school or a seminar, but directly from them. In fact, I made zeese before closing 15. “

The glove kese It looks like a coarse sandpaper and is used to remove dead skin. In the past they used Topuk taşı (pumice). High -class women had their own, in handmade silver pockets with relief designs.

The feeling of kese can be weird: sometimes rough, some gurgling or even hot. Almost every centimeter of the body is rubbed. A good kese covers the trunk, hands, legs, face, even thighs and low in the middle. If the pressure is excessive or the skin sensitive, he informed Kesci. “Most of us do not know foreign languages,” says Tamtrartar, “but with so many years of experience, we easily communicate with strangers with body language.”

As it rubs, layers of fine black dust, hidden dirt of the city, peel off the skin. Then used LIF (loufa) to remove dead cells. Depending on the hammam, the lif can be made of cotton, linen or goat hair.

When you are crystal clear, the Turkish Köpük Masaj comes. Kesci creates foam soap by a piece of wet muslin, inflates it and gently passes it on the body. Most Turkish soaps are made from olive oil because they clean without removing natural skin oils. This, along with the exfoliation of Kese, makes the skin soft like a cashmere. Tamtartar says that Kese prevents aging: “The pores open in the hammam and the cellular renewal is accelerating, as rubbing also acts as a peeling.”

In the end, after the hair washing, you come back from the same road: first in the intermediate room to dry and wrap with towels, and then in the cool entrance area. It is not recommended to leave the hammam abruptly, relax, drink tea and, when you are ready, returned to the locker room to dress.

Taking time for yourself and relaxing in the steam caresses is a timeless pleasure. However, the hammam has never been a matter of cleanliness.

“Visitors who come to the bathroom forget their suffering,” says Tamtartar. “We approach them with motherly love. For us they are like our children. The energy of water, bath and man unites. And when your energy joins with the visitor, even a long session flows like water – the main source of healing. “