Property in Turkey | Turkish Baths

Turkish baths can directly trace their creation to the Roman Empire and still offer an invigorating way to unwind.

Known as hammam in Turkish, the Ottoman Empire first created the Turkish baths after its conquest of former Roman cities such as Alexandria and Constantinople and readily adopted the practice. Being a Muslim nation at the time, followers are obliged to keep themselves washed and clean so baths were an important way to fulfil this.

If anything, the Turks took the baths to their full development, making hamman some of the most artistic and ornate buildings around, such as Istanbul's Cemberlitas Hammam, which was built in 1584.

Starting with a warm room, hot air is circulated to the customer, causing them to sweat profusely and relax. For the more adventurous, there is an even hotter room available for further sweating, before taking advantage of a relaxing plunge into cold water. A massage then follows, before heading to a cooling room for the culmination of relaxation.

Although as a modern country Turkey has fully functioning plumbing, which decreased the popularity of some Turkish baths, a number of ornate hammam, both preserved from earlier periods and fully functional, are available to visit.

Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey's two principal cities, both have fully functioning Turkish baths, old and new, offering tourists the opportunity to relax and unwind the Anatolian way.

The Cagaloglu hammam in Istanbul is over 300 years old and the oldest fully functioning bath in Turkey. One can gaze up at the stars cut into the dome which serve as windows, marvelling at the impressive architecture with its soaring columns and arches. Although many hammams were private or attached to mosques, Cagaloglu was built in 1741 for the public to serve both men and women, though the actual bathing is segregated.

This hammam is probably the most famous, having been visited by the likes of Kaiser Wilhelm, King Edward VIII and Florence Nightingale, as well as serving as a location for films such as Indiana Jones.

Tours of hammam can be organised by guides, either for a full-day or half-day excursion, costing around £13 for the half-day and £23 for the day-long tour.

While tours are one way to see the architecture, for the full experience it is best to dive into the bathing experience. Guided by a tellak, one wears a towel for modesty and wooden clogs to prevent slippage on the damp floors. As one enters the steam room, the tellak may shout to exorcise the supernatural djinn that are traditionally thought to live in the steam of a room.

Sitting on a marble ledge, perspiration builds and softens the muscles for massage, which is often performed by up to four people to twist the body into relaxation. After this, both men and women can have their armpit or other body hair removed. Then the body is rubbed with cold water and camel hair to exfoliate the skin, though sun worshippers should be warned that this could lead to the disappearance of their tan.

After a final soaping, one finally gets to sit and relax with a nice cup of tea, coffee or a soft drink and the whole experience only costs a few pounds and most cities in Turkey have one to visit.

Those who own property in Turkey will find the Turkish baths worth a visit; they are very popular with many tourists every year.