Turkish Bath (Hamam)

The Turkish baths were the actual places for women  and men to bathe in separate areas before running water came to homes.   For women, the Mosque and the baths were their two places of connecting and forming bonds in their own space..  

I debated with myself until today when it was rainy in the morning and decided this was apiece of real Turkey and I had to muzzle my fear and jump in.  After buying a ticket, I was directed to the changing area seen below where I was given an under garment, a huge towel, slippers and a locker for my clothing.

I next went to the room pictured below.  The raised stone in the center is heated and the air is very hot and humid producing the required sweat.   It was not crowded when I was there.  Maybe about 7 women lying on the center stone.  After maybe 15 minutes an elderly woman came to me with a large bowl of water which she poured over me and then another bowl of very soapy water.  She scrubbed me with something like a loofa sponge removing lots of dead skin.

Then she washed and massaged with wonderful smelling soap and oil.  After about 20 minutes of this she took me to the side to the sinks you can barely see between the pillars and rinsed off the soap.  After this she took me to another cooler room where I sat with other women who had completed their scrubs.   I was to get a massage and wasn't sure if I had had it or not.  I sat there enjoying the peace and coolness with a young women claimed me and took me to the massage room.  She was clearly trained in massage and reflexology and she found all my travel knots.   She talked softly in turkish to the woman who was giving a massage next to me.

When I left there I discovered a whirlpool and a still pool   I spent some time in each. as I wanted to think about all the women who had been here over the hundreds of years and the conversations that had taken place in these walls.  There are similar but separate sections for women and men.  I showered and dressed and was vry glad I had done it though I feel no need to repeat it.  It was as they say a once in a lifetime experience and the history of that place and the stories told there and secrets shared there  made me ask again what if these walls could talk.