Hamam Istanbul?
 

My fodorites have been so helpful. I hope that you can continue....
Going to Istanbul in March and fascinated with the luxurious idea of a hamam.
I am intimidated by this idea as is my hubs.
Can anyone suggest hamam for beginners?
Kindly appreciate it.
We will be staying only in Istanbul for 1 week.
Thanks!!

My husband and I had were also apprehensive but had a great expereience.
Instead of going to one of the larger hamans we were lucky enough to come across one in the in Sultanhamet. It was at the Byzantium Hotel. We booked in at 8:00pm which meant we were the only two in the hamam at the time. Our treatment included a session in the sauna, steamroom, then the hamam, followed by a full massage. All of this was very reasonably priced and private. Hope this will help you.

The following link will give you a great deal of information on hamams :

http://www.allaboutturkey.com/search...s=799j175603j5

Thanks, I appreciate this.
We are staying at the hotel Vault Karakoy and they may offer this service as well.
Thanks!

I haven't been to a hammam in Istanbul, but have been to several in Turkey and North Africa and Paris. There's nothing to be intimidated about unless you choose the treatment that involves being beaten with branches (which is actually wonderful) or rolfing. It's a spa experience, essentially, and you will feel wonderful afterwards. I guess if you're doing it at a fancy hotel it will be "luxurious," but that's not what comes to mind when I think of a hammam. There's nothing to be afraid of. Just do it.