turkish baths in Istanbul
Dec 31st, 2000, 01:44 PM
#2
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We went to a Turkish bath in Fethiye in September. It was more or less for tourists now, but it was still a wonderful experience. It was a 400 year old bath! Sorry I can't help you on locations in Istanbul (we haven't been there yet), but I would assume that women can go. If they are for locals, they have separate days for women. I know that Lonely Planet's guide on Turkey has a good section on Turkish baths - they have have some addresses.
Jan 1st, 2001, 04:43 PM
#3
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Cynthia, let me share my Turkish bath experience with you. The bath we went to was in Istanbul. The name escapes me at the moment, but our guidebook listed many famous people in history who had used these facilities. The front entrance was for men, side entrance for women. A round, babushka and apron-clad matronly attendant guided us to dressing rooms and we were given towels and slippers. My friend and I were then led into a cavernous round marble room. The ceiling had star shaped cutouts to let in the light. It was utterly silent, except for the water running from wall mounted spigots. Our towels were hung on a hook and we were given a bowl and were instructed to pour the water over ourselves. After what seemed an eternity, with us pouring bowl after bowl of water over ourselves, an attendant came in to ask if we wanted tea. We nodded and waited another eternity. The tea finally came and there we sat, completed nude and dripping, primly sipping tea from small glasses. Finally, two of the plump, middle-aged attendants padded in and motioned us to lay down on the marble center area. To my utter shock, they stripped down to black bikini panties and proceeded to wash us with buckets of suds. I felt like I was going through the car wash! I was so slippery I was sliding around on the marble. They even passed a loufa back and forth between themselves and used the same one on both of us. The washing and rinsing process took at least half an hour and included scrubbing my face and hair. I have never felt so clean in my life. It wasn't exactly the Beverly Hills Spa, but I wouldn't trade the experience for the world. I even bought the world's most expensive hand towel, just because it had the name of the place embroidered on it. We found out later that the posted price at the entrance does not include tipping your attendants and they are not happy if the tip is miserly. (We also got charged for the tea.)
Jan 11th, 2001, 05:48 AM
#6
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Cynthia, generally speaking Turkish baths in Istanbul are for tourists and are mainly located in the old city ( Sultanahmet area ) and Beyoglu.Women are allowed in most of them either in separate premises or specific days allocated to women and a number of them are mixed.Check out various guides to locate the best one, Istanbul guide sold at every decent bookstore in the city or hotel concierge are good sources.The experience is really unique but might be somewhat overwhelming so you might consider trying one of the better hotel's facilities ( Ciragan is very good ).It is not like the original thing but closely simulates the experience in rather more pristine conditions
