I’m back in Istanbul. Last time I was here was September 2022, just over three years ago. One of the highlights of my last visit was a Hamam (Turkish Bath) experience, so today I relived that. And I’m happy to say it was every bit as awesome as I remember. Maybe more.
Getting here
It’s a long flight from Mexico City. First and hour and a half to Cancun, then an hour and a half on the ground there, and then about ten and a half hours to IST. Fortunately, Turkish Airlines Business Class makes it bearable. They have just amazingly good food and the best entertainment system I’ve encountered in the air. I don’t sleep well on airplanes, even with lie-flat seats, but I did managed a few hours of shut-eye.
I watched two movies: Flow, which I’d never seen, and In Bruges, which I had. Flow is a lovely film which won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. It is a story of several animals trying to survive an apocalyptic flood. Though I liked it, I wondered why the animators didn’t seem to try to make the animal fur look even marginally realistic. In Bruges was even better than I remembered. I was amused by how selectively our Turkish friends bleeped the colorful language. I couldn’t always tell what words they bleeped (I think “cocaine” was one, and I think maybe “prick” and “whore”), but they let “fuck” and “fucking” stay uncensored.
Settling in
Turkish Airlines offers a free hotel for a stayover of up to three nights. The hotel choices are limited, and I’m staying at the Radisson Blu Istanbul Pera, which is not a bad area, close to Galata Tower, but not close to the Old Town. I had a ride arranged from the airport with Welcome Pickups, and I got to the hotel this morning by 7am. Of course my room wasn’t ready. So I hung out in the lobby for a while, took a walk, and visited the Pera Museum, which I didn’t love, but which killed an hour.
After I got back, my room was ready, and next order of business was a shower followed by a nap.
Hamam
I went back to the same Hamam I visited last time I was here: Kılıç Ali Paşa. On the way I stopped to get some dinner.
In addition to the Turkish Bath experience, I had a massage. I’m usually not a big fan of massage, but this was heaven. And the bath was even better than I remember, with four separate scrubs: one with bare hands, one with the kese (an exfoliating glove), one with a softer glove, and then another with bare hands. All involved being engulfed in soap bubbles.
Title
It’s possible I forgot what the experience was like last time. I just reread my post from back then.
You can too.
Being pampered like that does not suck.
The walk from the Radisson to the Hamam was a steep downhill, so on the way back I detoured past Galata Tower. That is a very popular neighborhood filled with cafés and restaurants and tourists taking photos. (Mine is at the top of the page.)
Joy Sherman
Dear Lane,
It’s so much fun reading about your travels that I wanted more! The Galata Tower is beautiful. What is housed in there? I would also love to see a picture of the Turkish bath. It all sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing!
💜❤️💚💛💙Joy
Lane
Hi Joy, the Galata Tower was built in 1348 as a watchtower. It was part of city walls that no longer exist. Today there is a museum and exhibition space, and you can go up to enjoy the view. I’ve never gone inside. There are many great viewpoints in this city, and many of the other ones have Galata Tower in them.
Here’s a video with pics of the Hamam I went to.
https://youtu.be/pEZEwhlg78M?si=KhcUjvDEPdEJCyNj
The room with the fountain in the middle is the entry area where you sit and have a juice beforehand. The balcony has changing rooms and lockers. You won’t see people actually getting their Turkish baths, but you can see the room where it happens. First you lie on your back on the hexagonal platform for about ten minutes. It’s very hot (heated from below) and you sweat a lot. (It doesn’t show the beautiful skylights that resemble stars you stare up at while you’re lying there.) Then you are taken to one of the stations around the perimeter of the room for the actual bath, where you are doused with soapy foam and scrubbed and rinsed repeatedly. The room with the metal stools is where you go afterwards for a final rinse and then you are wrapped in towels and go sit on the cushioned seats in the main room until you’re ready to get dressed and leave.
This Hamam has women’s hours during the day and men’s hours starting in the late afternoon and in the evening. Other Hamams have separate men’s and women’s areas.
If you are interested in watching a longer video that includes an interview with the owner where he talks about the history and renovation of the Hamam, it’s here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEZEwhlg78M
Cheryl Paletta
Mike and I just returned from OAT’s Turkey trip. Loved it- the food, the hammans, and Turkish Airlines!! Incredible lounge in Istanbul. Happy travels!
Lane
Hi Cheryl, thanks for reading! I love this city! And yes, the TA lounge is one of the best anywhere!