A visit to a türk hamamı (tewrk hah-mah-muh; Turkish bath) is perhaps the best way to rejuvenate your tired body while soaking in Turkish culture. For many visitors, the experience is an unforgettable taste of pure bliss. However, it's not for everyone: Several baths—mostly those that cater to tourists—are mixed-sex, and the bathers are at least partially naked. Attendants touch your bare skin. The air inside is hot and humid, and you won't be able to keep any part of your body dry. Still, for most of those who've tried it, one visit isn't enough.

The Bath Procedure

The whole experience generally takes an hour and a half to two hours. It's useful to bring along a hairbrush, shampoo, clean underwear, flip-flops, kese (keh-seh; raw-silk mitten), and a bottle of water.
If being nude in front of strangers makes you uncomfortable, you may wear a bathing suit or your underwear. Flip-flops help you safely navigate the soapy marble floor (though most baths provide slippers).
Unless you bring your own kese (a scrubbie mitten used to exfoliate dead skin), bath attendants will use the same kese on you that they've used on the last 20 people. Keses cost around 5 YTL and make nice souvenirs .
All of the sweating will likely dehydrate you; that's why it makes sense to bring a bottle of water. Leave your glasses in your locker, as the steam inside will fog them up. If you eat a huge meal or drink alcohol before going to a Turkish bath, you'll wish you hadn't.
As you enter the bath, you'll find yourself in a waiting chamber with sofas and maybe a decorative fountain. You'll be directed to a changing room or cabin and given a large piece of cotton fabric, called a peştemal (pehsh-teh-mahl), to wrap around your body. Lock your clothes and valuables in the changing room or a separate locker (the key stays around your wrist on an elastic band).
The central section of the bath is the hot, wet caldarium, or sıcaklık (suh-jahk-luhk). Marble basins are spaced at regular intervals along the walls. Sit next to a basin, adjust the water temperature to your liking (it should be as hot as you can stand), dip the provided metal bowl into the basin, and pour water on yourself. This will soften your skin, and prepare it for exfoliation. Spend the next 20-25 minutes lazily pouring hot water over yourself to achieve maximum sweating and relaxation.
At the center of the chamber is a large marble slab. When it's your turn, an attendant will ask you to lie down on this slab. Men keep their peştemal on the entire time. Women wear their peştemal in co-ed baths, but generally remove it to lie on the slab in segregated facilities. (Again, women who are uncomfortable with nudity can keep their peştemal on, or wear a swimsuit.)
If you brought your own kese, this is the time to hand it over to the attendant for your scrub-down. Attendants often have a sense of humor, and they may toss you around on the slippery marble. Submit and go along for the ride. You may be amazed by what comes off as the attendant scrubs your skin. If you want the attendant to be gentle, say "yavaş" (yah-vahsh; "slow"). If overenthusi-astic scrubbing causes this word to slip your mind, body language and "Ouch!" will suffice.
Then the attendant takes a piece of sponge or knitted wool, dips it into soapy water, bathes you with bubbles, and gives you a short, relaxing massage. (If you're a glutton for punishment, you can get what locals call the "bone-crunching massage.") After your massage, go back next to the basin to wash your hair.
By the time you're finished, you're cleaner than you've ever been, and your skin is softer than a baby's. When you're ready to go back to the waiting chamber, take a towel from an attendant. As you cool off for 10-15 minutes in the waiting chamber, you'll usually be offered tea. When you're relaxed and ready to confront the outside temperature, it's time to get dressed.

Choosing a Bath

Baths in the Old Town and New District have become quite touristy (in order to stay in business). On the upside, this means their attendants are usually accustomed to the needs and expectations of international visitors. Don't worry—you're still getting an experience pretty close to an authentic Turkish bath.
If you're not comfortable with mixed-sex bathing, check the bath's policy before heading out. Since most Turks themselves find mixed-sex bathing unacceptable, it's not hard to find single-sex baths. In segregated baths, only attendants of the same sex work on you. In co-ed baths, most attendants are male, serving both men and women.
It's also worth checking the price, and asking what's included. Expect to pay up to $30 for the experience, plus a tip (of roughly $10) for the otherwise poorly compensated attendants. Büyük Hamam—Only recently discovered by travelers, this bath is the most "local" of the bunch. Though the staff is not yet accustomed to serving tourists, they're helpful and make an effort. Enjoy the beautiful surroundings—designed by the famous architect Sinan —for a far more reasonable price than the others baths listed here. Women may want to take along their own bath accessories, as this place provides all necessary supplies for men (towels, peştemak, etc.) but not for women—though upon request, they'll borrow these from the men's section (segregated, men's section daily 5:30-22:30, women's section daily 8:30-17:30, Merkez Camii yanı, Potinciler Sokak 22, men's section tel. 0212/253-4229, women's section tel. 0212/256-9835). It's located in the Kasımpaşa (kah-suhm-pah-shah) neighborhood, near the Kasımpaşa Mosque, at the edge of the New District. Even though it's not far from İstiklal street or the Old Town, you'll need to take a cab to get there.

Çemberlitaş Hamamı—This bath, known for its fine architecture, was built by Sinan in the late 16th century for the sultan's mother (segregated, daily 6:00-24:00, credit cards accepted, next to Çemberlitaş tram stop, across from the Burned Column, Vezirhan Caddesi 8, tel. 0212/522-7974, www.cemberlitashamami.com.tr).

Süleymaniye Hamamı—Another of Sinan's creations, these were built to be part of a larger mosque complex. Contact the baths for a complimentary two-way shuttle (co-ed, daily 9:00-24:00, right next to the Mosque of Süleyman the Magnificent, Mimar Sinan Caddesi 2, tel. 0212/519-5569 or 0212/520-3410, www.suleymaniyehamami.com).

Cağaloğlu Hamamı—This is one of the more attractive historical baths in Istanbul (segregated, daily 8:00-20:00, men's section open until 22:00, halfway between the Underground Cistern and the Grand Bazaar, Prof. Kazım Ismail Gürkan Caddesi 34, tel. 0212/522-2424, www.cagalogluhamami.com.tr).

Galatasaray Hamamı—Nicely restored, these baths have a more local clientele (segregated, men's section daily 7:00-22:00, women's section daily 8:00-20:00, a block off İstiklal street at Turnacibasi Sokak 24, general info tel. 0212/252-4242, men's section tel. 0212/244-1412, women's section tel. 0212/249-4342).