The Luxury of a Turkish Bath

In Irfan Orga's book Portrait of a Turkish Family* he gives a vivid account of his grandmother's excursions to the local Turkish bath. He paints a colorful picture of how she would oversee the cook's preparations, the accoutrements she would bring along, and the hushed conversations that took place within the marbled walls. It is a romantic picture of life before the war when such events had much more significance in daily life.

Light streams into a Turkish bath

Image from jefield on flickr

Today it is still possible to cross the threshold of Istanbul's oldest hammams and find yourself transported to a more indulgent time. It's where women would prepare days in advance to go gossip with their friends and where mothers would visit to find proper wives for their sons.

Çemberlitaş Hammam, Istanbul

Photograph by Giovanni Simeone/SIME-4Corners

from National Geographic

And it's where National Geographic recommends you visit at least once in this lifetime. In fact, Reuters reports that the popularity of hammams is on the rise along with the development of the spa industry and this kind of luxury tourism.

What other excuses do you need to indulge?


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