The rest of the week was packed with excitement and FOOD. Most days we busied ourselves by wandering popular walking streets, guided by our stomachs or whatever shiny thing caught our attention. Turkey wasn’t the cheapest place we’ve been to, but it was affordable enough for us to indulge in a few luxuries.
One of my favorite things to do in Istanbul was lounge at one of the many cafes. It was mostly because they were perfectly set up for exactly that, lounging. Carpets, low tables and tons of pillows were thrown together in the comfiest of ways.
Turkish people, especially the men, drink gallons of tea. So, we ended up drinking unhealthy amounts of black tea (1 lira/$.70) while laying around playing cards and smoking flavoured shisha (10 lira/$8).
One afternoon, after our first and only visit to the baths, Neil and I spent, literally, hours at our favorite place, sampling everything off the menu.
The baths, you ask? Well, there’s a first for everything. I understood the general idea, but going through the motions of having someone else wash your ENTIRE body, is another thing completely. When in Rome….
First off, men and women had separate bathing areas. So right from the start I was on my own. I was guided upstairs to a dressing room and told to take off my clothes, replacing them with a spa like robe. I read previously that most girls keep their underwear on, so I did, erring on the side of caution. After leaving my belongings in a locker, I wrapped the white cotton robe around myself and headed to the “bathing room”.
The Bathing Room was incredible. Simply stunning. This particular bath house (Cemberlitas Hamami) was a touch pricey (95 lira) based on the history and most definitely because of this room. In the middle of the room stood a gigantic grey marble table for the bathers to lay on. The ceilings were vaulted 30feet high with mini stars carved out to let natural light shine through.
The air was warm, almost hot, with the light scent of soap. I was greeted by an older Turkish lady who motioned for me to take my place on the marble table.
There were only a few other girls in the ancient room, most of whom were in the process of being washed so I had only one girl to take a cue from. She was topless laying face down. I mimicked her position. As I laid half naked and vulnerable the minutes started to pass and I became quite curious. I noticed that the room was almost full compared to when I arrived. Some girls had there bras on and were told to remove them so they wouldn’t be in the way. Some girls pranced around naked and were told to lay down and put their underwear back on. I thought that was pretty funny.
My turn! A middle aged lady wearing only a bra and underwear (like most of the Turkish bathers) flipped me over and started washing. Feet, legs, belly, breasts(!) neck, back, bum, it was all on the program. First soap, then a rinse with warm water. There was no messing around and definitely no modesty from the lady scrubbing me down. A short couple steps to a chrome faucet and she began to wash my hair. It was really quite nice. Almost loving.
Once it was over she directed me to another room with a heated marble pool where I could stay as long as I liked. Because Neil and I are total brats, we opted for the ‘luxury’ package which included a half hour oil massage. It was very nice indeed.
After the whole treatment I met Neil in the lobby. He described pretty much the same experience except that the men didn’t have a pool (Ha Ha!). It was just bliss for the rest of the day. (see above)
If you have the opportunity to have a Turkish bath. Do it! My only regret is that we only did it the once.
~Josie