In Sultanahmet square (Istanbul), there is a non-descript building between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. Most people just walk past it….
When I visit for the Devfest conference, I always take the time to visit (and I invite anyone on our team to attend as well).
There are actually 2 entrances to the Hagia Sophia Hurrem Sultan Bathhouse as there is a strict divide between women and men. I have only seen inside the men’s section but I am told they are identical. Inside you find a reception which looks like something out of One thousand and one Arabian nights complete with a fountain.
Here you are given a private changing room to slip into a pair of disposable pants and a towel before sitting in the reception area to await your attendant (always the same sex as you). They will lead you into the heated section. Here you will be washed down with warm water and scrubbed to remove old skin and then covered in clay. Some time to sit and ponder life….
The clay is washed off and you are led to the heated raised section in the middle where you lie on the heated surface. You will be covered in bubbles and massaged from head to foot. You choose how vigourous this is!
You probably need a bit of a rest after all that, so you will be taken back to reception where you lie on your own couch, drinking tea or fruit juice and eating fresh fruit or Turkish delight. Your session is completed with a massage upstairs and a face mask and you return to your changing room and reality feeling amazing!
The experience is definitely not cheap but I think it worth every penny. I describe it as ‘the best two hours of your life’, and no-one I have taken along has ever disagreed…
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