Okay, here’s the thing. I have wanted to take a Turkish Bath (known as Hamman) since we visited Istanbul a couple of years ago. However, as there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell (or a catscanner) that Robert, my self-diagnosed Asberger’s Syndrome husband, would come with me…so, I didn’t. I really just didn’t want to go by myself! (Katy, where are you when I need you???)
When we got here Sunday night, we met a very nice Canadian couple, Colleen and Martin, and they had just come from the local hamman and were raving about how wonderful it was. I had Colleen very carefully go over the process with me, but still was shy. However, as we finished with the wonderful Antalya Museum and got back to the hotel around noon, I decided it was now or never…almost was never, until Robert reminded me about something Leonard Hofstader said on “Big Bang Theory” – at the end of your life, it’s not the things you did that you regret, rather the things you didn’t do! So…taking my courage in both hands, I visited the hamman.
Paid the 40 Turkish Lira, and was directed into the women’s side, where two middle-age ladies were sitting. They gave me a pestamal, or small towel, and led me to a small locking dressing room. So, I changed into the towel and plastic clogs, and headed out. I was first taken in a room about 8’ x 8’ with a marble basin on each of the four walls, and Lady #1 turned on two taps – a cold and a hot, so that water ran right into the marble basin beneath it; the basin was probably a good foot around. Lady #1 washed the bench next to the basin, and motioned me to sit down. She then took a metal bowl, about 10” across, scooped some of the water in the basin, and poured it over my back. She did this a couple of times, and then handed me the bowl with instructions to keep pouring…so, I did. I’m not sure how long I was there, but probably 15 minutes or so, and the hot water tap was getting progressively warmer…which got me to thinking about Robert’s analogy of the frog (see note below)…however, back to the bath.
In about 15 or 20 minutes or so, Lady #1 appeared in a bathing suit, and beckoned me to come with her – which I did, into a big square room with a rectangular marble slab, about 2’ high. On to the slab, face first where upon every square inch of my skin was scrubbed with the Turkish equivalent of a tuffy pad, in the form of a very rough glove. This is the exfoliation part of it, and I think I probably lost at least a pound or two of dead skin – I could feel it rolling off in my fingers! And then, over, of course, so we can do the other side! This was interspersed with bowls of warmish water thrown on me, to rinse me off. She did at one point surprise me with a COLD bowl of water – which was certainly a shock!
Once that was over, Lady #1 came up with what looked like a bucket with soap and a Turkish (naturally) towel. I don’t know how she did it, but she squirted soap bubbles out of the folded up towel, all over me! There were bubbles everywhere, and probably at least 6 or 7 inches around me! (And I do love bubbles…) So all this time I’m lying on the marble slab, with soap bubbles all around – let me tell you, I was slipping and sliding all over the place! At one point, I almost slid off the table! So, now I was washed all over. Finally, I was led off the slab (carefully!) and led to another marble basin, where I got rinsed all over, washed my hair (I did that part) and came out squeaky clean, and into Lady #2’d capable hands.
This nice lady first wrapped a real towel around me, and also one for my hair. I then was seated in a waiting room, where a nice cup of apple tea was waiting for me. Once I had rested sufficiently, I was led into another room, for my oil massage. Lady #2 was an excellent masseuse, and I enjoyed it very much. When she was through, she pronounced “Finish!” and I was done! Back this time to the locked changing room, and finally, out into the sunshine once again – a definitely cleaner and more scrubbed person than I was before! Wow! I think I could do this again someday!
Yours from the hamman,
m
xxx
[Note: If you drop a frog into a pot of very hot water, it will jump out. But if you put a frog into a pot of cold water and then heat it, he will acclimate to the rising temperature and stay put. Until it’s too late…]
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