Hamam health and safety

Who should not book

• Guests who are pregnant
• Guests with heart or circulatory conditions
• Guests who are sensitive to heat or humidity and know it

Who should ask a doctor first

We are not qualified to clear you, and we will not pretend to be. Speak to your own doctor if any of the following applies, and then tell the hamam what they said:

• High or low blood pressure, or medication that affects it
• A recent operation, injury, or anything still healing
• A skin condition, or skin that is broken, sunburnt or freshly waxed
• Diabetes, or any condition affecting sensation in the skin
• Respiratory conditions affected by heat or humidity
• Anything else that makes you pause while reading this list

When to skip or postpone the massage and the kese

Some days are the wrong day for a scrub or a massage even when the rest of your holiday is fine. Nothing here is a diagnosis — it is the short list of situations where the sensible move is to wait, or not to book at all. Cancelling is free up to 48 hours before your session, and we will happily book you another day.

• Pregnancy — the hamam itself is not recommended during pregnancy, so this is a reason not to book rather than to skip only the massage.
• Heart or circulatory conditions — likewise not recommended: the heat is the issue, not just the massage. Speak to your doctor.
• Sunburn — postpone the kese. The American Academy of Dermatology says never to exfoliate skin that is sunburned.
• Open cuts or wounds — the same guidance: do not exfoliate over them. Wait until they have healed.
• A skin infection or an active skin condition — speak to your doctor before you book and tell the hamam; do not have the kese over affected skin without that conversation.
• A fever, or feeling properly unwell — postpone. The NHS advises people with symptoms of a respiratory infection and a high temperature to try to stay at home and avoid contact with others, and a warm, shared session is the opposite of that.
• Skin made sensitive by medication or skincare products — the AAD notes that some medicines and over-the-counter products make skin more sensitive or peel, and that exfoliating while using them can worsen dry skin or cause breakouts. Ask your doctor or pharmacist first.

Sources: American Academy of Dermatology, How to safely exfoliate at home; NHS, COVID-19 symptoms and what to do (both in English). We are not medically qualified and cannot tell you whether any of this applies to you — your doctor can.

On the day

• No alcohol before the session — heat and alcohol together are the single worst combination here
• Eat lightly, not heavily, and not immediately before
• Drink water before and after. Drinks at the hamam are not included in the price
• Get up slowly from the marble, and sit for a few minutes before you leave
• If you feel dizzy, light-headed or simply too hot, say so immediately — the staff will move you out of the heat and there is nothing at all awkward about it

Tell the hamam, not just us

Write it in the booking form and say it again to the attendant when you arrive. A sore shoulder, a healing scar, an allergy to a massage oil, sunburn across the back — all of it changes what they do and none of it is a problem if they know.

Allergies matter particularly for the oil and aroma massage at the end. Mention them before the session, not during it.

What we will not tell you

We will not tell you that a hamam detoxifies, cures anything, reduces weight, or improves a medical condition. It is a warm bath, a scrub and a massage, and it is very good at being that.

We are also not going to tell you it is risk-free. Heat is heat, and it deserves the small amount of respect set out on this page.