How to recognise a clean, trustworthy hamam before you book

The checklist

Eight things a booking you can trust states before you pay anything. Next to each one is how this site answers it, so you can hold us to the same standard.

• A price with what it buys. A fare and a list of inclusions, not a teaser figure with the rest settled at the desk. Ours: prices by region, with the included and excluded lists on every region page.
• The transfer, stated rather than implied. Is pickup in the price, from which areas, and what happens if your hotel is not listed? Ours: round-trip transfer is included from every pickup area we list; an unlisted hotel gets an enquiry, never an invented fare. How the transfer works.
• Extras named as extras. Longer massages, masks, drinks and photos should be called extras before you arrive, not discovered on the marble. Ours: what is included and what is sold at the hamam.
• Who you are booking with. A company name and, for a Turkish travel agency, a TÜRSAB licence number you can check yourself. Ours: Murat Atalay Travel Agency, TÜRSAB licence No. 11294 — you can check it yourself on TÜRSAB's own page (see below).
• Textiles provided. A peştemal, a towel and slippers should be part of the offer, not something you are asked to rent. Ours: all three are provided. What to bring and wear.
• How the session is run. The stages, roughly how long the whole outing takes, whether the session is shared, and whether a private one exists. Ours: sauna, steam room, warm marble, kese, foam and an oil and aroma massage of about 20 minutes; about 2.5–3 hours door to door; sessions are mixed, and a private session is available on request — ask us for its price. Step by step.
• Payment and cancellation, in writing. When you pay, how much up front, and until when you can cancel without charge. Ours: nothing is charged online, you pay at the hamam on the day, and cancelling is free up to 48 hours before.
• Health restrictions said out loud. An honest operator tells you who should not go, not only who should. Ours: health and safety.

Cleanliness: what to ask, because we cannot show you

We are not going to describe our venues' cleaning routines or the attendants' training on this page. They are not on our written record, and a reassuring paragraph we cannot back up is exactly what this checklist tells you to distrust. What you can do is ask — us before you book, or the hamam when you arrive:

• Are the peştemal and towel I am given freshly laundered?
• Is the kese mitt new, or how is it cleaned between guests?
• How often are the marble, the basins and the steam room cleaned during the day?
• Who does the scrub and the massage, and can I ask for lighter pressure or a same-gender attendant?
• Where do I leave my belongings while I am inside?

A straight answer to a plain question is a good sign; evasion is not. If anything on the day does not match what you were told in writing, tell us straight away.

Warning signs

• A price with no list of what it includes
• "Transfer available" with no word on whether it is in the price
• Full prepayment or card details demanded for a session you know nothing else about
• No company name, no address for complaints, no licence number
• Health questions brushed aside, or health benefits promised
• A price that shifts once you are already in your swimwear

Checking a TÜRSAB licence

TÜRSAB is the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies, and a licensed agency carries its number. You can check a number on TÜRSAB's own digital verification page (in Turkish). Ours is 11294.

A licence tells you who is responsible for your booking. It does not inspect a hamam's floor — which is why the questions above still matter.