The kese scrub, explained
It is a glove. It is also the reason a hamam is not a sauna, and the part of the hour that people talk about afterwards.
A kese is a coarse woven mitt, and the kese is also the name of what is done with it: an attendant scrubs your whole body with it after you have warmed through, lifting off the layer of dead skin that heat and sweat have loosened. It is firm rather than painful, it takes a few minutes, and the grey rolls that come off are normal and happen to everyone. It is included in the price of every programme on this site.
Why the heat comes first
A kese on cold, dry skin is unpleasant and does very little. That is the entire reason the sauna, the steam room and the warm marble come first: heat and moisture loosen the outermost layer so that the mitt can take it away in one pass instead of scratching at it.
It is also why a hamam cannot be rushed. If someone offers you a fifteen-minute hamam, what they are offering is a scrub without the preparation.
What it feels like
Firm, rhythmic and quite fast. The attendant works in sections — one arm, then the other, back, legs — and turns you over halfway. It takes a few minutes in total.
It should not hurt. If it is too much, say so; attendants adjust the pressure constantly and are not remotely offended. Skin that is sunburnt, broken, freshly shaved or waxed is the one case where you should speak up before rather than during.
The grey rolls
Everyone asks. What comes off is dead keratin — the outer layer your skin is already discarding — rolled up by the friction of the mitt. It is not dirt, and the amount says nothing about how often you shower.
People coming off a beach holiday tend to produce noticeably more, because sun, salt and sand accelerate the shedding.
Afterwards
Your skin will be smoother than it has been in years and slightly more sensitive for a day. Three sensible precautions follow from that:
- Go easy on strong sun for the rest of the day, and use sunscreen properly
- Skip harsh exfoliants, strong acids and aggressive shaving for a day or two
- Moisturise — the oil massage at the end of the programme has already started this for you
How often is sensible
For most people, once every few weeks is plenty, and once in a holiday week is the obvious answer. Doing it daily is not a virtue; the skin needs the layer you keep removing.
If the rest of your week is the beach, do the hamam early in the trip. It is the kind of plan that is easy to postpone until there is no day left for it.
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