Turkish hamam etiquette
None of this is obvious the first time, and nobody explains it at the door. It is not complicated — it is just unfamiliar.
Keep your swimwear on, shower before you go in, sit rather than stand on wet marble, fill the basin and pour with the bowl instead of getting into it, keep your voice down, and tell the attendant what you want — pressure, a same-gender attendant, a part of the body to avoid. Tipping is customary and entirely optional. Nothing here is a test; attendants deal with first-timers all day.
What to keep on
Your own swimwear, throughout. Guests are not naked in the hamams on this site, and the peştemal you are given is worn over the top and is there to be moved around by the attendant as they work.
Traditional hamams have separate sections, and a same-gender attendant can be requested — say so when you book rather than on the day.
The bowl and the basin
The wall basins — kurna — are filled from the tap and used as a reservoir. You scoop water out with the bowl and pour it over yourself. You do not climb into the basin, and you do not wash directly in it.
Rinse the area around you when you move on. It is a shared room, and this is the whole of the etiquette around it.
How to behave in the hot room
- Shower before you go in
- Sit down rather than stand — the marble is slippery and the heat is stronger higher up
- Keep your voice low; sound carries hard off stone and under a dome
- Do not photograph other guests. If you want photographs of yourself, ask first — the hamam sells a photo service and it is not included
- No alcohol before the session, and eat lightly
Talking to the attendant
Tell them things. Pressure too firm, a shoulder that is sore, sunburn on your back, a recent operation, the fact that this is your first time — all of it is useful and none of it is an imposition.
A hamam attendant does this all day, every day. The one thing they cannot work around is a guest who says nothing and endures.
Tipping
Customary, optional, and not included in the price. Nobody will ask you and nobody will be rude if you do not. If you want to and are unsure how, a small note handed directly to the attendant at the end is the normal way.
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