If this is your first hamam
A first visit raises a few practical questions: what goes on inside, what to wear, and whether you are supposed to know what to do. This page answers them one by one.
The hamam comes from an old bathing tradition in this region, and under the Ottomans it turned into a normal part of daily social life: people went to see one another, not only to wash. Its essentials are simple: warmth, water, a scrub and a rest in company. The Basic programme keeps to that outline, moving from heat to scrub and foam, then to the massage and time to relax.
Nothing has to be learned in advance. An attendant takes care of the kese and the foam. What falls to you is getting ready, and telling us about anything important when you book.
What happens, stage by stage
It starts at your hotel, with hotel pickup from Belek, Kadriye or Boğazkent. From there, an air-conditioned vehicle drives you to whichever hamam is assigned to your hotel's transfer area, and you check in when you get there. Two guests staying in different hotels can end up at different hamams, yet both follow the same programme.
The session opens with heat: some time in the sauna, some in the steam room. After the heat comes the kese: an attendant scrubs you from head to foot with a textured mitt, which is also called a kese.
Then the foam, which is a wash and a massage at once: the attendant covers you in soapy foam and works it over you. The basic aromatic oil massage follows, lasting around 20 minutes, and the programme closes with a period of rest before your ride back to the hotel.
Read that order as the usual one, not a fixed rule. It can differ between hamams, and when a session is busy the timing moves around. We put no times on the individual stages, the massage apart. For the whole outing, pickup to drop-off, allow about 2.5–3 hours.
What to wear
Swimwear, for the whole of your time in the hamam. It stays on in the heat, during the scrub and the foam, and for the massage too; nobody takes it off at any point.
For the ride there and back, comfortable clothes work well, with comfortable shoes or flip-flops. Put a bottle of water in your bag, since the fare leaves out drinks and refreshments, and add your own toiletries if you prefer them.
What is on hand for guests, towels or somewhere to keep your belongings for instance, differs from one hamam to the next, so we promise neither. If it matters, send us a message before your day.
Telling us what you prefer
The booking form has a notes box, and that is where requests belong. Would you like an attendant of your own gender? Note it there and we will send it on to the hamam, though only as a request; we are not able to promise it.
Allergies go in the same box, because we need to know about them before the oil massage.
See your doctor before booking if your blood pressure tends to be high or low, or if you have a skin complaint, an operation or injury not long behind you, or another medical condition. The hamam should hear about it from you too, ahead of your session.
What not to do beforehand
Skip alcohol before the hamam entirely, even a single glass.
Keep what you eat beforehand light, and save the bigger meal for later.
Three things mean we would advise you not to book: pregnancy, a heart or circulatory problem, and sensitivity to heat or to humid air.
Lastly, your pickup time is not the moment the hamam starts. It marks when the transfer reaches your hotel, it differs from one hotel to another, and we confirm it after you book, ahead of your hamam day. Please be waiting at your hotel by then.
Booking a first visit
Once you decide to book the Belek Turkish bath, a short form asks for a date, your hotel and its pickup area, the number of guests in each age group, your name, and a phone or WhatsApp number. Dates start from tomorrow, and you see the total before confirming. There is no card to enter and no charge online: you pay the fare at the hamam when the day comes, and cancellation is free until 24 hours beforehand.
From age 11, the fare is €25. A child of 4 to 10 costs €12.50, and children aged 3 or younger pay nothing. Transport to the hamam and back is included in every fare.
It helps to look at what the Basic programme includes before you choose, along with the things it excludes: tips, drinks, photo and video, and any longer or premium massage, which is outside the Basic price and cannot be bought on this site. For anything this page leaves open, see our questions and answers.
Questions
Will I need to undress completely at the hamam?
No. You wear swimwear from start to finish, and no guest is naked in the hamam at any stage.
Should I eat before my first Turkish bath?
Only lightly. Keep any meal before the session small, and drink no alcohol beforehand.
What if I have an allergy?
Tell us before the oil massage. Writing it in the notes box on the booking form is the simplest way.
