What is a foam massage?

Foam wash and foam massage

The Basic programme lists the foam as a single treatment in two parts: a foam wash and a foam massage. In the running order it is one step, so think of it as one stage in which you are washed with foam and massaged with it.

The foam wash and the kese mitt are what mark out a Turkish bath. A sauna offers dry heat and a steam room offers heat thick with steam; neither comes with a scrub or with foam.

We give no length for the foam on its own. The only stage we can put a rough time on is the oil massage, at about 20 minutes; the timing of everything else can vary with the hamam and with how busy the session is.

Where the foam comes in the programme

The sauna and the steam room open the session. The kese scrub is the first treatment, and the foam follows once the scrub is finished.

After the foam, the programme turns to a basic aromatic oil massage of about 20 minutes. A spell of rest comes after it, and then the transfer returns you to your hotel.

Not every hamam keeps precisely this order or tempo, and a busy session has a rhythm of its own. The stages themselves are the same at whichever hamam serves your hotel.

The foam and the hamam tradition

The hamam has its roots in a bathing tradition that goes back a long way in this region, and in Ottoman times it became part of everyday social life. It was somewhere to meet people as well as somewhere to wash.

Heat, water, a scrub and a rest with others around you: that is its core, and the foam belongs to the washing side of it, between the scrub and the rest.

The photographs here illustrate the programme rather than your own hamam, which may not look like them. The foam stage is part of the Basic programme wherever you go.

What to wear, and asking for an attendant

Swimwear stays on during the foam and every other stage; at no point is a guest naked in the hamam.

If you would prefer an attendant who shares your gender, add a line to the notes field as you book. We pass the wish on to the hamam, but it stays a request and not a promise.

Tipping the attendants is the custom, but it is entirely up to you and is not part of the fare.

Foam massage and oil massage are not the same

The Basic programme has two massage stages. The foam massage belongs to the wash and follows the kese. The oil massage is a separate stage later on: a basic aromatic oil massage of about 20 minutes.

Let us know about any allergy in advance of the oil massage; the booking notes are the simplest place for it.

We do not recommend the Turkish bath to pregnant guests, to guests with heart or circulatory problems, or to anyone who reacts badly to heat or humidity. Guests whose blood pressure is high or low, who have a skin complaint, who have had an operation or injury recently, or who have any other medical condition should get a doctor's opinion first and brief the hamam before the session.

Both massage stages were planned with adult guests in mind. Children are welcome with a parent, on the terms of whichever hamam serves your area; please give their ages when you book.

The Basic price includes this one oil massage. Masks and other extra treatments, and any longer or premium massage, sit outside the Basic price and cannot be booked through this website. Questions about them are welcome on WhatsApp.

Foam in the Basic programme

The foam treatment appears in what the Basic programme includes, alongside the sauna, steam room, kese and oil massage. There is no charge on top for it.

The price also covers the transfer there and back, with hotel pickup across Belek, Kadriye and Boğazkent. The hamam is picked to suit your hotel's transfer area, so guests at two different hotels may end up in different buildings.

Guests from 11 upwards pay €25. A child between 4 and 10 pays €12.50, and a child of 3 or younger pays nothing. No payment is taken when you book; you pay in person at the hamam when you go, and a cancellation made 24 hours or more in advance is free.

Plan for about 2.5–3 hours from pickup to return. We send your pickup time once the booking is in, ahead of the day. Hotels get different times, and the one you receive is for the transfer, which is a different thing from the hamam's own start time.

Before the session, skip alcohol and eat only lightly. Pack swimwear and water, clothes you are comfortable in, flip-flops or other easy footwear, and your own toiletries if you would rather use them. Drinks and refreshments are not in the fare. When you are ready, book the Belek Turkish bath online, or read our questions and answers first.