One word, two meanings
Kese is the name of a mitt and of the scrub given with it. When a hamam programme lists kese as a stage, it means the scrub: an attendant with the mitt on one hand, working over your whole body.
Dry heat is what a sauna offers; a steam room gives you warm, steam-laden air. A Turkish bath adds two stages that neither of them has: the scrub with the kese mitt, and then the foam wash.
The scrub belongs to a long regional custom of bathing. Under the Ottomans the hamam became a fixture of daily social life, somewhere people gathered and not only somewhere they washed. At its simplest a hamam is warmth, water, a scrub and rest in company, and the kese is the scrub.
Where the kese comes in the day
In the usual running order, you do not start with the kese. Arrival and check-in come first, followed by a warm-up spent between sauna and steam room. The scrub comes after that.
Then comes the foam, which is washing and massage in the same stage. After that you have the basic aromatic oil massage, which lasts around 20 minutes. A rest follows, and the drive back to your hotel ends the day.
Sequence and pace may differ from one hamam to the next, and a busy day can change them too. That is also why the kese gets no length of its own here: no single figure would hold for every hamam.
What happens during the scrub
An attendant gives the kese. You do not scrub yourself; the attendant does the work with the mitt.
You keep your swimwear on while you are scrubbed, just as you do for the rest of the programme. Nobody goes without it in the hamam.
We do not describe the pressure in advance, for the same reason we give no length: it is not something we can promise for every hamam. If any part of the scrub is uncomfortable, let the attendant know at once.
If you would prefer a same-gender attendant, mention it in the notes of your booking. We send the request on to the hamam; it stays a request, and we cannot promise it.
Who should check first
Because the kese is worked over the skin, a skin condition should be raised twice: with your doctor beforehand, and with the hamam before the session begins. The same goes for a recent operation or injury, for blood pressure that is raised or low, and for any other medical condition.
We advise against the Turkish bath for pregnant guests, for people with heart or circulatory trouble, and for anyone who finds heat or humidity hard to bear. This applies to the whole programme and not just the scrub, since the kese follows time in the sauna and steam room.
Children are welcome alongside a parent, under whatever rules the hamam serving your area applies. The massage stages are intended for adults, and we ask for every child's age at the booking stage.
Before your hamam day
You do not need to pack anything for the scrub itself. The kese mitt comes with the included stage, so it is not on the list of things to bring.
For the day as a whole, have no alcohol beforehand and keep to a light meal. Bring swimwear, since you wear it from start to finish in the hamam.
In your bag: comfortable clothes, flip-flops or comfortable shoes, a bottle of water and, if you prefer your own, toiletries. Facilities are not the same at every hamam, so if a particular item matters to you, check with us before the day. Our questions and answers go further.
Kese and the Basic price
You will find the kese in what the Basic programme includes, beside the sauna, steam room, foam and oil massage, and it carries no extra charge. Outside the price are drinks and refreshments, photo and video, tips and personal expenses, and longer or premium massages, which cannot be booked on this website.
The transfer is part of it as well: hotel pickup for guests staying in Belek, Kadriye or Boğazkent, and the ride back afterwards. Your hotel and its transfer area decide which hamam you are taken to, and the programme is the same whichever one it is. Door to door, allow about 2.5–3 hours.
Once you have booked, we confirm when you will be collected. That time is worked out per hotel, and it marks when you leave the hotel, not when the hamam programme begins.
The price is €25 for each adult from age 11, €12.50 for each child from 4 to 10, and nothing for children under 4. When you book the Belek Turkish bath, the form asks for no card details and takes no money online; payment happens at the hamam, on the day you go. Cancelling costs nothing up to 24 hours ahead.
Questions
Does kese hurt?
We cannot say in advance how firm it will be; that is not something we can promise for every hamam. If anything is uncomfortable, tell the attendant there and then. If you have a skin condition, speak to a doctor beforehand and tell the hamam before you begin.
Do I scrub myself, or does an attendant do it?
The attendant does it, using the kese mitt. It normally comes after the sauna and steam room.
Does the kese cost extra?
No. The scrub is covered by the Basic price along with the sauna, steam room and foam, and so is the basic aromatic oil massage, which lasts about 20 minutes.
