If we think of the ideal birthplace of the hammam, Istanbul immediately comes to mind. It is here in fact that Roman baths, Byzantine hedonism and Ottoman purification rites were able to coexist and evolve. Here in this cultural and religious panorama, cleanliness and care for the body and soul became the basis of sociability and daily life for everyone.
From these roots, Istanbul and the hammam became inextricable. The latest evolution, where western-style luxury has been added to oriental-style philosophical and spiritual demands, has made them celebrated and widespread also here at our end of the world.
Today in Istanbul alone, there are over 60 historically important hammams distributed close to every mosque in the various quarters of the city, plus very modern ones in the luxury hotels and tourism structures. The only points of contact between the two are the rigid separation of women from the men – each have different areas or times of the day – , their basic functions which are divided into three distinct zones, and the use of prevalently “pure” “eternal” materials like marble. The domed ceilings recalling the religious architecture are reminders of these purification rites, essential before praying or sacred ceremonies.
The experience of a traditional hammam is truly unique. Emotion and beauty surround you for over an hour during the three steps of its secular rule. It starts in the relaxing camekan, the vestibule where you can sit and relax before your bath and where you undress, receiving a pestemal, a cloth that covers your intimate parts. From there you enter the sogukluk, the transition area allowing you to acclimatize before entering the hararet, the hot room full of steam where you relax and sweat before your bath. Here, traditionally, was where two of the treatments were carried out: the cleaning of the skin with soap and a rough cloth for an energetic peeling effect, and a short vigorous massage. A pool may complete the treatment with a further pause of serenity and relaxation.
From this elementary tradition come all today’s treatments and resources enriching these places and functions with beautiful architecture and luxurious perfumed oils or innovative contemporary treatment technology.
This mystique puts the hammam, even in its more intimate versions like that of a private residence, into direct and magical correlation with the spiritual and meditative vision from which it was born centuries ago.
by Ilenia Girolami
