What is a Turkish Hammam?

How is Turkish Hammam? 

The word hammam, which is of Arabic origin, means a showering area with hot and cold water. within the lifetime of the Turks, hammams weren't only an area for bathing but also centers for health, and social and cultural activities. The hammams, which are constantly hot and have very high humidity, provide relief and relaxation by allowing the muscles to relax. The foremost important reason for this is often that it softens the skin and allows the upper layers to be easily peeled off and facilitates cleaning. The employment of water, which is one in all the vital needs of mortals, for health purposes, has led to the development of water spaces like baths and spas. Baths, which are one in all these building types, especially meet the washing and cleaning needs of individuals. From the past to the current, additionally to the aim of protecting general health like bathing, purification, beauty, and staying vigorous, bath applications are wont to get eliminate some ailments. In short, hammams are health, social and cultural centers that transcend just scrubbing and bathing, and supply body treatments for bodily and spiritual purification, holistic therapy, treatment through massage, and bodily beauty.

 

Turkish Hammam History

Hammam, which is identified with Turkish culture, historically dates back to the empire. The hammam, which became increasingly widespread after the Turkish tribes accepted Islam, contains a history dating back to times of yore. As a results of archaeological studies, the primary samples of today’s baths were found in Athens and are thought to possess been inbuilt the 5th century BC. The widespread use of recent baths although it dates back to Ancient Greece within the 5th century, it's not limited to the current region. It's been revealed by the excavations that there are similar structures in India, Egypt, and also the Aegean. Within the baths, which are believed to allow the trendy state of Roman civilization, it's thought that water was began to be heated by a central fire within the 1st century BC. It's estimated that there have been around 170 baths in Rome in 33 BC. In Roman times, these structures were called therma, and today this term forms the origin of the word “thermal”. The meeting of the Turks with the hamam dates back to 1584. The mother of Murat III, Nurbanu Sultan, had our world-famous architect Mimar Sinan build the Cemberlitas Bath, which is recorded because the first public bath. Cemberlitas Hamam continues to be in commission today. The baths, which were adopted by the general public in a very short time, became increasingly widespread and at the tip of the 16th century, approximately 5,000 baths began to serve in Istanbul alone. Most of those baths are established as private enterprises.

 

What are the Features of the Turkish Hammam?

Turkish baths differ from baths in other regions in several ways. Internal partitions play the most important role during this separation. Turkish baths generally comprises three parts are listed below:

Dressing: Dressing areas are the places where folks that visit the tub prepare to require off their clothes. Today it's prepared within the type of cabins or rooms.

Washing: The washing section forms the middle of the tub. during this section, different components like basin, halvet, and navel stone are used. Kurna is that the name of the section where the water flowing from the recent and cold water taps accumulates and everybody is washed one by one. The private room, on the opposite hand, is that the part that's within the kind of a closed room within the bath and allows the visitors to wash alone. The navel stone is that the marble structure within the center of the bathtub and therefore the scrubbing service is typically given on this stone.

Warming: The heating section within the baths is termed the furnace. It's located under the tub and also the fire is continually burning. this hearth is employed to heat both the tub and therefore the water.

 

What are the Advantages of Turkish Hammam?

Hammam could be a hydro-therapy treatment with hot steam, which encompasses a miraculous effect on everyone’s mental and wellbeing. The advantages of the tub, which is of interest and developed in our country, as in many civilizations, are as follows:

Relaxing Effects: The foremost general and popular advantage of the tub is that the relaxing effects it provides to the mind and body. A hammam provides relief from stress and pain, because of the refreshing effect of hot steam on both the body and also the mind. At the identical time, because of its refreshing and relaxing properties, the hammam is one among the simplest therapies to combat the strain and tension we experience daily.

Benefits to the Skin: Since the advantages of the bathtub are often divided into mental and physical, let’s continue with an example from the body. Due to steam and warmth, your pores will open and it'll be easier for clean steam to penetrate your skin. This can be the key to having wonderfully clear and youthful skin. The bathtub incorporates a soothing effect on this sort of cell renewal likewise as other skin problems. every kind of poisons can become trapped under your skin because of the microbes we are exposed to within the environment. Bathhouses help solve this problem by using heat to open your pores. A warm environment, which is about in order that it doesn't scald your skin, prevents contamination, and allows you to get rid of dead skin.

Benefits to Blood Circulation: It's also beneficial for your circulation, as more oxygen is carried to areas with damaged or weakened blood circulation due to the tub.

Positive Effects on Blood Pressure: Research shows that in a very bath, some people’s bodies release hormones that change their heartbeat. one amongst these hormones, called aldosterone, regulates your vital sign. When aldosterone is released while sitting in an exceedingly bathhouse, it can help lower high force per unit area.

Benefits to stress: Among the advantages of the tub, perhaps the foremost appealing thing to us is that it relieves stress. It's a beautiful therapy to throw a scrub and purify the body from dirt and rust, and our mind, which relaxes once we leave the bathtub, makes us feel superb. That’s why folks that begin of the tub often say that they “light sort of a bird”. So how does it do this? Being within the hammam can significantly reduce your body’s production of cortisol. Cortisol may be a hormone that regulates the extent of stress you're feeling. When your cortisol level drops, you're feeling more relaxed. Spending some minutes in a very relaxed state not only improves your health but also helps heal your mind.

 

Benefits for Breathing and Congestion: The good thing about this can be hidden in steam. Consider that if the steam you change while taking a shower reception improves you significantly, what proportion would a hammam be beneficial. Among the advantages of baths, nasal congestion and colds are the fastest solutions we are able to find. Baths create an environment that encourages deep and sound breathing. An old study on a bunch of children; found that children with tract infections recovered faster after Kizilcahamam Hamam and steam therapy than children who failed to receive this therapy.

Relaxing Benefits for Stiff Joints: One in all the notable points among the advantages of a shower is that it provides an amazing benefit to our joints. The foremost obvious example of this could lean by the warm-up movements that the athletes apply before training or competition. Warming up before training is critical to preventing injuries. ranging from here; we are able to say that as long because the joints and muscles don't seem to be warmed up enough, they'll hurt us. Sometimes we experience back, neck, and leg pain that doesn't flee for days. Sometimes a shower we do to stop this is often not enough, but the hamam is usually ready for this task.

Effects on the System: We are able to get a robust immune system that we want to stop getting the flu and getting sick through the baths. As a hydrotherapy application, baths are known to extend immunity. Keeping your body under warm water and hot steam stimulates infection-fighting cells.

Benefits for Losing Weight: One among the practices of these who want to reduce is many sports and exercise. during this way, the body that sweats allows us to slenderize by burning calories. If one amongst the tricks of the work is to sweat, then the baths where steam and warmth are intertwined also can facilitate your melt off.

Although how long you stay within the bath differs from person to person because of factors like your body characteristics, there's also the actual fact that you just burn calories among the advantages of the tub.

 

How does a Turkish Hammam Work?

According to the water used, Anatolian Turkish baths is divided into two natural quandary and artificial heating systems. Buildings built on a natural plight source and usually used for health purposes are called hot springs. Anatolian Turkish baths have a really important place in Turkish social life as they're the scene of the many social events associated with entertainment, birth, and marriage additionally as cleaning. Today, it's possible to work out hot and cold water pools, aromatic foam, mud, seaweed, clay, honey, and oil massages and body treatments within the baths, which are mostly used for cleaning, health, and wonder purposes. Traditional practices of Turkish Bath Culture are often evaluated in three classes in terms of health and application efficiency. It's recommended to try to to these three stages in terms of body care, body health, and beauty.

The working principles of Turkish baths are listed below:

1. Cleansing and Purification
2. Hammam Massages
3. Turkish Bath Body Treatments

All jewellery (gold, jewellery) and glasses must be removed before entering the tub. The metal heats up within the hammam and therefore the heated metal affects the capillaries and may also cause redness and irritation of the skin.

 

Contact lenses should be removed before entering the bathtub, as they'll cause eye irritation.

Since it's inconvenient for health to enter the tub with a full stomach, it's necessary to prevent eating and drinking before the bathtub. The food eaten before the bathtub creates tension within the vascular system. If a decent meal has been eaten, as before exercise, wait an hour or two before taking a shower. additionally, it's not right to require a shower or a shower on an empty stomach. Bathing uses your energy like an exercise, it causes loss of fluids and minerals, and a few people may experience nausea or fainting once they are exhausted. Therefore, taking into consideration the symptoms of your body, be sure to form a low-temperature and short-term bath. Also, avoid visiting the hammam if you're feeling physically exhausted.

It are often dangerous to enter within the presence of low or high pressure.

It is recommended to not enter within the presence of great heart diseases and breathing difficulties.

What must you Wear in Turkish Hammam?

While visiting the hammam, casual clothes are preferred, and it's necessary to wear comfortable and sporty clothes whenever possible. within the dressing areas within the bath, clothes and underwear are removed and placed in your bag. If you would like, it's possible to enter the bathtub with panties, but it's recommended to use an old panty because they'll constantly acquire contact with water and use soap. Before leaving the room, the body is roofed with a loincloth. Today, many Turkish baths offer products like loincloths and towels to their visitors. However, if you want, you'll also take your loincloth with you. Shoes and socks are removed within the room, and clogs which will not don the wet marble floor are worn. The clogs are offered to the visitors by the hamam, but if you want, you'll take your slippers with you. It's important to recollect that wet floors may be slippery and to steer carefully.

 

What is the Difference Between Hammam and Turkish Bath?

Turkish baths are extremely popular structures that appeal to an outsized number of users. However, as we mentioned before, there are many alternative sorts of baths belonging to other cultures. There's a shower culture both in many ancient civilizations and in numerous societies today. Samples of these are places like spas and saunas, moreover as structures like “onsen”, “banya” and “jimjilbang”. Although these structures show similarities to Turkish baths in various aspects, Turkish baths have differences from other styles of baths. The differences between Turkish baths from other kinds of baths cause users to form their choices per their preferences. If we want to speak about a number of these differences, we are able to list them as follows:

 

• One of the primary striking features of Turkish baths is that the baths utilized by women and men are kept separate. because of cultural reasons, different baths are used in line with gender in Turkish baths. there's no such distinction between the “thermae” structures utilized in Rome, which are the source of onsen, sauna, and Turkish baths.
• Turkish bath and massage are two inseparable subjects. The high humidity and temperature ratios in Turkish baths provide softening of the skin and straightforward removal of dirt and dead skin. After staying within the Turkish bath for a particular period, extra cleaning and relaxation are given scrub and massage applications. Traditionally, such a practice isn't drained another kinds of baths.
• The structures most compared to Turkish baths are spas and saunas. the most difference between spa centers from Turkish baths is that these structures are built-in thermal areas. there's no such requirement for the development of Turkish baths. additionally, the applications made in spas have a wider scope compared to Turkish baths. Sauna, on the opposite hand, draws attention as an easier structure. additionally, the temperature level in a very sauna is way beyond in a very Turkish bath, and therefore the humidity is lower. Today, many modern Turkish baths have sauna areas.
• An important feature of Turkish baths is their unique structures and architecture. These structures, which have a really old history, began to become widespread in our culture, especially within the Ottoman period. betting on this example, the architecture in Turkish baths was greatly influenced by Ottoman architecture. The Turkish bath includes many other elements further as functionality. There are separate sections like cold room, hot room, and changing rooms within the baths. one among the primary striking features of the outside of Turkish baths is that the widely used dome shape. aside from that, the external architecture of Turkish baths generally contains a rather plain appearance.

 

What are the Famous Turkish Hammams?

Turkish baths have had a significant importance for cleaning and hygiene throughout history. However, with the spread of bathrooms suitable for personal use over time, this priority task of Turkish baths fell into the background. Therefore, the employment of the Turkish bath, which was over again common, has decreased over time. a number of the less popular old Turkish baths are demolished or converted into museum-like structures. However, many historical Turkish baths have survived to this day. A number of these baths are restored and prepared to be used again. If we want to speak briefly about important historical Turkish baths, we are able to list a number of them as follows:

1. Cemberlitas Bath

Cemberlitas is one in all the historical baths that also functions as a shower. This bath was designed by Mimar Sinan and was inbuilt 1584. Cemberlitas Hamam is one in every of our famous hammams, located next to Cemberlitas, very near the Grand Bazaar. The bath, which was built by Selim’s wife Nur Banu Sultan, consists of two separate sections for men and girls. Cemberlitas was also called Valide Sultan and Rose Bath for ages. Evliya Celebi, who traveled the Ottoman lands and picked up what he saw in his work called Seyahatnâme, also refers to the building as Murat III’s Bath. It's possible to come back across Ottoman inscriptions on some navel stones within the bath. Although the Cemberlitas Bath was damaged over time, it had been reused as a results of restoration work.

 

2. Hagia Sophia Hurrem Sultan Hammam

The construction this bath, which was built by Hurrem Sultan, the wife of Suleiman the Magnificent, was completed in 1557. Mimar Sinan, the chief architect of the amount, broke new ground in Turkish bath architecture by constructing the men’s and women’s sections on the identical axis for the primary time. The bath, which was built by Hurrem Sultan as a charity, was used as a warehouse for several years. The bath, which was repaired between 1957 and 1958, was reopened in 2011 with its 5 centuries-old functions, that is, as a bath.

3. Historical Galatasaray Hamam

The hammam is found within the Galatasaray Complex and was built by Sultan II. It had been built by Beyazıt in 1481 along with the complex. Galatasaray Hammam, one in all the foremost magnificent and famous baths in Istanbul, was built by Sultan II. It had been made by Bayezid at the request of Gul Baba, one amongst the important figures of these times. Galatasaray Hamam, which appeals to centuries, has served many pashas, judges, grand viziers, and sultans. The Turkish bath continues to be one in every of the foremost preferred historical baths today.

4. The Suleymaniye Hamam

Forms a part of the mosque. The bath, which has been standing in Beyazit since 1557, consists of domes and chimneys lined up one after the opposite. At that point, the Suleymaniye Mosque and its social complex were built along with the bathtub. Additionally to the sections that girls and men can use each day, the special box section where Suleiman the Magnificent once bathed is that the a part of the bathtub that's used. Today, the tub still performs its functions. There's only 1 section for men and girls and you need to make a reservation before you go.

 

5. The Historical Vezneciler

Bath was built by the grand vizier Siyavus Pasha in 1582 to come up with income for the Suleymaniye madrasah. In line with other information, it had been attached as a mansion bath and later opened to the general public. In 1965, the dressing places were renovated as concrete. The historical Vezneciler Bath takes its name from the district where it's located. It's easy to achieve because it is near the Grand Bazaar, Beyazit Mosque, Sehzadebasi Mosque, and Suleymaniye Mosque.

Should You visit The Turkish Hammam in Turkey Trips?

Today, additionally to the extreme competition and hunt for innovation within the tourism sector, the change in consumer behavior, and conscious and selective approach increases the interest in several products and services. Therefore, Turkish Baths are a sexy touristic product both culturally and architecturally. Tourists, who meet the Turkish Bath, which has a crucial place in Turkish culture, cannot surrender on the Turkish Bath. The hammam experience, which starts with a sauna and continues with scrub and foam treatments, ends with a massage. Tourists coming from many countries, especially British tourists, come to the Turkish bath for the primary time and are available once more. you must come to Turkey to experience Turkish hospitality and also the pleasure of the Turkish bath and also the spots in Turkey that ought to be seen.