Soaking in the culture of a real Turkish bath | Quigley

This year’s summer vacation included two days in Istanbul, where we wanted to soak up as much of the culture as possible. So, we took that soaking part literally and booked a Turkish bath. Although no one was sure what to expect, five women and four men signed on.

We chose the Hurrem Sultan Hamami Bath, originally built in the 16th century for the country’s most powerful woman, Roxelana, wife of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. It operated for 450 years as a bath but closed in 1910 and was later used for many purposes, including housing prisoners and selling carpets.