All posts tagged: Turkish bath

On Losing My Turkish Hamam Virginity.

She leads me by my hand up the stairs, grabbing a towel on the way andΒ muttering something in Turkish to another woman in the room. In aΒ small glass cubicle, handing me the towel, she says in her firstΒ English words to me, ‘take off everything and wear this.’ I look atΒ her a little puzzled as she shuts the transparent door and waitsΒ outside. I’m at a Hamam aka the much famed Turkish Bath, and no amountΒ of googling could make this situation feel less awkward. For the uninitiated, a Hamam is a sort of traditional group spa from the Ottoman era, complete with steam bath & massage, typically with separate chambers for men & women. I contemplate for a few seconds, and recalling the advise I’ve readΒ online, I decide to go topless below the towel but keep my underpantsΒ on. I step out the cubicle and follow my lady through passages withΒ gradually increasing levels of steam, and enter a massive area withΒ high marble ceilings where four women are chatting in Turkish, nakedΒ except underwears, some being lathered & massaged, others …