Turkish Hammams and the Art of Meaningful Idleness

Welcome back to our series covering the history of bathhouses. While our bathhouse in Brooklyn takes inspiration from a variety of bathing cultures, Turkish traditions are present in our body treatment (Hammam Scrub) and heated seating fixtures (hammams). 

Turkish bathhouses were first popularized nearly 3,000 years ago. They typically consist of three main areas: a hot steam room with a large marble stone at the center, a warm room with pools for bathing, and a cool room for resting.

A typical hammam visit usually includes a body scrub. An abrasive mitt called a “kese” is used to exfoliate the skin. Our Hammam Scrub treatment offers a similar experience, vigorously buffing away dullness.

Ottoman sultans and Byzantine emperors were known to enjoy a scrub at a hammam before attending a chariot race. Following the scrub, people lay on a warm marble slab called the, “gobek tasi,” in a warm room. These rooms often feature geometric patterns and intricate tile and ceramics.

Hammams were also a space where major life events were celebrated, and bathing rituals were incorporated into weddings and births. Bathhouses remain popular gathering places and still incorporate the Turkish philosophy of “keyif,” which loosely translates to the concept of “meaningful idleness.” 

Sometimes, the most productive thing to do is nothing at all… on purpose.

Read more about bathing culture in: Russia and Ancient Rome.