Below picture is a scene from movie called "Bagno Turco"
An Italian movie by a Turkish Director, Ferzan
Ozpetek The woman speaks to her husband
in the movie:
"At least I am not cheating you with other women"
The man replies: "me, neither !"
GAY TURKISH BATHS IN ISTANBUL
We are not listing most of the gay/cruisy Turkish baths here upon the requests of
their owners, because they can still be closed by an obsolete law that
forbids action in public places. (This law has nothing to do with the gay
action specifically, and it definitely does not have any punishment for the individuals involved, but
is just a reason to close the venue for a while)
So,
we would recommend you to find these places by asking the other gay people
that you will meet in other gay venues.
In fact there are a few hamams (Turkish baths) worth visiting for gay
people, and their prices are twice more than they normally would be, just
because they allow gay action. Besides, they are not very well kept and
clean.
REGULAR HISTORICAL TURKISH
BATHS - NOT GAY
CAGALOGLU HAMAM
Cagaloglu Hamam (=Turkish bath) was built about 300 years ago on an area
of 2834 sq.mt . It is considered
the last sample of its category and the architectural design is
astonishing. It is open everyday. The bathing hours for men are 07:00 -
22:00 and for women 08:00 - 20:00 hours. It also has a café as famous as
itself.
Address: Prof. Kazim Ismail Gurkan Caddesi 34, Cagaloglu (Across from the
Iranian Consulate) Phone: (212) 522 24 24
Web:
Cagalogluhamami.com.tr
CEMBERLITAS HAMAM
This hamam built in 1584 was also very popular among the Ottoman Sultans.
It is considered to be one of the most important examples of 16th century
Ottoman architecture.
Address: Vezirhan Caddesi 8, Cemberlitas Phone:
+90(212) 520 18 50
Web:
Cemberlitashamami.com.tr GALATASARAY HAMAM
Opening Hours: 08:00 am-10:00 pm
Address: Turnacibasi Sokak 24 Beyoglu, Istanbul +90 212 2524242
This hamam was used exclusively by men for almost 500 years. This all
changed in 1963 with the addition of a small section for women. However,
aside from this little addition, not much else has been altered. It was
originally built in 1481 during the reign of Beyazit II and contains many
pretty details, such as the intricate tile work at the entrance to the
steam room in the men's section. One major feature here are the marble
slabs where bathers can be massaged in semi-privacy rather than on the
heated central navel stone. The admission price includes a full service,
including massage. Admission is about 20 Euro
Web:
Galatasarayhamami.com
WHAT IS A HAMMAM ? The
Turkish hammam (also Turkish bath or hamam) is the Middle Eastern variant
of a steam bath, which can be categorized as a wet relative of the sauna.
They had played an important role in cultures of the Middle-East, serving
as places of social gathering, ritual cleansing and as architectural
structures, institutions, and (later) elements with special customs
attached to them. Europeans learned about the Hammam via contacts with
Turkey hence the European name for it: "Turkish" hammam.
Taking a Turkish bath firstly involves relaxing in a room (known as the
warm room) that is heated by a continuous flow of hot dry air allowing the
bather to perspire freely. Bathers may then move to an ever hotter room
(known as the hot room) before splashing themselves with cold water. After
performing a full body wash and receiving a massage, bathers finally
retire to the cooling-room for a period of relaxation.
In Turkey, the advent of modern plumbing systems, showers, and bathtubs in
homes caused the importance of hammams to fade in recent times.
A typical hammam consists of three interconnected basic rooms similar to
its Roman ancestors: the sicaklik (or hararet -caldarium) which is the hot
room, the warm room (tepidarium) which is the intermediate room and the
sogukluk which is the cool room. The sicaklik usually has a large dome
decorated with small glass windows that create a half-light; it also
contains a large marble stone at the center that the customers lie on, and
niches with fountains in the corners.
