Imagine this; you're walking down the high street and you bump into an old friend. 'How are you doing?' she asks.



'How am I doing what?'

'You know, how are you getting along. I haven't seen you in a while.'

'I'm fine and you?blah,blah,blah, and so it goes on until suddenly you ask 'Fancy having a bath with me tonight?'

'Love to,' she says 'see you around eight-thirty.'

This would have been normal behaviour amongst the Ottomans that seized Istanbul, or Byzantium as it was then known. Hamams (Baths) were already in the city before Mehmed II took control, but rather than destroy the legacy left by the Romans, he decided to use the parts that pleased him, especially the baths.

'Don't forget your towel,' you say as you part.

'No I won't.'

As is often the case in Turkey, things aren't quite what they seem. You see, Turkish Baths were either copied from Roman or Greek designs or are simply Byzantium Baths rebuilt, however it was the Ottomans who elevated the idea from a place for a quick scrub, to a must visit venue for any aspiring socialite. With Islamic law overseeing society, the baths served as places of entertainment, as well as being a shop window for young girls to show off their..erm..goods, to prospective future Mothers-in Law. I must quickly add at this juncture that men and women used separate facilities, although in modern times there are many mixed Hamams.

'And your henna,' you remind your friend as a parting shot.

'No, no problem, I'll bring it.'

The Hamams also became an indispensible part of religious culture. The Koran states that cleanliness is imperative, in fact the Hanafi branch of Islam, which takes in the Sunni Turks, requires that all body hair be removed, and I mean all. Women were apt to use a hair removing ointment called Rusma, which incidentally, contains arsenic, however at the time of Ottoman rule, hair removal was a more important issue for men. A female concubine was employed to remove body hair from women, so it was down to the baths for wax and a chat, and quite often it would take all day. Even wealthy women who had their own hamam in their home would occasionally pop into the local to find out what had been happening.

'And your brush,' you cry, not wishing her to arrive ill equipped.

'Righto, see you later.'

The women who kept their hair, would wrap in a linen cloth and arrange their eyebrows, or dye their hair. There was much to do and it wasn't unusual for people to take their pets along, or a troop of belly dancers to keep them entertained. The situation arose that husbands disapproved of their wives visiting public hamams, but the lady of the house simply had to cite religious reasons, and the need to stay virtuous by washing, to get her way, so the tradition continued.

'Your Cretan Soap, I nearly forgot.'

'I didn't.' she's beginning to sound a miffed by now.

It is said that there were more than 4,500 private hamams and 300 public ones in 17th century Istanbul, and even more appeared in the following century. Today, the ones that remain are very special places indeed. If you fancy a visit to remove the grime and fatigue from your body after travelling, you will be able to choose from a self service wash, a wash with an attendant or a wash and oil massage. First you undress and don your towel and footwear, before you make your way to the Hamam, where you are left a while to sweat (some of us are better at this than others). Later, your attendant will arrive and give you a rinse with tepid water before setting about you. First it's the dry massage, then the soap, and then a rinse again; it's a bit like a car wash really. Then the shampoo comes out before you are hosed down again. If you've gone for the full service, it'll now be time to be oiled up and massaged. After the massage, you may wish to take your time and relax a little; no-one's going to push you out of the door.

'The servants, we can't go without the servants.' You're pleased with yourself that you've remembered this vital addition to the list.

'Oh put a sock in it will you. I'm staying in and washing my hair.'

I hope I haven't put you off visiting a Turkish bath, and what better place could there be to enjoy the experience, than in Turkey.