Çemberlitas Hamam near Sultanahmet is the most famous of Istanbul's Turkish hamams, designed by renowned Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan in 1584 with white marble interiors. A favourite with locals, the baths include hot stone slabs and masseurs (or masseuses for women) who pummel your body.
A 16th-century Ottoman jewel, Çemberlitas caters for both men and women. Stunningly crafted, each steam room is lit from the top by star-shaped holes in the domed roof.
Directly beneath the dome is an octagonal slab of marble heated from below by burning embers. Visitors lie on the slab, encircled by 12 smaller domes in a larger circle around the central dome. When the heat becomes unbearable, you move over to one of the smaller domed chambers to throw a pan of cold water over your body. The masseuse/masseur then pummels, soaps and scrubs your body - be prepared for serious exfoliation.
Sinan, born a Greek slave, also designed the Suleymaniye Mosque and countless other architectural wonders across Turkey.
Directly beneath the dome is an octagonal slab of marble heated from below by burning embers. Visitors lie on the slab, encircled by 12 smaller domes in a larger circle around the central dome. When the heat becomes unbearable, you move over to one of the smaller domed chambers to throw a pan of cold water over your body. The masseuse/masseur then pummels, soaps and scrubs your body - be prepared for serious exfoliation.
Sinan, born a Greek slave, also designed the Suleymaniye Mosque and countless other architectural wonders across Turkey.
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