Turkish Bath (Hamam)

Here are the ‘must have's for any Turkish Bath bundle:

Wide, round bowls in silver, copper or bronze for pouring water over the head and body. These were intricately decorated by hand with reliefs and inlays.

Thin bath towels called peshtemal were wrapped around the body and the head. These were woven from cotton or silk, either embroidered or with modern-looking plaid designs. The largest peshtemal was wrapped around the waist, the middle size around the shoulders and the smallest around the head. Bath bundles also included various other fabrics and cloths for keeping the head warm, for spreading on the floor to sit on or special ceremonial robes like a silk robe for the bride in a bridal bath, etc.

The soap dish was a lidded container with a handle on top and holes underneath like a sieve. Soaps, combs and various rubbing, exfoliating and lathering mitts like kese , a silk mitt or loofah pieces and cloths, were placed inside it.

Other items typically found in the bundles were, henna, kohl, eyeliners called surme, mirrors, metal containers for keeping jewellery and raised sandals or clogs made of wood, ivory and silver to keep the feet out of water. Rosewater in a bottle, carried in a special wooden case was also very important as no other perfume was considered proper for the newly washed body.

Depending on the wealth and social status of the bathing lady, these items could be simple or very ornate and valuable, adorned with jewels and made of valuable metals. It was also customary to take refreshments to the bath to eat together during and after the bath like fruit, lemonade, sherbet and sweets.

Despite the declining importance of the Turkish Bath in the daily life of many of Turkey's inhabitants, the traditions of bathing - using natural oils and soaps, exfoliation, scrubbing and bathing as ritual for body and mind - has persisted. Now, the benefits are once again being appreciated by those in search of simpler, more natural and time-tested methods in their bath to complement or replace the synthetically manufactured products that are commonly found today.