More than 1,300 thermal springs and 190 spa resorts throughout Turkey are solidifying the country’s evolution from the historic birthplace of the world’s spa culture to a contemporary leader in modern-day luxury spas.
Spanning iconic Ephesus in the west to Mount Ararat in the east, few countries offer a more varied choice of experiences than Turkey– from legendary hot springs once visited by Agamemnon and Julius Caesar, to traditional “hamams,” public baths that have been part of Turkish culture for centuries, and the deluxe hotel resorts offering the height of glamour in the health and beauty of today. Visitors can relax in luxury at world class hotels or rejuvenate body and spirit in naturally heated springs as famous today as they were during the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires.
Historical Turkish Hamams
Traditional steam baths, a part of the Turkish life for centuries, are fast becoming fixtures in major cities from New York to Paris and across the globe. The original hamams, however, are only available in Turkey.
Commissioned to the great architect Sinan by the famous Ottoman Admiral Kılıç Ali Paşa as part of the mosque and school complex, Kılıc Ali Paşa Hamamı was constructed in between 1578-1583 to serve the levends (marine forces in the Ottoman navy). Famous for its architectural lines and majestic dome, the Hamam is one of the symbolic buildings in Tophane, Istanbul’s harbor district.
Ayasofya Hürrem Sultan Bath “Hamamı,” another of Sinan’s masterpieces, was built in 1556 for Roxelana, who became the powerful wife of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. The bath was fully restored in June 2011, retaining every aspect of the original bath architecture.
Galatasaray Hamamı, in Galatasaray, was built in 1481 and for almost 500 years this hamam was for men only. A small women’s section was finally added in 1963, but little else has been altered.
The lobby is particularly beautiful, and there’s some superb tile work at the entrance to the men’s steam room.
The Süleymaniye Bath in Istanbul, a mixed hamam where men and can bathe together, is one of the most famous, having been built by Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent in 1550 and designed by Sinan, the famous architect of the Süleymaniye Mosque.
Luxury hotels and spa resorts
Born in thermal springs gifted by nature, and cultivated by the strong traditions of hamams, Turkey’s spa culture evolution today sees the growth of luxury hotels and spa resorts throughout Turkey to rival any of the top cities in Europe, Asia or the Americas. Latest treatment techniques combined with ancient traditions create an inimitable sense of style, elegance and connection to Turkey’s history.
Full-service spas go above and beyond traditional treatments, with Turkish baths, mud chambers, aromatic steam baths, salt grottos, Thai massage, Hatha Yoga, floatation tanks, foot reflexology, stone therapy, aromatherapy, Thalasso and hydro therapies, and aqua-gyms among many others.
These hip spa facilities can be found in the luxurious hotels of Istanbul, Antalya, Bodrum and Çeşme.
Thermal Spas and Hot Springs
One of the most well-known thermal hot springs of Turkey is the Agamemnon Thermal Springs in Balçova, Izmir, named for the famous Agamemnon of the 10-year Trojan War, who used these springs to cure center his wounded soldiers.
The Balçova Thermal Hot Springs were also used by historical figures like Alexander the Great and Roman Emperor Caesar too before they were abandoned during the Byzantine period. After the Ottoman acquisition of the Izmir region, the thermal springs were renovated in 1415 and remain a staple site in the region to this day.
The visually stunning Pamukkale, meaning “Cotton Castle,” in the South Aegean is famed for its immense snow-white cliffs shaped by waters cascading form huge circular basins, creating pools and baths cut into the cliff face. Considered sacred to the ancient gods of Turkey and Greece, the natural hot springs of Pamukkale provide water to a number of neighboring contemporary hotels.
Çeşme, meaning “fountain,” is one of Turkey’s most significant spa regions. Located one hour from Izmir on the Aegean Coast, its numerous hot springs have prompted the development of a community with top hotels and full-service indoor and outdoor spas, pools and baths fed by the nearby mineral springs and mineral-rich seawater of the coast.
To experience the traditional curative properties of Turkey’s thermal spas, the Yalova hot springs on the Marmara Sea, and the Kurşunlu and Valide Baths built during the rule of Byzantine Emperor Justinian some 1,700 years ago, are a must.
