Hamam basics
Turkish Bath or Spa: How They Differ
Hotel spas and Turkish baths are often mentioned in the same breath. They're not the same thing, and knowing the difference helps you choose the one you actually want.
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In short
A Turkish bath is one ritual — warmth, a scrub with the kese mitt, a wash in soap foam and a rinse — carried out for you by an attendant on warm marble. A spa is usually a menu of separate treatments, such as massages and facials, picked one by one. Our Alanya Turkish bath pairs the hamam ritual with an oil massage, and optional massage upgrades can be added.
The Turkish bath: one ritual, in order
A hamam has a fixed sequence, and you go through it rather than choosing from it: heat first, kese second, foam third, and a rinse to finish. It's a washing ritual at heart — warm, wet and done for you by an attendant.
The spa: a menu
A spa is more like a menu. You pick treatments — a massage of a certain length, a facial, a body wrap — and each is done separately. Many spas have a sauna or a steam room as well, but the scrub and the foam wash of a hamam are not usually part of what you book.
Side by side
| Turkish bath | Spa | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A bathing ritual | A menu of treatments |
| The core of it | Heat, kese scrub, foam wash, rinse | Whatever treatments you choose |
| The setting | Warm, humid, marble | Treatment rooms |
Hamam ritual and massage together
Our basic programme is the hamam ritual with a massage built in: heat from the sauna and steam room, then kese scrub and köpük foam, then an aromatic-oil massage lasting around 20 minutes. For a spa-style massage, look at the optional upgrades — sports, Thai, aromatherapy and chocolate massage — each an extra with its own price. The massage upgrades.