Spas, hammams and massage in Gaziantep

Spa and hammam options in Gaziantep consist of a historic neighbourhood hammam in Şahinbey and the spa section of a hotel in Şehitkamil. In Gaziantep, known for its cuisine, its coppersmiths' bazaar and the Zeugma mosaics, what the two venues have in common is kese (exfoliating scrub) and foam massage. Here the hammam tradition lives on both in a building from the Ottoman period and inside a hotel.

Tabak Hamamı: a neighbourhood hammam in Şahinbey

Tabak Hamamı is an Ottoman neighbourhood hammam in Şahinbey, one that Evliya Çelebi also mentions. In the Turkish bath, kese and foam massage are given; after bathing you can rest in the relaxation rooms. The hammam also offers a bridal hammam service. If you are curious how this tradition, in which the bride goes to the hammam with her relatives before the wedding, unfolds, see the guide explaining how a bridal hammam is done. No sauna or massage menu appears in the records; time at the hammam is spent sweating on the navel stone, with kese and foam wash.

Holiday Inn Lidya SPA Gaziantep

Holiday Inn Lidya SPA Gaziantep in Şehitkamil is a hotel spa inside the Holiday Inn hotel. The listed services are kese and foam massage; its description says the treatments are rounded off with complimentary tea. The records have no information about a pool, sauna or massage menu. When booking an appointment, you can ask how long the treatment lasts and whether use of the wet area is included in the price. It is an alternative for those who would rather have a kese and foam wash without leaving the hotel they are staying at than go to a historic hammam.

The arrangement for women and men at the two venues is not stated in the records. At Tabak Hamamı, you need to find out by phone before you go in which section, or on which days and at what hours, women can bathe; at the hotel spa, it is also wise to ask whether visitors who are not staying are accepted. In Gaziantep's hot summer months, it may be more comfortable to time a hammam visit for the morning or evening. A bridal hammam requires an appointment in advance, and the price is usually set according to the number of participants, the duration and the refreshments. Because kese removes the dead layer of skin, it should not be done on fresh sunburn, open wounds or irritated, sensitive skin.