Turkish bath in Beyoğlu

Four venues offering a Turkish bath in Beyoğlu are listed: two are historic hammams dating from the Ottoman period, and two are spas in hotels in Taksim. All four have kese (exfoliating scrub) and foam massage on the menu; they differ in their architecture, their arrangements for women and men, and the facilities offered alongside the hammam.

Historic hammams and hotel hammams

Galatasaray Hamamı is an Ottoman hammam built in 1481; it offers a kese service, the Pasha Servisi and classic oil massage in private rooms, and the listing gives its arrangement as mixed. In Tophane, Kılıç Ali Paşa Hamamı is the work of Mimar Sinan and has a single section, so women are admitted during the day and men in the evening. On the hotel side, Ocean Spa / InterContinental Taksim in Gümüşsuyu stands out for its VIP hammam suite for couples and massages by Balinese therapists, and Aurel Spa at the Occidental Hotel for the themed hammam treatments it offers to outside guests and its 180-minute day-use option.

Which suits whom

The historic hammams stand out for those who want to see the architecture and go through the traditional sequence in a shared hot room; at single-section Kılıç Ali Paşa you need to plan around the hours. Those who want to bathe as a couple or in a more private setting can look at the suites and private rooms in the hotel spas; Aurel Spa's menu also includes a jacuzzi, sauna and massage alongside the hammam. Before you go, ask whether kese and foam wash are included in the package, how long the ritual lasts and on what terms the hotel spas admit people not staying there; how package differences affect the price is explained in the Istanbul hammam prices guide.

The steps of the ritual are on the Turkish bath page, and the district's other spas and hammams on the Beyoğlu page.