Spas, hammams and massage in Konya

Both venues listed in Konya are hammams, and both are in Karatay, the district of the historic city centre: one is a double hammam from the Karamanid (Karamanoğulları) period, the other a modern hammam that also has a sauna and steam room. In Konya, remembered as the Seljuk capital and associated with Mevlana (Rumi), the hammams are part of the same fabric as the mosques and historic buildings around Alaaddin Hill (Alaaddin Tepesi).

Mahkeme Hamamı: a historic double hammam

Mahkeme Hamamı, in Karatay just north of the Şerafettin Mosque, is a historic hammam dating, according to its own description, from the 15th-century Karamanid period. As it is laid out as a double hammam, the women's and men's sections are separate; women and men each use their own section of the same building. Its listed services are the Turkish bath and kese (exfoliating scrub): a visit follows the traditional sequence of sweating in the hot room, kese and washing. Foam massage and a sauna do not appear in its listing; if you want an additional treatment, you will need to ask on site.

Yeni Hamam and visiting notes

Yeni Hamam in Karatay, between Alaaddin Hill and the Şems-i Tebrizi Mosque, is a hammam open every day. Alongside the hammam section with its navel stone (the heated marble platform), there is a sauna and steam room; kese and, according to its own description, massage are also offered. For those who want to compare dry and humid heat on the same visit, this is where Yeni Hamam differs from Mahkeme Hamamı; the guide explaining the difference between a hammam and a sauna makes choosing easier. Yeni Hamam's arrangement for women and men is not recorded; ask before you go whether it uses separate sections or separate hours. As both hammams are in the historic centre, a visit can easily be fitted into the same day as a tour of the city; leaving the hammam until the end of the tour is a more relaxed order, letting you shake off the tiredness without rushing. As winter days are cold in Konya's continental climate, it is a good habit to rest in the cooling room and drink water rather than going straight outside after the hammam. Asking whether a peshtemal and kese mitt are provided, and knowing in advance how to tie a peshtemal, make a first visit easier.