Spas, hammams and massage in Samsun

In Samsun, the spa and hammam options consist of a historic city hammam in İlkadım in the city centre and a thermal hotel built on a hot spring in the inland district of Ladik. In this city on the Black Sea coast, the centre stands out for a short hammam visit, and Ladik for those who want to combine a thermal pool with accommodation.

The historic hammam on Saathane Square

Tarihi Şifa Hamamı on Saathane Square in İlkadım is a historic city hammam that has reopened after restoration. The building shows the classic layout of a hammam: a hot room with a navel stone (the heated marble platform) in the middle and private alcoves (halvets) around it. Its listed services are the Turkish bath, kese (exfoliating scrub) and sauna; foam massage and a massage menu do not appear in its listing. Having a kese after sweating on the navel stone until your body has warmed up is the usual flow of a hammam visit. Its city-centre location is practical for those who want to combine bathing in a historic hammam with a sauna.

A thermal hotel on a hot spring in Ladik

Hilas Thermal Resort & Spa in Ladik is a thermal hotel built on the Hamamayağı hot spring. Alongside indoor thermal pools there is a Turkish bath and sauna; kese and foam massage are also given in the hammam. On the massage side, Balinese, hot stone, aromatherapy, and foot and leg massage are listed, and on the treatment side, body care and body peeling. An outdoor aquapark also operates in summer, which makes the facility a further option for families with children during the summer season.

The arrangement for women and men at the two venues in Samsun is not recorded. Separate sections or separate days and hours are common in historic city hammams; ask before you go which applies. At the thermal hotel, too, whether the pools are mixed or in separate sections, whether day-use entry is possible without staying and whether pool use is included with a massage appointment vary by venue. If you are going to a hammam for the first time, the bag checklist setting out what to take with you makes preparation easier.