Hotel Spa venues

A hotel spa is a spa operated within a hotel's building or grounds. What sets a hotel spa apart from other types is that it is under the same roof as your accommodation: guests can come down from their room in a robe and use the pool, hammam, sauna and massage without a separate journey. The hotel spa, the venue type with the most businesses on Spa Deneyimi, covers the spa sections of city hotels, luxury and boutique hotels, resorts and thermal hotels alike.

What you find at hotel spas

The common core of hotel spas is the wet area. Almost all the hotel spas listed have a Turkish bath and the great majority have a sauna; steam rooms, indoor pools and jacuzzis are also common. One of the facilities that sets hotel spas apart from day spas is the gym: a significant share of hotel spas run a fitness centre alongside the spa area. On the massage menu, Balinese massage leads, with aromatherapy, medical, Swedish, deep tissue and hot stone massage also prominent; some hotel spas state that they work with Balinese or other Asian therapists. Kese (exfoliating scrub) and foam massage are services often offered at hotels with a hammam. Couples' massage rooms and private hammam suites for couples are another facility found especially at luxury hotels in city centres. At thermal hotel spas, a thermal pool is added to all this.

Who a hotel spa suits

A hotel spa is above all for people staying at the hotel. A sauna and massage at the end of the day on a business trip, the pool and hammam on a weekend break, a couples' massage on honeymoon: all can be arranged in the same building without planning any transport. Some hotels also offer spa packages that combine a stay with a massage or hammam. For non-residents, a hotel spa is one way to find a large wet area, with pool, hammam and sauna, in one place in the city; some hotel spas accept outside guests with a massage appointment, a day pass or a membership. For those who only want a massage, however, a massage centre without a wet area may be more practical.

Types of hotel spa

Hotel spas offer a different experience depending on the type of hotel they are in:

Practical information: access for non-residents, what to wear and how facilities are shared

Whether non-residents can use a hotel spa varies from venue to venue. Some hotels accept outside guests only with a massage or treatment appointment, in which case use of the wet area may be included in the session; some sell day passes or monthly memberships; and some open the spa to hotel guests only. For hotel guests too, the pool and sauna are usually included in the stay while massages and treatments are charged separately; confirm this when booking. At hotel spas the pool, sauna and hammam are usually mixed, so swimwear is needed; it is worth asking whether the hammam is set aside at separate times or for private use. If you are staying, robes and slippers are provided in the room; if you are coming from outside, ask whether towels and robes are provided. Many hotel spas apply an age limit in the wet areas. If you are pregnant or have cardiovascular or blood pressure problems, consult your doctor before using the sauna, hammam or jacuzzi. The price depends on the session length, the hotel's category, whether use of the wet area is included and whether it is a weekend; the details are in the guide to the factors that determine spa prices.

What to ask before booking a hotel spa

Because facilities and rules differ markedly between hotel spas, it helps to clarify a few points before booking:

• The opening hours of the spa and the wet area; whether the pool is indoor and heated
• Whether there is an attendant in the hammam for kese and foam wash, and whether the hammam can be reserved for private use by a couple or family
• Whether there is a separate room or suite for couples' massage
• The session lengths of the massages on the menu, and how many days ahead appointments need to be made
• Which treatments the spa-package stays cover

Cities with many hotel spas

Hotel spas are the venue type spread over the widest area on the site. In Istanbul, the Bosphorus shore of Beşiktaş and the area around Zorlu, Taksim, Şişli and Üsküdar are where hotel spas cluster; in Ankara, city hotel spas are concentrated in Çankaya and thermal hotel spas in Kızılcahamam. Resort hotel spas on the coasts of Antalya, Muğla, Aydın and İzmir, spas at hotels set in nature in Bolu, Burdur and Artvin, and thermal hotel spas in Bursa, Afyonkarahisar and Balıkesir make up the other clusters of this type.