The Turkish Hammam in London – what to expect, and where to go

After a 40-hour working week, the idea of spending an afternoon in a Middle Eastern, rose-infused, invigorating spa sounds intriguing. Hammam is a popular Turkish tradition that dates way back to 600AD. It’s believed to help not only with sleeping, but also with muscle relaxation, and if you’re yet to lie on a marble slab and be coated in fragrant frothy bubbles, you’ve got to try it. Four places in London have the Hammam experience on the menu, so what’s involved, and where should you go?

By Rachel Spedding

• 1 Adjust to the warmth

  Once you arrive at the spa, you’ll head straight to the steam room. This will get you sweating, open up your pores and draw impurities out of the skin. The three treatment rooms at The Crystal Palace Spa allow you to fine-tune the experience to suit your temperature and humidity preference. Yep, Nelly, it is going to get hot in there but don’t worry; you’ll be wearing swimwear (and our ultimate goal is to sweat). Once you’ve adjusted to the warmth, you’ll be asked to lie own on a warm marble slab. A little different to a massage bed, but (somehow) very comfortable.
• 2 Time to cleanse

  After a quick douse of water by your tellak (that’s the therapist looking after you), you are ready for a soap cleanse. Black soap is liberally applied all over the body to penetrate pores and prep for exfoliation. The Spa at Dolphin Square uses Savon Noir soap, made from crushed olives, olive oil and Eucalyptus (jam-packed with antiseptic properties), so it smells delicious and leaves skin super soft.
• 3 The scrub-down

  Things are about to get smooth at The Old Hammam & Spa, Don Draper smooth. It all starts with the scrub down where the tellak will get to work with a coarse exfoliating glove (traditionally known as ‘kessa mitt’) from top-to-toe. Body scrubbing helps with blood circulation, boosts the immune system, and sheds dead cells to get skin glowing – winner. An intense full body exfoliation might not be relaxing at first (think mum with a flannel back in the day), but it’s worth sticking it out for the smooth results.
• 4 And, relax

  The Hammam is heavy-duty, so once the scrubbing is done, it’s important to relax. Your body may be cleansed, but the mind matters too. We need a real break from the outside world, and Casa Spa are the pros. One of the first Hammam venues in London, they’ll distract you from work emails, gym obligations, and, you know, dog memes. Praise be for tradition, ‘cause last up you’ll be served a hot mint tea, and left to chill. Skin nourished, and feeling calm, Hammam is a fix from the inside-out.

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