A Turkish Bath

We have spent the last few days along the Agean coast visiting ruins and sampling more delicious Turkish food. The ruins are in various states of preservation and restoration and can sometimes really give us a feel for what life may have been like here in Greek and Roman times. The pictures tell the story better than I can, so I will include a few of the better ones.

Bus travel in Trukey is very luxurious

The truth is, I'm not going to be able write about ruins as enthusiastically as Kim did about Troy, so instead I'll write about my first (and probably last) experience in a "Hamam," or Turkish bath.

Theatre at the Asclepion (Pergamon)

The Acropolis at Pergamon

Everything I've read says that going to a Turkish bath is one of the quintessential experiences to have in Turkey. I liked the idea because it's not only a tourist thing--Turkish men and women use the hamams as well. Here's the play-by-play.

Temple of Hadrian at the Acropolis

A mosiac floor in Pergamon

As I entered the building into a large reception area with several men drinking tea and watching TV, a man gave me a thin red-and-white checkered cloth and led me to a small room to change. The room was about 6 feet by 3 feet with a bench and some hooks to hang my clothes on. After undressing and wrapping the cloth around my waist a man led me to the bathing area. First, I walked through "the cold room." A room with a few toilets and showers and not much else. Next, into the steam room. It's a big octagonal room with a high domed ceiling. The room was ringed with bathing stations and also contained a traditional sauna. Into the sauna I went to work up a good sweat before the real fun started.

Kim's interpratation of an ancient statue

Ephesus

A man knocked on the sauna door. He was wearing the same type of cloth as I was. He was a skinny guy about 60 years old, bald, with a chest full of grey hair. He led me over to one of the bathing stations. It's just a little marble cubilcle with a faucet and a bucket. I sat down, and he got to work. He splashed me with some water, rubbed some soap on me, put on this glove thing, I think it was covered in 80-grit sandpaper, and proceeded to remove about 4 millimeters of my epidermis! I did my best to not show any signs of the pain, but I'm sure my face betrayed me. After a thorough soaping/shampooing/scrubbing it was time for the relaxing massage. He led me to the big marble stone in the middle of the room--I say "led" because my eyesight was M.I.A after all that soap.

The floor in a Roman house (Ephesus)

Restoration work in progress

I laid down on the marble and endured another 15 minutes of pain. With his hands and another rough dishcloth he removed any stubborn remnants of dead skin and beat my muscles into numbed relaxation. I think I may have actually left a small imprint into that marble!

The library at Ephesus

Avenue and theatre at Ephesus

Another rinse and it was over. I got a towel and a cup of tea and was back to my changing room to decide if I actually enjoyed it. The jury is still out, but I'm glad to have done it, and I've never been cleaner!