It's one of the top experiences in Turkey, to visit a traditional hamam for a soak, a scrub, and a bit of a pummeling. We were game, if not a little clueless and intimidated. We'd reserved treatments at the Aya Sofya Hamami, a restored 16th-century outbuilding to the cathedral-turned-mosque-turned museum, and quickly ushered off to the ladies and gents sections of the bath house.
It's such a foreign experience, even to most western spa frequenters, that the internet is full of
how-to tips and guides so you know what to expect when visiting a traditional hamam. All I've got to say is that once you get past the fact that all this action takes place on a marble slab in a beautiful domed room alongside other guests--as soon as you just go with it--you'll come out feeling like a whole new person and with a memory of a lifetime.
Needless to say, when we met up again we were anxious to trade stories about our hamam experience and also feeling weirdly hungry. We settled into a restaurant on a quiet alley (unusual in Istanbul) and shared "testi kabob," a Turkish dish that is basically a meat and tomato ragout. It was delicious and a bit of a show too.
Step 1: Light the dish on fire.
Step 2: Turn pot upside and tap it hard with a utensil to crack the vase.
Step 3: Carefully remove cracked top.
Step 4: Serve!
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