STIL ŽIVOTA / LIFESTYLE
FOR BODY AND SOUL The Turkish hammam’s unique magic There are journeys from which you return with a phone full of photos and journeys from which you return somewhat changed. Bodrum, for me, was the latter T his stretch of the Turkish coast looks, at first glance, like everything you’d ex- pect from the Aegean. White stones, bougainvil- lea cascading over walls, scents of salt and lemon, the sea alternating be- tween shades of turquoise and dark blue. However, somewhere between morning yoga rituals beside the sea, silent meditation and jasmine-scent- ed evenings is something that you’ll only find in Türkiye: a ritual dat- ing back thousands of years that will leave you feeling reborn. That claim perhaps seems hyper- bolic, but it isn’t far from the truth in a psychological sense, or even an emotional one. Yes, we are talking about Turkish baths, aka hammams, but let’s start this story from the be- ginning. In a land that’s famous for its wellness indulgences and for hav- ing one of the world’s best healthcare systems, it comes as little wonder that there are places like the Six Sens- es Resort. Located just half an hour’s drive from Bodrum. From the instant we set foot in this place, time simply stopped flowing in its usual rhythm. Everything slowed down with the first morning sunshine, while we practiced yoga on a terrace above the sea and greeted the new day in si- lence that was broken only by the re- petitive sound of crashing waves. We courageously entered the cool
sea, after which came the hammam. Everything starts with profuse sweat- ing in a sauna, which served to open the pores for what was to come next. Than they put you on warm round stone that’s actually how it‘s called: göbek taşı, literally meaning a stone with a navel, a symbol of rebirth. The hammam experience be- gins in silence. Not the kind of un- comfortable silence that we try to fill with screentime and conversa- tions, but rather the deep, sooth- ing silence in which you can hear your own breath. The air is warm and thick with steam, the marble is hot and the domed roof casts a dim light. Warm water is poured in met- al bowls, almost ceremonially. Every movement feels like it’s part of some ancient and slightly mystical ritual that’s been passed down through the generations. And just as the body stops resist-
ing and the water washes away all the worries of this world, a kind of ritual cleansing commences, in the form of a traditional exfoliation using a coarse glove that removes dead skin cells. The process is even slightly painful at first, but only until you realise it’s also peel- ing off all your fatigue and stress, but also all the slights and snubs that have hurt you. This is also when it becomes much clearer why the hammam is de- scribed as a symbol of new birth. Ac- cording to the Ottoman tradition, it represents a place of purification and renewal, almost a return to one’s ini- tial state, before experiencing the cha- os of the external world. Heat, water and steam combine to symbolical- ly wash away everything that’s accu- mulated. Water is poured slowly and gen- tly over the shoulders, back and hair, without sudden movements. Then comes the foam. Huge clouds of
100 | Velnes » Wellness
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