Bathing for most cultures is pretty much done in the private confines of the bathroom. The nearest experience some of us have had with public baths come in the form of public swimming pools and water theme parks. This is perhaps why Arabic public baths, commonly known as hammam, are a novel cultural experience to many tourists. If you are feeling a pull of travel adventurism, here's a short guide on how to behave yourself in a hammam.
Most Arab cities have several hammam, however they are not conspicuous to the non-Arab reader. To spare yourself from walking aimlessly around the city in search for one, ask one of the hotel staff for a recommendation and a map. If you would rather go out and do the searching on your own, you will have an easier time spotting a hammam if you look near mosques.
Be aware that males and females do not share the same public hammam. So, before you barge in enthusiastically, make sure that you are entering the appropriate one! However, if you want to bring along a friend of the opposite sex, you are better off in a private hamman offered by hotels, although the experience may not be as authentic.
Unless you are sure that bathing essentials such as soap and body scrubs will be provided, it is safe to bring your own. You just have to drop by the nearby souq for your purchases. Once inside, you will be given two buckets for the hot and cold water respectively. Make sure to rinse and return these buckets to their proper places after you are done.
Nudity is not a usual scene in many Turkish hammam. However, if you happen to be in one, you don't have to go naked if it makes you uncomfortable. Leave your underwear on or you can cover yourself with a towel.
Remember that scrub downs and massages are usually offered by the hamman's staff as part of the money you paid or for additional cost. So, do not be surprised if an individual approaches you and starts giving you a rubdown. Just relax - nothing obscene is happening. It's all part of the bathing process. If you are not comfortable, politely decline the offer.
To ensure that you are not doing anything crazy, at least to local standards, observe what is happening around you and follow suit. However, do this discreetly as others may consider your innocent assessment as indecent gawking.
Here are some of the things that you need to avoid doing. First, since you are sharing the valuable resource of water with other bathers, limit your use to at least two buckets or to such number of buckets that the locals are getting so as not to use more than what is considered acceptable.
Finally, be careful when dousing yourself with cold water. You may consider the touch of cold in your skin a refreshing respite from the sweltering heat of the hammam, but locals do not appreciate getting splashed by your cold water!
Keep all these in mind and happy public bathing!
Sunee is author of this article on Hotels in Thailand. Find more information about Phuket Hotels here.
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