The history of public baths in the West stretches at least as far back as the Spartans, who first used hot stones and then coal fires to turn the practice of leaping into ice-cold water into something a little more luxurious.
Like so many Greek innovations, the Romans tweaked and expanded and perfected the practice. Thermae, as the bathing was known, were a secular ritual the remained at the heart of Roman culture for a thousand years. Nowhere has that tradition survived more than in Turkey. In Istanbul, in particular, the custom of bathing blended with the grand Roman and then Ottoman tradition of great people building public works and wudu , the Islamic practice of washing before prayer, created marvelous public baths that were not only central to the lives of those who lived there but also an essential experience for visitors.
These days, the baths come in different shapes and sizes. There are small, modest neighborhood joints, old gems past their prime, and towering marvels of antiquity. The one thing they have in common is that they are segregated, often with different hours and entrances for men and women.
And like so many things in Turkey, the men have preference. Better hours. Better spaces. Better services.
Curious and without any real plan, I set out to visit five very different baths in a hour period. It goes on to say:. The most beautiful examples of early architecture. An unwanted stranger.
