TRAVEL: #5SensesofTurkey Part 3 – Traditional Turkish Bath & Exploring the Markets

I can’t believe it’s been nearly 6 weeks since our trip to Turkey. It’s been a while but the memories of our beautiful holiday stay with me and I long to go back, I really felt like I left a piece of my heart there. My final post of our #5SensesofTurkey experience is all about our sightseeing adventure – during our trip, we decided to pack up our beach towels and bikinis for the day and take to the  local town of Muğla (just an hour and a half from Dalaman) for a day of exploration, culture and an adventure.

One of the main things I really wanted to try out whilst I was in Turkey was to take a traditional Turkish Bath. I’d heard so many different stories from people varying from having hot and ice cold water splashed over you to being hit with sticks (!) so naturally, I was intrigued as to what this historical spa treatment would entail… and maybe a little nervous.

Luckily for us, there were no pails of cold water being tossed about or any random branches laying around (phew!) instead, our traditional hammam was one of the oldest in Turkey and if you weren’t a local you’d miss it’s small, uninspiring entrance nestled on a quaint back street. However, once you stepped into the doorway it was a totally different place – inside the main spa area was beautiful and rich in local history dating back to the 14th century.

Our Turkish bath was an amazing experience; we were given traditional cloths to wrap ourselves in and wait in the sauna area until we were called for our treatments. The spa area was warm and humid sounds of water echoed in the air as we waited. Then we were treated to a full body scrub and massage with huge clouds of soap suds, they even wash your hair (which turned it into a huge birds nest and just had to be Instagrammed – hastag hammam hair!) We finished off with a 30 minute oil massage each and came out like we were walking on clouds. A fantastic experience, I laid there I imagined happening to people in the very same place centuries ago and still is the same today. Is you ever visit Turkey a traditional Turkish Bath is a must-do experience.

Turkish Bath:  Before – excited, slightly nervous face. During – Relaxed in my robes. After – Hammam Hair

We spent the rest of our day walking around the historic town of Muğla. It was the day of the local markets so we strolled around huge bazaars, filled with colourful fruits, vegetables, fish and meat with everyone shouting and calling people to their stalls, with the smells of spices and fresh food being cooked everywhere.

Feeling a little peckish after our massage we snacked on fresh figs and wandered about taking in all of the sounds and smells, I love seeing what the locals buy and wondering what they might be cooking when they get home.

We absolutely loved our holiday to Turkey and would go back again in a heartbeat. A big thank you to Thomas Cook for providing our flights following the #5SensesofTurkey event – if you are thinking of heading to Turkey they fly to Dalaman and Antalya so keep them in mind!

You can catch up with the rest of my Turkey posts here and here.

– Post written in collaboration with Thomas Cook

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