A Turkish bath treatment can mean many things. It’s a purifying, cleansing method of allowing your whole body the chance to relax. In Turkish and Islamic culture, it’s considered a place of public bathing. In Victorian-era Europe, it became something entirely different and became a variation.
At the centre of all Turkish baths, relaxation is the objective. These days, a lot of emphasis is also placed on the cleansing aspect of it. In some ways, a Turkish bath is like a sauna yet with a combination of massage therapy thrown in as well. A person walks into a room heated with a continuous flow of hot and dry air causing perspiration. Then, they move to a second room which is even hotter. Then, they wash in cold water. From there, a full body wash and massage is performed. Lastly, a person retires to a cooling room where they are left to relax.
As mentioned, there are many variations of the standard Turkish bath. For some, they cover themselves in oil as a means of cleansing their face, hands, feet, and hair. There are numerous other ways to enjoy a Turkish bath as well. What most have in common is the step-by-step. The initial steam room is used as a way to open up the skin, making it more elastic and soft. Occasionally, in the second heated room, you may be scrubbed from head to toe in order to remove dead skin and to exfoliate.
Turkish baths never really caught on in North America, perhaps because of the amount of electricity, space, and effort required to arrive at the final goal. As infrared sauna you can buy and install in your own home at minimal cost. For a Turkish bath, it’s largely impossible to do the same. Regardless, a Turkish bath provides several benefits, including the removal of dead skin cells, deep relaxation, easing muscle tension, reducing stress, brightening and softening the skin, increasing blood circulation, eliminating toxins, and reducing cellulite.
The amazing think about Turkish baths is how similar yet distinct they are across different cultures. Getting out of Western Europe, you’ll find Turkish baths in Morocco, Syria, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, India, and Pakistan, in addition to Turkey of course. Each country does it a little differently. Even today in the UK, there are still 12 Victorian-style Turkish baths still open. Comparatively, there’s also the ‘Russian steam bath’ and ‘Finnish sauna’, which both pull from the power of heat to engage the body’s natural health systems. There’s so much that has been taken from these more traditional heated environments and repurposed in infrared saunas as well as other sorts of Westernized heat rooms.
Sadly, there are few places in North America where a person can enjoy an authentic Turkish bath. Thankfully, there are plenty of steam rooms, non-infrared saunas, and infrared saunas set up at gyms, hotels, spas, and even in the home. These days, customized infrared saunas are so affordable that more homes across the US and Canada are installing their own in basements, bathrooms, bedrooms, or somewhere similarly private.
For more information on where you can get your own sauna or steam room, visit Steam Sauna today. Indulge yourself in heat therapy and experience an amazing journey towards a healthier life.