Cağaloğlu Hammam

Cağaloğlu was completed in 1741 by Mahmud I, its revenue endowed to the upkeep of a library, and it is generally described as the last monumental hammam built in the Ottoman period - after it, an imperial decree halted new bath construction to conserve water and firewood. It has separate men's and women's sections, each with the standard sequence: a domed changing hall, a warm room, and the hot room with a great marble slab, the göbek taşı, under a dome pierced with star-shaped glass that drops shafts of light through the steam. The marble, the columns and the basins are original. It has been in continuous use for close to three centuries, which is the point - this is a working bath, not a reconstruction. Packages run from using the place yourself to the full sequence of scrub with a kese mitt, foam massage and oil massage. Prices are high by local standards because of what the building is.

What you actually see

• The hot room - the marble slab under the pierced dome.
• The light shafts - star-shaped glass throwing light through steam.
• The changing hall - the domed entrance chamber and its galleries.
• The scrub and foam - the kese mitt and the foam massage.

When to go

Year-round; a hammam is best in cold weather. Mornings and early afternoon are quieter. Men's and women's sections have their own hours - check before arriving.

Honest expectations

It is expensive compared with neighbourhood hammams, and priced for visitors. The scrub is vigorous by design. Sections are gender-separated; bring or rent a peştemal, and tipping the attendant is customary.

Nearby

Sultanahmet, the Basilica Cistern and Hagia Sophia are a few minutes' walk.