Çinili Hamam in Üsküdar

Today was the perfect day to have a relaxing day at the Hamam. The weather was not much fun and we had been to Istiklal and the Besiktas Pazari the day before. We choose to go to the Çinili Hamam in Üsküdar because it is supposed to be a good one and not very touristic. We took the vapur/ferry from Kabatas to Üsküdar which was a treat on itself. On the way to Üsküdar we were brave enough to sit outside to make pictures...but it was a really cold day so on our way back we choose the more comfortable and especially more warm inside.
I had never been to Üsküdar before and I must say it was a good experience. It was much more quiet and peaceful. Lots of mosques, old Ottoman fountains, cheap markets and these herb and natural product shops. With the help of two maps we managed to find the Çinili Hamam. It looked really nice and also the interior was not bad at all.
At first we were a bit in doubt what and how to do things..but looking at the other women was a good way to learn. There were women of all ages; old granny's just wearing panties and young girls with bikini's. The atmosphere was really nice and we didn't feel so much as yabanci's! Only when we forgot the take off our slippers in the sauna they were a bit annoyed but when they found out we actually were foreigners we were also quickly forgiven. We let ourselves be scrubbed and massaged after spending some time in the sauna. And a couple of hours later we were totally reborn, refreshed and our skin felt like a baby's bum. Now I'm home and I only feel like sleeping...for some reason it feels as if I have just walked the marathon.
Some info on Çinili Hamam:
- Address: Murat Reis Mahallesi, Çavuşdere Cad. in Üsküdar
- Prices: entrance fee 14 TL, kese (scrub) 5 TL, massage 5 TL, peştemel 3 TL
- Bring your own soap, shampoo, slippers and towels (using the peştemel is unnecessary)