Kadıköy Çarşı Turkish Bath – Istanbul

Name of Hamam: Çarşı Hamam

Date Built: Unknown

Traditional style: Yes

Date of Visit: March 30 2018

Location: Kadıköy, Söğütlüçeşme Street next to the Çarşı bus stop

Price (in Lira): 25/12/11 (hamam entry/scrub/massage)

Tip Expected: Very much yes…

Drinks: Yes     Free:  No

Reviewed for: Men

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Never been to a Turkish Bath? Make sure to check out the History of Turkish Baths or our guide explaining just what goes on at a Turkish Bath before visiting!

 

(All scores out of 5)

Length of stay: 4

Note: The staff did not rush us through and when we told them that we were still not ready to be massaged or scrubbed they were understanding and patient and willing to wait until we were ready.

 

Change room: 4.5

Note:  One should never have expectations of having a large change room at a hamam, that being said the change rooms here had a tall ceiling and enough room to change comfortably as well as a cot to rest on. There was something special about the way the change rooms were lined up so closely that gave it a very traditional feel.

 

Common room: 2

Note: While there is something of a common room it’s quite small and theres not much room for hanging out afterwards. On top of that it was crowded with bored staff leaving no room for anyone else.

 

Hamam Features: 3

Note:  Carsi Hamam had all of the normal features that you would find at a hamam; hot slab, main hot room, and a handfull of side rooms for a bit more privacy.

 

Hamam esthetics: 3

Note: Çarşı Hamam was by no means a standout Turkish Bath. It’s more accurate to describe Çarşı Hamam as being traditional rather than classic. There’s nothing to make it a beautiful historic Turkish Bath but it is quite authentic.

 

Cleanliness: 3.5

Note: A fairly clean Turkish Bath with no real issues.

 

Heat: 4.5

Note: The main room was sufficiently hot. They did scrubs and massages on the hot slab in the main room and it was hot enough to be just bearable. The slab isn’t always that hot so this was a real treat.

 

Smell: 3.5

Note: Çarşı Hamam gets a very average score on this one as there was a rather musty smell. Not surprising or unusual but still not altogether pleasant.

 

Quality of Scrub/Massage: 4.5

Note: This was one of the better things at this Turkish Bath. The quality of the massage and scrub were more than satisfactory. The staff paid careful attention to detail and made it a great experience.

 

Staff: 2

Note: This is where Çarşı Hamamı lost some points. Its not uncommon to leave a tip for your scrubber and they are more than thankful and sometimes surprised by a decent tip, but at Çarsi Hamam, from the moment you start getting ready to leave the entire staff starts to hound you for money. Almost to the point of begging. I have never seen this in any other hamam and found it to be quite off putting. I am happy to leave a tip for the man who scrubbed and massaged me but to have all the rest of the staff asking for tips is a bit ridiculous and rather expensive. Other reviews that we’ve seen online show that this is a common issue at this Turkish Bath. Keep in mind that this score has nothing to do with the quality of their service when it comes to scrubbing and massaging.

 

(Other photos here)

 

Final Score: 34.5/50

 

Although the Turkish Bath itself checked out to be a satisfactory one, it is usually the staff that will make or break the experience. We’d be willing to go back to a hamam with a lower rating if we know that they have incredible staff. This being said if you are in need a of a decent scrub in Kadikoy then this place is easy to get to and if you don’t mind getting bullied by the staff for tips then you’ll have a great experience at this very authentic Turkish Bath.

 

 

Never been to a Turkish Bath? Check out the History of Turkish Baths here or our guide explaining just what goes on at a Turkish Bath here!

Have any tips or info to add? Spot any mistakes? We’d love to hear about it.