This was my first Turkish hammam experience, everything was amazing from start to finish and stress-free! They guide you every step of the way. You start in a mild sauna in a gorgeous marble room for ~20 min (this room has both men and women together so you are given a towel to wear, can bring bathing suit as well if you like) then you get scrubbed down in a private room afterward by a same-sex person followed by a massage with bubbles. Then to top it off you get a delicious iced tea with Turkish delights. The facility is gorgeous and is one of the oldest such buildings in the area. You can make reservations online - one thing to note is it is cash only. I highly recommend coming here, I've never felt so baby soft and relaxed! read more

Ağa Hamamı - Interior - Day Spas Near Me - Istanbul, 34

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I don't usually review businesses aside from food establishments, but this Hamami (spa) provided a great experience. I had a hard time deciding on which Hamami to visit in Istanbul. Reviews on Yelp were sparse and the reviews on Google were suspicious for most Hamamis. I ended up looking up pricing and popping into a few spots to check out the atmosphere. Folks here were welcoming and not pushy. Pricing was better than most of the tourist friendly spots. It was cash only. Experience was fantastic. They only booked five people for our time slot. There was five of us that shared the Hamami which provided plenty of space. Then the split the men and women got the scrubbing and baths. After that they moved us to a coed lounging area. Awesome coed experience. Other patrons were very respectful; super happy with the clientele. All the staff was hospitable and welcoming. My attendant did a fantastic job and helped guide me to a memorable experience. I'd highly recommend booking at least a day in advance. We were fortunate to walk in and secure a slot a couple hours later, but other walkins were declined later on. read more

Had an awesome experience here. Made apt online for two saunas + scrubs which we did together. Then came the his and hers massages. Wonderful experience at this historic Hamami. Felt pampered and relaxed and left with super smooth skin. read more

Ağa Hamamı - Central waiting area - Day Spas Near Me - Istanbul, 34

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This was an amazing experience for a Turkish bath. You start off in a "waiting" area with a heated marble center and a sauna. Then you are taken into the bath where you will get scrubbed. I went with a friend and we opted out on wearing bathing suits. So we were both naked at times and saw each other in our birthday suits. Once they scrubbed you get this bubble massage and wash down. This ends your 'bath.' Then you are taken upstairs to get an oil massage. That was very heavenly and we also got a head massage in our package. They massage this peppermint on your head and it feels so nice. You can also get a facial but my face is sensitive so I opted out. This was an amazing experience and very close to shopping areas. We were able to reserve the night before and got an appt the next day. read more

Ağa Hamamı - Front entrance lobby - Day Spas Near Me - Istanbul, 34

Good heat. Be prepared to sweat. Arrived early and they gave extra time fir sauna snd shit. If you go, But think twice about booking a massage. Dude on staff was just coughing the whole time and looking at his watch. At least cut your nails if you're gonna phone it in. read more

Wow this place was awesome! Such a relaxing and fun experience to have with my friends. I did the massage package (200 TL) and it was 100% worth it! The bathing part at first was very nice with the combo of hot and cold water available, and the scrub/soap part was amazing. The employees here really know how to get all the dirt and dead skin off of you! Afterwards, I went for my massage and my masseuse was very good as well. She really rubbed the oil in and it felt amazing! The atmosphere here is peaceful and an oasis in the middle of the city, with very nice employees. We had an early appointment and I'd definitely recommend that because by the time we were finished, there were tons of people here. I will definitely be coming back the next time I'm in Istanbul!! read more

Ağa Hamamı - Day Spas Near Me - Istanbul, 34

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Aga Hamami is a great local hamam, dating from 1454, which is obviously heavily frequented by foreigners who get a much better deal and, according to my friend who has tried one, experience than at the hamams in the main tourist areas. The hamam is well kept and very clean. I would imagine it's less fun when quite full so if it looks really busy maybe come back another time. 50 TL will get you a steam, scrub and soap down, plus as much time as you want hanging out in the clean and attractive marble sicaklik. I thought this was excellent value. If I went back I would probably get the hot oil massage too for 35 TL (I think) extra. If you don't get the hot oil massage I would advise taking some body lotion because as the owners point out in a response to another review steaming/scrubbing obviously takes the moisture out of your skin a bit. It also leaves you feeling epically smooth and relaxed. Women are scrubbed in a separate room, men in the sicaklik. So yes, do not expect privacy if you are a man. Women are advised to wear a bikini which they keep on for initial self washing and steam, then the top but not the bottom will be taken off for the scrub. Going back into the sicaklik you'll be covered by a towel although I guess could also put your bikini top back on. Changing rooms are private. I got my hair shampooed and like another reviewer did not enjoy the water over my head experience - it is hard to breathe if you get out of sync with the dousing! Would avoid this next time. Note - the "thin" towels mentioned by another review do not mean this hamam is using old worn out towels, these are actually very pretty, clean and new hamam towels which you can see for sale at extortionate prices in Istanbul airport (wish I'd bought one but spent all my money on Turkish delight instead). At the end you get a giant fluffy white towel in which you are wrapped up like a taco before being served apple tea, which is basically what I was my situation to be permanently. read more

very good experience, inexpensive for what you're getting, get the biggest perk package, also the fact that there are not a lot of ratings aint a thang! would go here weekly if i lived here read more

Truly an outstanding experience! I'd gone to another hammam in town a week earlier (and paid double for my service at the first place!) and Aga Hamami blew the luxury hammam out of the water! Came just before my flight and couldn't have asked for a better experience. 10/10 recommend! read more

I went here with my wife and we absolutely loved it!! The owner was kind enough to tell us not to order hookah because it wasn't good quality. We wanted the full package, but appreciated the recommendation. My wife and I were able to see each other in the communal area, which was nice. We laid on the marble together and played with the fountains while we waited to be scrubbed. My wife had an awesome experience with the scrub but I'd say mine was about average. I had an AMAZING oil massage and my wife said hers was average. The only thing I disliked was one of the male workers, the main younger doughy one, was making my wife uncomfortable. He told her to change, which is fine since it's a Turkish bath, but she had to tell him to leave. She was super smart and waited for the female masseuse to return, which thankfully she did because the guy returned (if she changed he would have saw her naked and we'd have a big problem). Once he left and the masseuse came, she changed. Ladies, watch out for that. Other than that, 5 stars. Just be smart about changing and enjoy the place. Loved it! read more

Being a dumb American in Istanbul for the first time and never having had a true Turkish hamam experience, I decided to splurge on my last day in town. Also, being American, I am lazy. What better way to bathe than have someone else do it for you? Similarly, my lazy self didn't feel like finding more soap and after a long trip I had run out the day before. The conditions were set. The perfect formula for foreign soap sud bodily marination. Walking into the hamam I found out how historical the place truly was. I asked the host/receptionist about it and apparently the hamam was built in the mid 1400's. After going over the various bathing options I settled on a 70 TL (~$40 USD) package that included lounging and getting brutally bathed by a stranger. I was sent to a private room to undress and put on a towel and lock my things up, and then led into the bathhouse itself. Holy granite, this place was antiquated. In a good way. Sitting down, you realize that over 500 years worth of butts have sat there before. If my math checks out, and it does, that is a lot of butts. A quick explanation was given about what was to occur to my clueless self and I was given a wash basin and sat next to a fancy granite sink with the oldest operating valve in the world. It was then I realized that this hamam was unisex. Way-o! Thirty minutes of dumping hot water over my head later, my hamami homey walked in ready to get down to business. He instructed me to lie down and proceeded to stretch me in ways a human is not designed to stretch and then scrubbed the everliving crap out of me with a scrubbing sponge that must have been made out of 40 grit sandpaper. And it. Was. AWESOME. It hurt so good. Unlike most Americans, I am not fat, so I do not feel like I got a fair body surface area to Turkish lira ratio. Those larger dudes in there definitely paid less per square inch of their skin to be scrubbed and stretched beyond reasonable angles by another similarly large, toweled, middle-aged, and mustached Turkish man. I shop at Costco, I like things in bulk. Wholesale prices, dammit. read more

This was my first Turkish bath and I guess I had higher expectations and left extremely disappointed. The prices were okay with all the services and massage running 85TL. I was provided a private changing room to hold my clothes and a thin towel to wrap around my waist. Then I was led into the room that has the big round marble slab. Much to my surprise the women and men are in the same room! Although I thought I had selected a less touristy place, it turned out to be quite full of young, college age men and women visiting on holiday from all over Europe. But the women were taking all the available space on the slab, laying out on towels like they were sunning on a beach. The guys were sitting on the side areas were water facets were available for the two men who came over and poured water on you and told you to wait. I sat there for several minutes while the other guys were lathered up and washed and scrubed, all while sitting on the low marble seats next to the faucets that were turned on to fill the basins with water. Then the guys were told to lay on the slab one at a time and the employee put suds over you and massaged your body some before rinsing you off with pans of water. Of course you're doing this all while wrapped by a towel, but feeling quite uncomfortable with all the ladies laying next to you and you're wondering If your body parts are sufficiently covered. Also, while pouring water over your head, the water is poured upward below your face so that the water rushes up your nose and to the back of your throat. Heck, I think I was water boarded, as I had to sit up and cough and clear my pipes. I thought, is dick Cheney on the staff here? After that miserable experience I was ushered into the lobby after receiving a dry towel to wrap around my body. I was seated and provided hot tea. Of course most of the other guys and gals were all out there too. I asked if I could have my oil massage as soon as possible and was brought up stairs to a massage room where I was given a short massage. The room door was left open and while I was getting a massage, the girls gathered outside the room chatting up a storm and giving me no privacy at all. In summary, co-ed bad. Lack of serenity and privacy-bad. Rushed service -bad. I also left wondering if all baths failed to wash your entire body was due to custom, or was the modesty due to the co-ed nature of the facility? read more

With only five days to spend in Istanbul I was eager for a Turkish Bath experience. I researched several places and chose Aga Hamami based on reviews and price. I chose the "Massage Package" for 200 TL, very reasonable. I liked the sauna, scrub, soap massage* and oil massage enough to put 20TL tip in the box on my way out. HOWEVER, there was a moment in the soap massage when the masseuse drove his hand/knuckles into the back of my legs, i.e. calves. It was intensely painful at the time he did it (I screamed twice, left and right, he smiled conspiratorily)... and the net result is that I have been on crutches for over a week, unable to walk/put any pressure on my left leg. After the experience I still had a few days in Istanbul... I was walking with difficulty, visitors to the Puffin Hostel will verify. I returned to Tsarimir, Bulgaria where I was in the middle of a month-long artist residency. The hosts and other artists will verify that I could not walk, and my legs were/are tremendously swollen. This injury has been a great setback to my time abroad -- I live and work in Oregon, USA. I am going to stay a few more days than planned in Sofia BG with hopes of recovering enough to tolerate a long-distance flight home. This means I had to buy a new airline ticket as well. I spend my final days in Eastern Europe lying down with my leg raised to reduce the pain. I hope that others will see this review and be empowered to demand a relaxing massage, not a painful one. My trip to Istanbul has become a tragic-comic story that I will be sharing for years to come, no doubt. Finally, in fairness to Aga Hamami, I want to point out that I take a number of medications, including the blood thinner Warfarin, for a heart condition. This is at least partially to blame for the internal bruising I sustained (Yes, I got to see the inside of a state-run Bulgarian hospital emergency room, for diagnosis!). But the masseuse at Aga Hamami saw my open-heart surgery scar and said he would go easy. Also, the man who got a soap massage before me that day screamed when his calves were "massaged". He seemed to be a very fit middle-aged man, visiting the baths with his entire family. I wonder if he's on crutches, too. read more

This place was fantastic. We got the complete package. Started with a shower and scrub down followed by a foam wash. After all this we got a full body massage, head massage and a face mask. Everything was great and the staff was very friendly and courteous. Would highly recommend this place. read more

Ağa Hamamı - Day Spas Near Me - Istanbul, 34

Had a racist experience there yesterday. I came with my friend there yesterday,we're both guys,we were told that we need to reserve before coming which we are ok with, and we were told that only couples (male and female) can enter there, then we asked them about the western guys that just left,they told us that they have female partners still inside. When we went out we asked those guys,and they said they came alone and werent told anything about needing a female with them. We confronted the lady who then became defensive and started denying, although we could see another 2 guys sitting by themselves there too, it was clear she didn't want us in cuz we look arab and nothing more. Shame on you Aga hammam read more

Do you happen to be in Istanbul and you feel like getting scrubbed, naked, by an also-naked stranger? Look no further! On a serious note, my sister and I wanted to attempt the "traditional" Turkish bath house experience, so off we went to Aga Hamami. Built in the 1400s -- yes, that's right, before America was even "discovered" (using that term loosely) -- it maintains a lot of its ancient charm. The 6-foot fish tank, tv, washing machine, and "office space" dare to ruin the authenticity, but if you appreciate the culture clash of old and new world, you can almost accept them as ironic. The actual bath house part of the hamam is pretty astounding - completely marble rooms to rinse, steam, and bathe. Laying down on the center stone in the middle of the large rinsing room, staring up at the domed ceiling, is an experience you won't ever find anywhere else. In terms of execution -- they give you a Turkish towel (they have little fringe on the edges) to take into the rinse room. You go to one of the many sinks and rinse yourself in warm water, then relax until called. Next stop is the steam room, where the menthol steam really puts you at ease. Then back to the big rinse/relax room. After, you're brought into the bathing room, where you remove your bathing suit/underwear/anything else you might have on, and the attendant (? not sure what she's called) strips down (sometimes nude, sometimes bikini bottom), and SCRUBS you top to bottom. I opted for the new exfoliating glove - it was a little extra but I wanted a new one. Once scrubbed (and I mean completely), she rinses you, washes your hair, and sends you back to the main room. My sister and I also got the oil massage but it wasn't all that. She just poured about a gallon of lube on my naked body and sloshed it around. The mud mask was fun, but you have to rinse it off yourself and it was pretty well caked on. If you want the long, full experience, go for the massage and mask because it's only another $20 or so, but don't expect it to blow your mind. We got to sit and drink delicious apple tea between our massage and mask, and yet another adorable stray cat came to play with us while we relaxed. All in, it was 140 TL, which I think boiled down to about 45 USD. Worth every cent to be a part of a centuries-old tradition. You have to be brave, but if you are, you should go! read more

This was an authentic Turkish bathhouse in beyoglu. 60 lira for a bath and 100 if you want the massage. I would recommend this - sauna, scrub rinse and massage. read more

I was recommended to this hamami by a local who regularly hosts airbnb guests. It is authentic, local and not touristic. It also offers some partially co-ed opportunities for couples travelling together. The staff was super friendly, the services were top notch and the tea was delicious. The atmosphere is super relaxing. I spent most of my evening there! The communal bath area is a bit algae-grown in the ceiling but it is otherwise rather hygienic. It's not your chlorine-cleaned spa from the states! It's over 500 years old! read more

Went there on a Saturday evening. Not too busy and only met tourists. It was clean, staff was friendly and had an old charm to it. I was totally relaxed at the end. Massage was ok but had better. Fairly priced. If you want a high end hamam you need to go to other places read more

Very poor experience. This is no where near a massage while the Turkish bath is as ordinary as it can be. Doesn't worth the money at all!

Staff here is very nice and walk you through the process. I did not bring a bikini and it was no big deal. Left underwear on for the scrub and I never felt exposed in the coed areas. A fun experience and a value for what you get. if you want to stay with your partner or friends of another gender this place makes it very easy. My skin was glowing afterward and it was relaxing after a few days of footing it around Istanbul. read more

It was my first time at a hamam and so I can't compare it to any previous experience of the kind, but having been to several Spas and massage place I can tell it was both different and good. The owners were brusk yet nice, though probably this feeling was at least partly due to the language barrier. They don't speak fluent English but have enough to communicate effectively. As soon as I walked in they showed me the list of their services: 40 TL for the bath, 5 TL for a body scrub, 5 TL for a soap bath, and 35 TL for a massage. I chose not to do the massage because I wasn't sure what kind they would give me; being used to hardcore deep tissue massages I didn't want to waste time on a superficial massage but now I think it might have been worth it. The place was smaller than I'd expected, but I think it makes sense being this old. I got undressed and was lead into the main room, a big circular domed space with a hot stone in the middle. Everything is in marble and feels extremely cozy. Something I didn't expect was that man and women shared this space. There are several sinks along the wall, by which you sit and pout water over yourself with a little basin. Then you go lie on the hot stone and go back to the basin to cool off when you get too hot. Perhaps ten minutes after I entered the bath room, they took me to a separate space where I lied on a marble table and foot scrubbed and washed by a Turkish matron wearing nothing but the thinnest pair of underwear. If you've ever received a massage in the US, you know how careful they are about not touching certain areas, uncovering only those inches of skin they're actually going to massage, etc. Well, nothing like this here! She wasn't disrespectful or anything, and actually the way she scrubbed and washed me reminded me of my grandmother bathing me as a kid. I guess there's something really comforting in having an older lady scrub, wash, and massage you. I must also note that my thyroid is bigger than usual - it has always been like this but usually only doctors notice. This lady, however, noticed. I'm sad she didn't speak much English because she wanted to tell me something about it but I couldn't understand. Anyhow that made me think she knew her business. Then I went back into the main bath room and repeated the hot stone-cold water basin sequence until I felt like I couldn't stay any longer. I went out, get dressed and sat at a low table where they brought me a sweet apple tea. I sat there chatting for about 30 minutes, about as long as it took to be ready to go before, after getting dressed, my body felt melted and I wouldn't have been able to walk straight out! All in all, a most pleasant experience. My skin was super smooth and I felt relaxed all throughout my body. I think the massage would have been a nice complement to the whole experience because my muscles got so relaxed that some good work could have been done there. read more

I was born and raised in Istanbul but i have never experienced such a thing in a touristic place before! I`ve been going to hamams all around istanbul since i was a kid and i have never seen so rude stuff before. I live in Munich since 4 years and we visited istanbul with my german girlfriend and of course she wanted to experience hamam culture once we are there. So that she wouldn`t be alone we have searched and found this hamam which we could enter together even though it was more expensive than others. when we stepped into the building a stuff greeted us and i made the mistake and greeted her in tukish so she undestood that i am Turkish. and she immediately told me that Turkish men are not allowed to go in. at first i didn`t understand and asked again because as a local i wasn`t allowed to go in a hamam in my own city. Then i translated the situation to my girlfriend and she was also quite upset because she really wanted to go in but of course sitting for 2 hours alone in the hamam doesn`t make sense. I mean i don`t look like a raper with a scar all over the face or something like that i am a double engineer who can speak 4 languages and i am quite good educated not to disturb other ladies in hamam especially when my girfriend next to me. but in any case i wasn`t angry or anything but just upset and talking to my girlfriend to make some other hamam plan. I am really ok with the policy of a place even though it was discrimination was because i thought there would be some bad experiences in the past, totally ok! but then one of the stuff ( i guess she thought that i was quite ok to go in) wanted to ask the 60year old boss sitting 5 meters away from us and watching the half naked girls if i can go in. an then the party started. as it seems the guy has already heard what we were speaking an he started to curse at me that he owns the place and he would decide who is allowed to go in or not. but still i kept my chill and tried to talk to him in a polite manner and told him that i don`t want to go in any case and i also didn`t ask anything, but my problem was his rude manners. he insulted me in front of my girlfriend and all the customers saying that i am useless and never be able to go into that hamam. an i still want to remind that i didn`t even talk to him at first and didn`t ask him anything he started to curse at me out of no where jumping all around and waving his hands. all the customers were totally upset. at most my girlfriend. so in the end we were taken of the hamam by the stuff. I said that there as well and i am writing here also. i will write to all websites in every language i can about this incident because this kind of people shouldn`t be allowed to run touristical businesses. i really recommend tourists not to spend their money there. there are much better and cheaper local hamams in istanbul. I will also do my best to get this hamam`s name out of Lonely Planet book. If you still want to go there it is your decision. Never experienced such a thing before!!! read more

Do the bath soap and scrub, but skip the oil massage. For everything, we paid about 85 TL.

Had a wonderful (and affordable) experience here! The Hamam was clean and beautiful and the workers were very sweet. It is not separated by gender in the initial bathing room (although women get scrubbed alone in a room), so wear a bathing suit if you're shy. My friend and I got the sauna and scrub base package and added the hot oil massage. Leave plenty of time, just with one addition we were there for around two hours. Also, I didn't love my oil massage but my friend liked hers, so it might be hit or miss. But overall a very relaxing and pleasant experience! read more