Hamam

I always wanted to go to a real turkish bath, a Hamam. Not the cheesy baths we have in Bogota, but the real stuff. partly for the excitement, partly for the culture. I chose not to go to the openly gay ones - there are plenty in Istanbul, it's really the only outlet men have to have sex - I selected instead the Cemberlitas Hamam. Not far away from theGrand Bazar, built in 1584 by Sinan, one of the most famous architects. Go check the site. I went there the day of Ezra's wedding, I needed to relax, have a good time and look FAAABULOUS before I would put on my Versace suit :o)

Well, it was certainly a very interesting experience. Not sexually, I was not there for that, but certainly culturally. Just imagine the last time you were bathed with loads of soap, massaged, pampered and taken care of. Yes, it was a regression experience. Even though the masseur could care less about me, the fact a foreign hand was taking care of me was very comforting. It takes around 45 minutes, first they pour warm water on you - you cannot be naked - and then they bathe you with a lot of soap, and massage every part of your body. My spine cracked a few times, my arms felt like jelly. Then they use a thick glove to exfoliate the dead skin cells, and they keep on pouring water by the buckets. I felt like a baby again. I had no idea what was the experience there, and I will certainly do it again. When the massage is finished, you can stay and relax in the steam room area, until the space gets crowded with loud gringos disrupting that special moment. When the guys got in and started laughing and making noise, and splashing water at each other, I took a cold shower, was dried by a man in the waitng area, got upstaris to get dressed and had my Chai in the living room.