Cappadocia Turkish Bath (Hamam) Series: Ürgüp City Hamam

To see all of posts on Turkish Baths (Hamams), go to our Cappadocia Turkish Bath (Hamam) Homepage.

Feeling heavenly in a place fit for hell.

This is my experience when frequenting the Ürgüp City Hamam in Cappadocia.


I feel (somewhat) heavenly because the muck and grime of the day has been systematically scrubbed off my body.

At the same time, I have emerged from a place formerly known as the ‘Heathen Hamam’ (Gavur Hamamı, due to its location in the Greek quarter) that is heated by an almost one thousand year old heating system called the cehennemlik, or ‘fit for hell’, system.

Please don’t misunderstand, upon entering the building you will meet Osman Taşar and his three sons, Kaya, Kamil and Şerif who shine with Turkish hospitality. Osman Bey has been wearing the same smile for the past 36 years, welcoming the worn and weary into this early Selcuk period building (14th century). Their service is professional, and they offer the lowest price in the area. (Entrance fee = 15 TL, plus another 10 TL for a scrub down and massage, totaling 25 TL.)

HISTORY
Mr Taşar moved to Ürgüp when he was a teenager with his family in 1976. Osman’s father hailed from the province of Tokat, where most other tellaks (masseurs) are from, along with its neighboring province, Sivas. In earlier times these migrant masseurs would spend the winters in Tokat and Sivas, and travel during the rest of the year, manning the Turkish bathhouses around the country.

Osman Bey has established a reputable hamam in Cappadocia, which many tourists occasion. The early period Selcuk structure is quaint and adds to the experience. The heating system consists of a huge furnace which heats up a large, empty space underneath the building. The building is supported by many 1.5 meter high columns that are covered with the marble along which the bather moves. Depending on the outside temperature, the furnace needs only to run a few hours in the morning and the marble retains the heat for the rest of the day.

SAVE MONEY
While interviewing Osman and his son Kamil for this post a foreign tourist had walked in who had recently been in Istanbul. He was curious about the price because he had spent a boat load of money for a Turkish bath while there. I asked him how much he had doled out, to which he replied,”100 euros!” I guarantee you his skin and muscles will feel the exact same way when he exits Ürgüp City Hamam than they did at the luxury hamam in Istanbul. Maybe the experience will not be as aesthetically pleasing, but he will be just as clean!

So, if you are in Ürgüp Cappadocia and you want to experience a traditional Turkish bath, but don’t have the bucks to spend on a luxury hamam, “Osman and Sons” is the place for you.

The operating hours are: 07:00-23:00, 7 days a week. On Saturdays, from 12:00-15:30, are for women only, with all other hours being mixed, men and women together.

Would you be comfortable going to a mixed gender hamam?

Click below to learn about the other Turkish baths (hamams) in Cappadocia:
A Steamy Introduction to Turkish Baths (Hamams) in Cappadocia
Elis Turkish Bath of Göreme
The Bayramhacı Hamam
The Karavezir Paşa Hamam of Gülşehir
Alaaddin Turkish Bath of Avanos
Meteris Turkish Bath of Nevşehir
Damat Ibrahimpaşa Hamam of Nevşehir


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