We almost don’t want to tell you about the Turkish Hammam at the new Eastern Mangroves by Anantara hotel; it was that good
Rest assured, it’s only because we love you so much that we’re willing to share this divine experience with you.
Before we talk you through every blissful second of this 40-minute treatment, first a little about the spa itself. With a separate male and female wing converging on the main hammam room and relaxation areas, in short, it’s huge so make sure you keep one eye on your therapist at all times or you could get lost.
The hammam itself could hold a large group of up to 12 people comfortably, while each of the treatment rooms are larger that most studio apartments we’ve seen – many complete with terraces, showers and even sunken bathtubs.
A refreshing cup of chilled ginger tea consumed and paper pants and sarong at the ready, we were off to meet our therapist Isamil for our traditional Turkish Hammam.
A hop through the steam room and sauna and we were onto the slab for a quick rinse down with warm water before the ritual scrubbing of our skin could commence. Talking us through the whole process, Isamil put us completely at ease and made sure that we were appropriately covered at all times.
Appalled by the amount of dead skin he’d managed to remove from us, we were soon relaxing into the next segment of the treatment – the soaping! Basically this involved Isamil doing a little dance with a cloth that he’d soaked in olive soap, which he then magically inflated with air and squeezed over us so that we were covered in fluffy bubbles from head to toe. These wonderful smelling soapsuds were then massaged into our tired limbs – firmly, but oh-so-wonderfully.
Another rinse and it was time for Isamil to wash our hair – the final part of the treatment. We absolutely love having someone else wash our hair; it’s so relaxing, and he managed to do it so delicately that (again) we were close to drifting off to sleep.
Sadly though, our 40 minutes with Isamil were up and after a quick rub down with a warm fluffy towel, we were escorted back to the relaxation area for a cup of laban.
We can thoroughly recommend a visit to see Isamil. The treatment was relaxing, but at the same time comforting and we can’t wait to go back for some more Turkish TLC.
Megan Wynes
Treats for a home hammam
L’Occitane One-Minute Hand Scrub
The One-Minute Hand Scrub has been designed by L’Occitane to reveal incredibly soft hands in just one minute – so they say. Apparently its bi-phase formula consists of a phase of organic brown exfoliating sugar to gently scrub and eliminate dead skin cells and an oily phase (shea, sweet almond and grapeseed oils) to help soften and nourish hands.
Verbena Body Salt Scrub
This scrub combines salts from the Mediterranean with pure extracts of verbena, orange, geranium and lemon tree. Essential oils of grapeseed, apricot and sweet almond nourish and moisturise while anti-oxidising vitamin A helps to tone and maintain healthy appearance. Skin turns silky-smooth as dead skin cells are massaged away. We like the sound of that!
Almond Delicious Paste
A blend of almond butter and oil, this paste is infused with crushed almond shells and sugar crystals, offering a gentle, yet effective, exfoliation of the entire body. Skin is left smooth and soft, and delicately fragranced. This product is free from: synthetic colorants, mineral oils, animal ingredients, parabens, phenoxyethanol, phtalates, silicone, triclosan, formol or formaldehyde, EDTA, BHA and BHT.
Ultra Rich Body Scrub
Voted Best Luxury Body Scrub at the Stylist Skincare Awards in 2011, this scrub is enriched with shea butter, apricot oil and finely ground nutshells. Its creamy base offers gentle, yet effective, exfoliation. It helps eliminate dead cells, while preventing skin from becoming dehydrated. Perfect for tired skin that has been hopping from AC to 40+ degree heat!
Radiance and Colour Care Mask
A rich and creamy mask, Radiance & Colour has been specially formulated for colour-treated hair with a botanical blend of five essential oils (geranium, palmarosa, bergamot, rosemary and cedar). Grape seed extract has also been added to help keep colour from fading. The formula detangles hair, leaving it easy to manage. Additionally, UV filters help protect your hair colour against the sun’s harmful rays.
Repairing Mask for Dry and Damaged Hair
Particularly recommended for coloured and chemically-treated hair, this hair mask nourishes and restores capillary fibre. Although this sounds a bit complicated, it basically means that it’s been designed to repair and regenerate tired hair. It also protects against the damaging effects of environmental stresses.
