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Tonight the summit delegation was hosted for a cocktail party on the 16th floor rooftop terrace at the Swissotel Bosphorus by hotel G.M. Gerhard Stuger, Anne McCall Wilson of Fairmont Raffles, and Elmar Nagele of Thermarium.  Delegates enjoyed festive food and drink and tours of the beautiful Amrita Spa in the hotel.  The spa covers 40,000 square feet and includes an indoor saltwater pool, fitness center, 14 treatment rooms, saunas and steam rooms, retail area, and extensive mens and ladies locker rooms.  There is also a couple’s suite that is the size of a small apartment, and a lovely hamam area.

It was a great first gathering of summit delegates, some of whom are new to the GSS and some who have attended before, and it was personally great to reconnect with folks I have not seen in a while.  We look forward to the official beginning of the conference program tomorrow.

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Today I did what every visitor to Turkey should do, I experienced a bath at an authentic Hamam.  The Global Spa Summit organizers had arranged a visit to the Cagaloglu Hamam, built in 1741 and still operating today.  While this Hamam could use a little renovation of it’s own, it’s in remarkably good condition.  I can’t imagine what any spas we’ve built in the last 20 years will look like at 300!

I entered the reception area and was shown a list of the services available, which range from “self-bath” to “oriental luxury”, which is the works.  I opted for the “kese and bath”, priced at about 75 Turkish Lira, or about US$48.  I was then escorted back to the ladies camekan, a kind of marble courtyard surrounded by 2 levels of changing cubicles.  Each cubicle had a narrow bed, sort of like the nurses office in elementary school.  I was instructed to remove my clothes and wrap myself in a pestamal, a checkered cloth which you wear like a sarong.  I was also instructed to wear a wooden slipper, sort of like Dr. Scholls but much harder to walk in.  I’m not sure if the wet marble floors or the wooden shoes are more dangerous!

Next I went to the hararet, or steam room.  At Cagaloglu, the hararet is large, featuring a central naval stone that was probably 10 feet across, and the room is ringed with about a dozen separate faucets and basins, some of which have water constantly running.  My attendant did not speak any English, but succeeded with hand gestures and a few words to communicate her directions to me.  I started by lying on my stomach and she scrubbed me all over with a wet mitt (which she gave to me when I was finished); once she had done both sides she then led me by the hand over to one of the basins and used a bowl to rinse me off. (more…)