What Is a Foam Massage?
The picture most people have of a hamam: a mound of soap bubbles on warm stone. Here is what happens underneath it.
Quick answer
The foam massage — köpük in Turkish, which you may also see called a Turkish foam bath — follows straight after the kese. Soap bubbles are heaped over you on the warm marble and the attendant washes and massages you beneath them. On our Alanya programme it leads into around 20 minutes of aromatic oil massage.
Where the bubbles come from
The old method is still the usual one. A thin cloth bag goes into soapy water, the attendant fills it with air and squeezes, and a thick, light foam pours out. A few passes and you disappear under it.
What you feel
You stay stretched out on the warm stone. Under the bubbles the attendant washes you and works over your shoulders, back, arms and legs, then sluices you clean with warm water.
It follows the kese for a reason: after the brisk scrub, the foam is soft. One is meant to lead to the other.
Foam massage, oil massage
Two separate stages. The foam massage happens during the wash, on the marble. The aromatic oil massage comes afterwards and is a massage in its own right, lasting around 20 minutes. The basic programme includes both.
Say so beforehand if…
- you are allergic to any soap, oil or scent;
- you would like firmer or lighter pressure;
- you want to keep your hair dry — otherwise it usually gets washed with the rest of you.