Istanbul Report

[floridarob]

34 minutes ago, polysome said:

as he tried to upsell me extras.

What were the prices with and without the extras//// and what were the extras offered?

[polysome]

22 hours ago, floridarob said:

What were the prices with and without the extras//// and what were the extras offered?

Don't remember but the basic massage rate is like 500-600 TL (it's usually sign posted and offered as part of the "full package" along with the scrub, entrance fee and such - around 1400 TL or so). Fyi, these rates are at least 50% of what you'd get in a regular, non-gay hammam (and the premium ones are definitely much more) - quality varies.

(E.g. The treatment I got from Firuzagha was quite good and thorough.)

Extras: basically fucking. Or you suck them. I guess the standard assumption is that they only do "top stuff", nothing "gay" like kissing, etc. You can try and negotiate and it's probably a case-by-case answer. It's funny how their whole logic may work but, hey, to each, their own.

 

Another update: I checked out Yesildirek at roughly the time of peak attendance. I only stayed for 5mins and didn't even get to take my clothes off.

The place was super local, service seemed meh and the clientele was definitely on the older side, and again super local. It felt weird so I just bolted. Given that it's also off the main area, I'd say the effort to walk all the way out there wasn't worth it.

[goofiepoem]

17 hours ago, polysome said:

Don't remember but the basic massage rate is like 500-600 TL (it's usually sign posted and offered as part of the "full package" along with the scrub, entrance fee and such - around 1400 TL or so). Fyi, these rates are at least 50% of what you'd get in a regular, non-gay hammam (and the premium ones are definitely much more) - quality varies.

(E.g. The treatment I got from Firuzagha was quite good and thorough.)

Extras: basically fucking. Or you suck them. I guess the standard assumption is that they only do "top stuff", nothing "gay" like kissing, etc. You can try and negotiate and it's probably a case-by-case answer. It's funny how their whole logic may work but, hey, to each, their own.

 

Another update: I checked out Yesildirek at roughly the time of peak attendance. I only stayed for 5mins and didn't even get to take my clothes off.

The place was super local, service seemed meh and the clientele was definitely on the older side, and again super local. It felt weird so I just bolted. Given that it's also off the main area, I'd say the effort to walk all the way out there wasn't worth it.

While I have posted my comment here already but polysome I can confirm what you mentioned are 99% accurate compared to what I experienced. I do like Yesildirek tho but mainly because of the space. I can breathe there lol. Everthing else is the same as you mentioned

[young11]

How much was the extra?

[pazubane]

On 7/18/2024 at 7:47 AM, goofiepoem said:

 

1.Balat Çavuş Hamamı Yorumlar - just good turkish massage service and good price. Don't expect more and you might get some surpises

 

This was a great suggestion. I was looking for a no pressure environment, just to relax, if there is sex it'll be a bonus. The hammam package was 900 tlr. The massuer offed himself during the massage phase, it was 600 tlr extra. 

[floridarob]

11 hours ago, pazubane said:

The massuer offed himself during the massage phase, it was 600 tlr extra. 

And.... don't leave us hanging, lol

[Travelingguy]

Balat Çavuş Hamamı Yorumlar

Just tried to Google it and it says that it is permanent closed.  In the reviews, there are comments that it may be closed for renovations, but this goes back many months.

[macaroni21]

Just a quick report about Firuzaga Hamam before I forget. The visit was in the second half of November. I can't remember what time I arrived but it was after dark; could have been 6pm. The place was quite busy in that there were always customers in every part of the hammam. Whilst the majority seemed to be local, there were some English-speaking customers as well, including at least three East-Asian-looking guys during the time I was there.

It's a traditional hammam with walls and floor tiles over a century old. Don't expect any luxury. It's also quite small, but enough. On entry, I was assigned a private changing room. Later, I noticed that there were lockers upstairs, so apparently one can choose whether to have a room or a locker. Not sure what the price differential is. Beyond the front room (the private changing rooms led off it) which also served as the tea room, the wet areas included one main steam room, two washing rooms, two dry saunas, and smaller side rooms for body scrub,

Up one floor were the lockers and massage rooms.

The attendents noticed straight away that I looked a bit too long at their menu of services, and so, of course, I must be interested! If I recall correctly, it was 400 lira for entry, 200 lira for "peeling" (body scrub) 15 minutes; 650 lira for oil massage 35 minutes; and 200 lira for soapy wash 15 minutes.

One guy (Murad) latched on to me and that was a negative, because I had wanted to sit longer in the steam room to sweat it out, and observe the goings on before getting serviced. But he came to me barely 3 or 4 minutes after I had finished washing myself to say it's time for the scrub. I had barely begun to sweat; the steam wasn't that hot.

The scrub was done with a rough mitten (good) and was quite thorough (in terms of area coverage), though Islamic modesty being what it is, the groin was not scrubbed at all.

After being washed down, I was led upstairs to a massage room where he gave an fairly good massage with firmness and consistency. Nothing suggestive at all. In fact, he didn't close the massage room door, but only a curtain made for privacy.

Then downstairs again where he performed the classic Turkish soap wash. I've had this before, the traditional way including slapping, but Murad did not slap.

All done, he said I was free to use the steam room for as long as I wished, which was sequentially illogical. I should have been given time to sweat it out and open my pores first before services were provided. Anyway, I still spent another 15 minutes or so in the main steam room, observing the goings on. The bottom line: a bit of suggestiveness, but I don't know if anything can really go on because there simply is no private space. OK, maybe there is the private changing room which comes with a very narrow bunk, but if two men have entered the same changing room together, it would be terribly visible to the attendants and other customers in the front room.

What was unusual was that, in the wet areas, some customers were "careless" about covering up while walking around, which was not something I'd seen in other hamams. They could have been foreigners rather than locals; I couldn't tell.

Overall, it's good value for money although whether other attendants give as good a massage as Murad I do not know. The total I paid, including 20 lira more for a cold drink from the fridge was 1,470 lira which was about 30 euros.

I think I spent a total of about 90 minutes inside.

Getting there: I Uber'd. But when I finished, I walked downhill (not steep) to main road that parallels the coast and where the tram runs. So it should be easy enough to reach via tram.

 

[macaroni21]

I should add: Firuzaga Hamam takes credit cards.