Attention!
Constantly updated by the local Pink Guides representatives
living in the major Turkish cities, Turkeygay.Net, serves as
the most dependable resource you can find providing information on
LGBT venues and gay-friendly events in Turkey. However, it’s
important to acknowledge that there might be occasional
discrepancies in the provided information, as we may not have
captured all recent changes. Please use the details provided with
this in mind.
Additionally, please be aware that many of the venues
listed on the website lack official owner approval and they all are
not gay or gay-friendly places necessarily.
Bathhouses
are daytime venues, and most of them close around 10
p.m. They tend to be busiest after work hours, in the
evenings, and on Sundays. While you may encounter people
of all ages, the majority of clients in these bathhouses
are middle-aged and mature men. The bathhouses
frequented by gay individuals are situated on some
backstreets and are not very close to each other.
Therefore, if you plan to visit several of them in one
day, it’s advisable to conduct thorough research in
advance. Our tailor-made online
LGBT Map will be very helpful for this purpose
You can find more detailed information about gay friendly
sauna and bath houses on
Turkish Bath Guide.Com
website, including location maps and reviews of the
people who have visited them.
Firuzagha Hamam
Cukurcuma Cd.
No: 6, Cukurcuma, Beyoglu
Turkish Bath Guide - Firuzaga
A small old Turkish bath house in Beyoglu. You can find most
easily by walking down from
Galatasaray Square, the middle of Istiklal avenue,
or walking up from
Tophane tram station
Yeshildirek Hamamı
Tershane Cad.
No:124, Azapkapı, Istanbul
Turkish Bath Guide - Yesildirek
It is about 5-10 minutes walking
distance to Halic (Golden Horn) station on the
M2 metro line. You can also walk from Taksim in some
20 minutes. Visited by mature men mostly.
Cihangir Sauna
Altipatlar Sokak,
No: 14,
Beyoglu, Istanbul
Turkish Bath Guide - Cihangir
Located on a back-street near the beginning of Cukurcuma
street. It is not a traditional
Turkish bath. Basically it has a sauna, some kind of a
dark room, showers and a cafe-lounge area.
Balat Cavus Hamami
(07:00 - 22:00)
Cavus
Hamami Sk. No:1/1, Balat, Istanbul.
Turkish Bath Guide - Balat Cavus
Located in rising Balat district of Istanbul popular
with its colorful historical houses and lovely cafe
shops, Balat Cavus Hamam is a traditional Turkish
hammam, where locals and tourists go.
Aquarius Sauna (open
7/24)
Sadri Alisik Sokak,
29/1, Beyoglu, Istanbul.
Turkish Bath Guide - Aquarius
A modern venue near Taksim with a dry sauna, swimming
pool, Jacuzzi and a small gym. Open 7/24, everyday and
round the clock. It is advised to read guest reviews
before going to this place because it has a completely
different concept compared to other traditional bath
houses listed above.
Click here for more details.
Following hamams are not gay venues, but are recommended
to people who wants to experience the atmosphere of a
real historical & traditions Turkish bath.
Ayasofya Hamam
Ayasofya Meydani
No:2, Sultanahmet, Istanbul
Ayasofya Hurrem Sultan Hamami is the most luxury and
fairly expensive historical Turkish bath located at the
very center of historical Sultanahmet district, across
from Santa Sophia. It was commissioned by the Ottoman
Sultan Suleiman's consort, Hurrem Sultan, and
constructed by well-known architect Mimar Sinan during
the 16th century.
Galatasaray Hamam
Turnacibasi Sokak
No: 24 Beyoglu, Istanbul
This hamam was used exclusively by men for almost 500
years. This all changed in 1963 with the addition of a
small section for women. However, aside from this little
addition, not much else has been altered. It was
originally built in 1481 during the reign of Beyazit II
and contains many pretty details, such as the intricate
tile work at the entrance to the steam room in the men's
section.
Cagaloglu Hamam
Prof. Kazim Ismail Gurkan Cad
No:34, Cagaloglu
Cagaloglu Hamam ("hamam" means Turkish bath) was built
about 300 years ago on an area of 2834 sq.mt It is
considered the last sample of its category and the
architectural design is astonishing. It is open
everyday.
Cemberlitas Hamam
Vezirhan Cd.
No:8, Cemberlitas, Fatih / Istanbul
It is located in Sultanahmet, near the Grand Bazaar
(there is Cemberlitas tram station right across the
entrance). This hamam built in 1584 was very popular
among the Ottoman Sultans. It is considered to be one of
the most important examples of 16th century Ottoman
architecture.
Click here for a full list of historical
Turkish baths
Most tourists do not like to be in places
where there are only other tourists and understandably want
to experience the original places where local people go.
Although above listed bath houses are easier to find and
better samples of historical Turkish baths we would also
like to introduce several other good samples of
less-known local Turkish baths. Actually, there is
always a possibility bumping into people interested in
gay-affair in such less touristy bath houses. Intimacy
is highly recommended in such cases.
Please click
here for a complete list
The Turkish hamam (also Turkish bath or hammam) is the
Middle Eastern variant of a steam bath, which can be
categorized as a wet relative of the sauna. They had
played an important role in cultures of the Middle-East,
serving as places of social gathering, ritual cleansing
and as architectural structures, institutions, and
(later) elements with special customs attached to them.
Europeans learned about the hamam via contacts with
Turkey hence the European name for it: "Turkish" hamam.
Taking a Turkish bath firstly involves relaxing in a
room (known as the warm room) that is heated by a
continuous flow of hot dry air allowing the bather to
perspire freely. Bathers may then move to an ever hotter
room (known as the hot room) before splashing themselves
with cold water. After performing a full body wash and
receiving a massage, bathers finally retire to the
cooling-room for a period of relaxation.
In Turkey, the advent of modern plumbing systems,
showers, and bathtubs in homes caused the importance of
hamams to fade in recent times.
A typical hamam consists of three interconnected basic
rooms similar to its Roman ancestors: the sicaklik (or
hararet -caldarium) which is the hot room, the warm room
(tepidarium) which is the intermediate room and the
sogukluk which is the cool room. The sicaklik usually
has a large dome decorated with small glass windows that
create a half-light; it also contains a large marble
stone at the center that the customers lie on, and
niches with fountains in the corners.
A private gay guide will accompany your first nights in Istanbul
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