How the thermal baths work

What to bring

• A swimsuit. Required in every public bath, without exception.
• A towel. Rentals exist and cost more than they should.
• Flip-flops. Floors are wet stone; this is comfort and hygiene both.
• A swimming cap if you intend to use a lap pool. Non-negotiable there, irrelevant in the thermal pools.

Lockers and cabins

You will usually choose between a locker and a cabin — a cabin is a small private changing room you keep for the visit and costs more. On a busy day the cabin is worth it; alone on a weekday it is not.

Most baths issue a wristband that both opens your locker and records what you have paid for. Keep it on.

Using the pools

Shower before entering. The thermal pools are for sitting in, not swimming — nobody does lengths in a 38°C pool and you will be looked at if you try. Each pool posts its temperature; the hottest are genuinely hot and 20 minutes is a sensible maximum before cooling off.

Alcohol and hot thermal water are a bad combination. The signs saying so are not decoration.

Single-sex days

A few of the historic Turkish baths still operate single-sex days for part of the week. Check the specific bath before planning around it — this catches out more first-time visitors than anything else.

Photography

Increasingly restricted, and in some baths banned outright inside the pool halls. Assume no, and look for the sign.