The ancient wisdom of the steam bath
The Persian phrase “hava-to daram” literally translates to “I share your weather” or “I have your air”. This idiom is a loving reminder of how significant it is to breathe with others. And sitting side-by-side in warm vapour has given people across cultures numerous social and health benefits for thousands of years.
The origins of the hammam, sometimes referred to as a Turkish bath or steam bath, can be traced back to Ancient Roman and Byzantine bathing traditions.
Like the Turkish baths of old, Sense of Self’s Hammam is a large, communal space that invites you to stretch out, soak in the steam and commune. The space is heated to 46°C with marble sinks to help you cool down mid soak. In this edition of our journal, we pay homage to our favourite elements of steam baths new and old.
Socialising in the steam room
The Ottoman-era hammam was a place to socialise as well as cleanse and purify. Before households had running water, steam baths were built alongside the bazaar and brought people together daily. Spending time with others, even in silence, is proven to co-regulate our nervous systems and calm us down.
The Sense Of Self Hammam has ample space to stretch out. We love to see friends sit between sinks and help each other through their serve of the mud & sud ritual. The kit takes about 15 minutes to cycle through, so we recommend taking in a waterbottle and taking breaks when you need to.
Steam baths for relaxation
The relationship between physical and mental relaxation is clear. If we hold tension in our body so too do we feel stress in the mind. In a hammam, the warm, moist air in a steam room helps relax muscles and loosen stiff joints. Beyond the physical benefits, it is also dedicated time to sit and breathe without modern distractions.
There is evidence of steam used for relaxation and stress relief in many parts of the world. In what is now Mexico, steam rooms were also attached to ordinary homes. They were so integral to everyday life, that these ‘Aztec saunas’ were used to prepare the body for medicine, surgeries and births. The world’s oldest operational hammam is in Damascus and still serves as a place of respite.
Opening the lungs
While the sauna, which uses dry heat, also helps with muscle soreness, The Hammam is often more a favourite for people with respiratory issues.
Benefits of steam can include clearing congestion and allowing for slow, easy breathing. While this varies for everyone, many people tell us that the humidity in The Hammam helps clear their sinuses and open their chest up.
We encourage you to try both the sauna and steam room and see what eases tension. Sitting in each and practising a slow body scan – taking the focus from behind your ears to beneath yours toes – can help unravel what is most effective for you.
Skin benefits of steam
Steam rooms can help cleanse the skin by opening the pores and flushing them out. This can contribute to clearer, healthier-looking skin. These benefits go beyond just the face and neck, which we usually pay the most attention to. It’s easy to forget that our largest organ covers the surface of the entire body. It's the barrier between us and the outside world and requires love and maintenance.
We invite you to get comfortable in The Hammam and pair it with the mud & sud ritual to feel the full benefits of a little healthy hedonism. By sitting back and enjoying the ritual, you invite the whole body to breathe with you.
We recommend starting in The Hammam before you move through the other rooms. After exfoliating, lathering and absorbing natural clay and oils, the big pool will receive you smooth and supple.
A Hammam in the middle of Collingwood
Like many parts of Islamic architecture, hammams are often adorned with intricate tiles and patterns. Rich, lasting materials lifted their sense of luxury and ritual.
The Hammam at Sense of Self is a Melbourne-take on the Turkish bath, with a central marble platform, Mediterranean colour palette and intricately patterned window which lets natural light trickle through rising steam.
We invite you to move between our traditional sauna, mineral pool, cold plunge and steam bath in whatever combination feels like medicine to your muscles and pores.
Further reading
Virtual tour and tile gallery of a 16th Century Turkish bath
“The Bath”, Laskardis archives
Hammam ritual, Sense of Self
The benefits of a steam room, Medicine Today
The bathhouse of the winds, photography by Yannis Mathioudakis
