Day 60- 30 Naked Ladies

After doing a lot of relaxing and nothing, we finally got the gumption to get out, walk and catch the public transportation to a Turkish bath.
We went to the most historic bath in Istanbul, built in the mid 1500s. When you arrive, you pay and get some plastic chips for your massages, then proceed to the women's section (the men's and women's sections are completely separate and identical). Upon entry to the locker room, you are handed a thin towel, and a locker key, and that is all you take with you into the bath area.
There is a large, round, marble stone in the center of a domed room that is called a "tummy stone." It is here that one finds that being shy just won't due, because relaxing and "preparing for perspiration" on the stone are about 15 ladies of all ages, sizes, and nationalities. The rest of the ladies are sitting by the sinks around the sides of the round room or in the little extension rooms that also have sinks in them. The sinks all have hot and cold water and little bowls that you fill and pour onto yourself. I have to admit, it was a little shocking at first, but as they say, "When in Turkey..."
It didn't take long to feel more at ease, and before I knew it, I was being summoned to the edge of the stone by a heavy set Turkish woman for my bath. She scrubs you down with a hand mitt before sudsing you up with what looks like a white pillowcase dipped in soapy water. After your shampooing, you're free to return to the stone for more relaxation before the oil massage. This was nice, although exiting the domed room is a chilly experience after you've been basking in the steam for over an hour. We hung out for awhile and eventually all of the pampering got old, so I dried off and had some water and an orange while waiting in the common area for Asli.
We took a cab part way back, then got dropped off in Taksim, where we-like many people in Turkey- walked arm-in-arm through the main street. I bought some dried figs to take home and a pomegranate (which I would have like to have taken home) then we caught the metro again and walked home.
Belgin (Asli's mom) came home late that night after having an incredibly long wait in the airport when returning from her Bayram holiday in southern Turkey. We visited briefly in the kitchen before all hitting the sack, preparing for an early morning.