I’ve always been eager to try a traditional Turkish bath. While Istanbul is a destination absolutely on my travel bucket list, who knows if I will ever get there? So when I found out Madrid was home to a traditional bath, I took the chance to try it out.

The Hammam Al Ándalus circuit can be found in Málaga, Granada, Córdoba and Madrid. The Madrid location is on top of a century-old well in the Almudena neighborhood. My midafternoon appointment was scheduled to offer a respite from morning and evening sightseeing. For visitors to Madrid, consider purchasing a 72-hour Madrid Card, which offers free admission to loads of attractions and other discounts, including 10 percent off at the Hammam. The card is available in other time intervals.

Hammam Al Ándalus offers a hot bath, a warm bath, a sauna and an ice-cold plunge pool. Other rituals can be booked, and therapists find you throughout your 90-minute bath session and escort you to private rooms for the massages and scrubs. I opted for a traditional Kessa treatment, where an abrasive Kessa glove and red grape soap are rubbed across the skin. The session lasted about 15 minutes and was different than what I expected, based on the website description. I expected more of a massage; it was a soapy scrub. The warm stone table was a definite plus!

I bounced between the hot and warm baths, with brief intervals in the sauna. I dipped my toes and fingertips in the plunge pool, but the frigid water was too much of a shock for my system, and I opted not to completely submerge my body. 

I have a hard time relaxing; I don’t like not knowing when the therapist is going to come find me; it’s unlike me to not wear a watch or have any idea of the time and how many minutes have transpired. Needless to say, inside the quiet, darkened Hammam, without a watch, cell phone or any concept of the outside world, it was hard for me to focus on simply relaxing. My mind wandered. However, I can see the beauty and peace in the silent, dimmed atmosphere of Hammam Al Ándalus. 

— Kim Krol, managing editor