The growth of the spa industry and appeal of old style Turkish steam baths promise to revive Old Istanbul bath houses. Following decades of neglect developers are spending millions of dollars buying and restoring Istanbul’s best hammans (steam baths). There has been a surge of interest among Turks in Ottoman customs and developers are expecting rising tourist numbers. Turkey had 26.3 million visitors in 2008 and hopes to attract 63 million visitors by 2023.
Manager of the Suleymaniye hammam said “There is a good future in hammams. People have realized they are a strong business and there is a lot of interest in buying or managing them.” The Slyeymaniye hamman was built in 1557 by Mimar Sinan. Hammam price tags are quite high – Cagaloglu Hammam was built in 1741 is now on sale for $16 million.
