On recent trips, I’ve made it a must-do, to take advantage of the cheap(er) spa treatments travelling to other countries presents. Turkey, no exception. With nothing much planned for Izmir, I figured it would be the perfect time. Turned out, it was not the easiest to find a day spa, or perhaps, the kind I was looking for. In the end, I decided on Hypnos Spa, which happened to be the spa at Marriott’s Renaissance hotel – according to the receptionist at my budget hotel: the best and most expensive hotel in town. After looking at the menu on their website, I chose the Welcome Package: 90 minutes, Swedish massage (or aromatherapy massage), face mask, body scrub and foam massage. I like package deals. I like value for my money 🙂 With no prices listed online, I contacted them, via WhatsApp, which proved to be the best way of getting hold of people/companies in Turkey, and 5 minutes later I had lots of info, and a price of 4.500 Turkish lire (TL) (price list added below). Including in the price is a 2 hour use of the sauna, steam room, pool, and gym. Wanting to enjoy it all, I arrived an hour before my scheduled treatments. With barely anyone else there, I had the pool and sauna all to myself. Once it was time for my treatments, I was greeted by a welcoming therapist, who suggested I’d start with a sauna. When I told her I had already done that, we entered the hammam, and I was in for a real scrub down, foam massage, and face mask. The hammam is all marble, so the bench is not the most comfortable to lie on. The foam might give you a tiny bit of a claustrophobic feeling, for a second only, as it is everywhere, on and around you. There’s no paper underwear. There’s a loin cloth, but it gets soaking wet, as you are drenched in lukewarm water, so really no use. In other words, basically butt naked. No time for shyness 😀 Later, I discovered there was a man in the sauna, opposite the open door to the hammam. What show he got, I don’t know 😀 After the hammam treatment, we moved to another room, for the Swedish full body massage. You can relax in the lounge chairs either by the pool or in a room outside the hammam.
Towels, loincloths, and slippers are provided. I wore a bikini, no need for a swimming suit, for more coverage. If you want to use the spa facilities only, you can, for 1.750 TL. They accept credit cards, which is not an absolutely given in Turkey…
The spa in Izmir is referred to as the Alsancak branch on their website. Apparently, Alsancak is a neighbourhood in the Konak area of town, meaning, centrally located.
Website: hypnosspa.com
