Polis Hammam is a brand new, authentic Turkish Hammam in Athens which takes you out of the city and into a world all of its own. Old school hospitality packaged up in a contemporary environment.
Having a well established spa in Thessaloniki, Polis Hammam recently opened a location in central Athens. Lucky Athenians!
You will find the Hammam located on a side street off of Ermou in the Psirri district of Athens.
Spa Orientation
When you enter the spa, you receive a friendly, traditional greeting in a very modern setting. Our Travel Bloggers Greece group was greeted with a welcome drink while we filled out our client information. I was immediately impressed with the professional demeanor of the staff and their warmth.
A very knowledgable staff member gave us the rundown of the changing room/locker area and showed us around. The spa is spread out over 3 different levels and you really have no idea that you are inside a building in the center of Athens. Everything is designed very well and tranquility flows throughout the property.
Swimsuits are required and the spa provides flip-flops and a wrap for you to wear into the hammam.
Hammam
I’ve been to spas before and various wellness/therapeutic/feel-good places, but never a hammam. When we were shown the hammam room I couldn’t help but notice the contrast between old and new. Of course the construction is new, but it definitely has an ancient ‘where are the guys in loincloths’ feel to it. There is nothing old-fashioned about the locker rooms and common areas.
The first step in the hammam process is to relax in the warm room and work up a sweat. All of the surfaces are warm with a large belly stone in the center of the room to recline and unwind. This would be a great activity for a group of friends because you are all just lounging on this big slab of hot marble waiting to get pampered. What a great place to gossip!
Passa Hammam
After raising the body temperature to a nice toasty level, comes the cool down process. My wonderful spa attendant, Mariana, came and escorted me to a side room with a marble table.
There was water splashing all around me and it felt wonderful while laying on the marble slab. The first treatment was a full body scrub with special gloves. This was perfect timing for me as beach season is just around the corner and I needed a good exfoliation.
After more splashing, there was a magical ‘feathering’ from an air filled silk pillow case. You just have to try this to find out what I am talking about.
The final bit was basically being covered from head to toe in bubbles. BUBBLES! I could actually feel the weight of the bubbles on me while Mariana was lightly massaging my body. A one-of-a-kind experience for sure!
Read more about Passa Hammam at Polis
After the bubbles are all rinsed off, we moved back to the main room and I took my place next to one of the faucets. We were previously using the faucets to fill the silver dishes with water to ‘cleanse’ ourselves while relaxing on the stone.
Now the faucet and reservoir served the same purpose as they do in a beauty salon. Hair washing stations! Mariana washed my hair, conditioned it and finished off the treatment with a few bowls full of cold water over my head- which felt amazing!
Massage
We relaxed a bit in the lounge before heading to our private massage rooms. That’s right, it didn’t stop at the hammam. Polis Hammam offers a full menu of services well beyond the Turkish baths of days gone by.
Aritma Polis 30′ minute massage was the one I opted for. It seriously did not feel like 30 minutes. Time stood still as Damian worked the knots out of my back. This was definitely the strongest massage I’ve had since a 90 year-old Thai woman kicked my ass a few years back. He was very professional and asked if the pressure was ok, and I said ‘yes’. We all love to feel the pain while in a massage, right? It’s a good pain and it obviously was needed due to the attention he was paying to specific troubled areas.
My fellow pals from Travel Bloggers Greece and I agreed that a transfer home in a limousine should be part of the package because we did not want to go back out into Athens and face the harsh world after that glorious pampering. We wanted to be scooped up and delivered home so that we could remain in our zen state for as long as possible.
I will surely be back to repeat this experience in the future and hopefully try other services.
The historical relevance of the ancient bath house makes this a really cool thing to do while in Athens. Bathe as they did in ancient times and then go out and get a frappe and a gyro.
Polis Hammam
Address: Avliton 6-8, Psirri
Telephone: 210 321 2020
Website: www.polis-hammam.gr
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PolisHammam
*Discount for our readers- 15% for your first visit. Discount code: FEx0917. Valid until Sept 30 ’17
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