Göreme has noticeably more hammams than a village this size would suggest, and the reason is simple: after a day in the valleys, where tuff dust works into the skin and the climbs tell on the legs, a bath turns out to be the logical ending. The classic programme runs as a sequence of rooms: warming on the marble slab at the centre, a kese scrub that lifts the top layer of skin, a foam massage and tea in the resting room.

Programmes differ in what is added to that base. The basic one is warming, scrub and foam, an hour and a half. Extended versions include an oil massage, a facial or a session in the jacuzzi; the full set stretches to two and a half hours. Some establishments in Göreme occupy rooms cut into rock, where the vaults and the steady temperature come from the stone rather than from ventilation.

Practical notes. The peştemal towel and slippers are usually provided on site, so you only bring swimwear and a change of underwear. Some hammams keep separate men's and women's halls while others take mixed groups — ask at booking if it matters to you. Do not step straight out into the cold afterwards: Cappadocian evenings can be around ten degrees even in summer, and steamed skin reacts more sharply.