Kese and foam massage

Kese and foam massage is a spa treatment from the Turkish hammam tradition, aimed at cleansing the body deeply and letting it relax. The session runs in three stages and leaves a feeling of lightness. Unlike the medical procedures, what it sets out to do is clear the skin and rest the body.

Kese and foam massage: how the three stages run

The body is first softened with hot steam — that stage is there to open the pores. The therapist then lifts the dead cells from the surface of the skin with a kese mitt, in continuous rhythmic strokes. In the third stage a soft massage is given under deep foam. A warm shower closes the session, and sitting quietly for a while afterwards is advised. No pause is kept between the stages — the session runs as one continuous sequence.

What the hammam treatment does for the skin

Given in sequence, steam, mechanical exfoliation and a foam massage both clean the skin and let the body unwind:

Steam, exfoliation and foam at work

• Dead cells lifted from the surface of the skin
• Pores opened
• Skin left smooth and fresh
• Faster circulation
• Less muscle tension
• A general feeling of lightness
• Skin that takes the care products which follow better

Who it does not suit, and when to schedule it

A heavy meal beforehand is not advised. Damaged skin, acute inflammation, a raised temperature and any restriction on heat treatments mean the session is postponed. Kese and foam massage is not a naftalan treatment; the physician keeps it off the days with a naftalan bath. Some guests place it at the start of the course — cleared skin takes the procedures that follow better.

Kese and foam massage in Naftalan — Sun City Hotel & Spa

The treatment is given in the hotel's hammam and spa area. Scheduling a scrub or a body wrap after it turns the session into a spa block of several stages, which is how most guests choose to take it. Drinking plenty of water afterwards is advised, since hot steam costs the body fluid.