Hammams in Baku: Soak Up Local Culture at the City’s Best Bathhouses

Hammams have been a place for Azerbaijanis to relax, bathe, and socialize since the Middle Ages. While not as central to today’s modern culture, hammams are still part of some Baku residents’ weekly routine. This ancient bathing ritual in Azerbaijan involves a soak, steam, and abrasive full-body scrub, followed by tea. It’s common to add on a massage, light birch twig whipping in the steam room for breathing and circulation, or coffee, honey, and salt treatments for the skin. Some traditional hammams in Baku serve men and women on different days, while others are only for men. The hammams I recommend are for both, but men who want to try various hammams in Baku can also check out Tezebay and Agha Zeynal.

Agha Mikayil Hammam was built by a merchant in the 18th century and is Baku’s oldest functioning hammam. It’s located in the Old City’s Hamamchilar quarter, an area named after the bathhouse owners and workers that used to live and work in this Baku neighborhood when it was home to the city’s many hammams. If you’re looking for a simple and authentic hammam experience in a historic building, look no further. Agha Mikayil Hammam is open to women on Mondays and Fridays and men on all other days.

HamamBath is a wellness and spa complex that’s a 15-minute drive from central Baku. Serving both men and women, HamamBath offers a wide range of services and facilities beyond traditional Azerbaijani hammams. It combines Eastern, Slavic, and European wellness practices, offering unique amenities like Finnish and Roman saunas, Russian and Ukrainian baths, and a snow room. This is the hammam of choice for the wealthier residents of Baku who prefer a modern and luxurious spa-like experience.