The Monaco Spa Event drew an international group of speakers and attendees. I had the privilege of sitting down and having a very nice conversation with Mehmet Kabas, who is chairman of the board of a company in Turkey called Promet Spa-Wellness. Promet is a construction company that builds and installs some very creative saunas, Turkish hamams, steam baths, etc. Finally, I had a chance to learn about the Turkish hamam from a Turk and get an answer to the question: Which is correct, "Hamam" or "Hammam"?

Mehmet’s answer? Both are correct. The Arabic spelling is "hammam" and the Turkish spelling is "hamam". The larger Arabic hammam came first and was usually used for hours at a time. The smaller Turkish hamam is proportioned for shorter baths (about 90 minutes).

More interesting tidbits about the Turkish hamam tomorrow!