For someone visiting or living in Trabzon, a warm indoor plan is often about the weather: a rainy evening, an hour after a business dinner, the way back from a highland trip. The Beatus Spa location in Boztepe puts that plan under one roof, because the hammam, pool and sauna are in the same place. This guide answers the questions the location page doesn't: what a "hammam with a pool" means, whether to choose the outdoor or indoor pool on a given day, in which order to use the three areas and how a visit goes step by step. For bookings and the facilities list, see the location page; here we focus on how to use the spa.
What is a hammam with a pool, and how do you use one in Trabzon?
A hammam with a pool is a hotel spa with a swimming pool next to the Turkish bath. It isn't a formal category; it's an everyday description. Because a heated marble hammam, a sauna, a steam room and a pool are in the same facility, a guest can use them one after another in a single visit. A classic Turkish hammam has no pool; the pool is a section that a hotel spa adds.
At the Beatus Spa location inside the Radisson Blu Hotel Trabzon, the combination works like this: separate tiled Turkish baths for women and men, an outdoor and an indoor swimming pool, a sauna, a steam room and massage rooms are all in the same spa area. The result is a flexible arrangement in which you can move between warm and cool areas within a single visit. The hammam itself is a ritual of warm marble, scrub and foam, described in detail on our Turkish bath page. The Beatus menu has three rituals: the 40-minute Pasha Hammam, the 55-minute Scheherazade Hammam and the 80-minute Sultan Hammam. Ask the spa when you book which one is offered that day.
Our pool page lists the kinds of pool at our locations. Ask the location about daily entry and conditions of use.
Which weather suits the outdoor pool, and which the indoor pool in Trabzon?
On a dry, mild day the outdoor pool is the natural choice, and on a rainy or cool day the indoor pool is; both are at the same location. What decides it is the weather that day, whether the outdoor pool is open at that time of year, and your own preference.
The Turkish State Meteorological Service's 1927–2025 measurements for Trabzon show how the weather runs. In January, February, March, April, May and in October, November and December, the average number of rainy days is above 11 a month, with the highest figure in March at about 12.8 days. In July that falls to about 7.7. Average monthly total rainfall peaks in October at 113.4 mm and is lowest in July at 36.6 mm. The average temperature is 7.6 °C in January and 23.5 °C in August.
The practical meaning is simple: for much of the year a rainy day isn't surprising in Trabzon, and it makes sense to plan an indoor water area. The location hasn't told us which months the outdoor pool is in use, so this guide gives no dates. Call before you come and ask about the outdoor pool that day. Even when the weather is fine, allow for a cool breeze at the outdoor pool: keep your time short and wrap up in your bathrobe when you get out.
In which order do you use the hammam, pool and sauna?
The most practical order is the pool, then the sauna or steam room, and the hammam last. After the pool, a short shower and then the sauna or steam room is an easy transition, and leaving the hammam for last turns the scrub and foam into a slow, warm, long finish. You can change the order if you like. If you go to the pool after the hammam, let your body cool down a little first.
The difference between the sauna and the steam room is simple: a sauna is dry and very hot, while a steam room is humid and at a lower temperature. We explain these two and how they differ from the hammam in our sauna vs steam room vs hammam guide. On safety, Harvard Health suggests staying in a sauna for no more than 15 to 20 minutes, cooling down slowly afterwards, drinking water after each session and not using a sauna after alcohol. The Ministry of Health's General Directorate of Public Health says swimming pool facilities must let users shower before entering the pool, so a shower before the pool is both a rule and good manners. For swimming caps, clothing and families with children, see our hotel pool etiquette guide.
An example of how the visit might flow:
- 20 to 30 minutes in the pool, swimming or resting at your own pace.
- A short shower, then short rounds in the sauna or steam room, cooling down in between.
- The hammam ritual: scrub and foam.
- Rest in the lounge area with a glass of water, without hurrying.
How does a visit to a tiled hammam go, step by step?
In a tiled Turkish bath, a visit starts in the changing room, passes through the hot room and ends in rest. The Turkey Tourism Encyclopaedia lists the classic parts of a hammam as the changing room (camekân), the warm room (ılıklık, or soğukluk), the hot room (sıcaklık, or hararet) and the furnace (külhan), with a marble platform called the göbek taşı at the centre of the hot room. The göbek taşı is a heated marble surface that you lie on or sit around. The kurna is a marble basin of water set against the wall under a tap. The scrub (kese) is a rubdown of the skin's surface with a coarse mitt, and the foam is soapy foam spread over the body with a soft bag.
Think of a hammam session in these steps:
- Arrival. Come about 15 to 30 minutes before your appointment. The International SPA Association (ISPA) also suggests arriving 30 minutes before a spa appointment.
- Getting ready. Take your bathrobe and slippers, and leave jewellery and your phone in the locker. Wear a swimsuit or the single-use underwear the location provides.
- Warming up. Sit in the hot room for a few minutes while your body gets used to the heat.
- Wetting. Scoop warm water from the kurna and pour it slowly; don't start with very hot water.
- Scrub. Tell your attendant how firm you want it.
- Foam. Foam and rinsing; wait until the soap is fully rinsed off.
- Rest. Wrap up in a peştemal (a thin cotton wrap), drink some water in the lounge and don't hurry.
On the history side, the TDV Encyclopaedia of Islam (TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi) says the word hamam comes from an Arabic root meaning "to heat; to be hot", and that in Ottoman-Turkish society the hammam was as much a place for conversation as for washing. For the meaning of terms, our Turkish bath glossary is handy, and the scrub and foam are explained in our scrub and foam massage guide.
Is the hammam in Trabzon separate for women and men, and what is the VIP room?
Yes. At the Trabzon location the tiled hammam is separate for women and men. The separate sections resemble the traditional double hammam layout: Türkiye's Ministry of Culture and Tourism presents the Istanbul II. Bayezid Hammam, dated 1507–1508, as a double hammam designed side by side for men and women. This doesn't describe the Trabzon building; it only shows that separate sections are a long-established tradition.
In practice, people who come together are in separate sections of the hammam and can meet while resting. For those who want a massage together, the location has a couples' massage room, and there is also a VIP room. We have no detail on the VIP room's layout or capacity, so ask when you book. For a general framework on couples' rituals and their order, see our couples massage guide.
How do you plan an indoor day when it's rainy or cold?
On a rainy day, the simplest plan is a short city break in the morning or afternoon, then a spa session. The Trabzon Governorship lists highlands, nature walks and winter sports among the region's main assets; on days when those trips depend on the weather, an indoor spa session works as a back-up plan. For indoor stops in the city centre, the Culture Portal presents Hagia Sophia as a late Byzantine church built between 1250 and 1260.
Sightseeing detail isn't the subject of this article. For a route and stops, see things to do in Trabzon; for winter conditions, Trabzon and Uzungöl in winter; and for combining several cities along the Black Sea, the Black Sea route. On the spa side, setting aside a 90 to 120-minute block at the end of a sightseeing day is enough.
What should you bring to the spa, and what is provided?
You don't need to bring anything for the hammam. At Beatus locations, a bathrobe, slippers, towel and single-use underwear are provided. For the pool, bring:
- A swimsuit and, if needed, a swimming cap; ask the spa about the cap rule.
- Your personal care products and something comfortable to wear after the session.
- A bottle of water; remember to drink in the sauna and hammam.
- If you can, leave valuables behind and put jewellery in the locker.
If you're new to hotel spas, our first-time hotel spa guide goes through the questions step by step. Don't use the sauna or steam room after alcohol; this advice comes from Harvard Health. The location welcomes guests from outside the hotel in Trabzon, so you don't need to stay at the hotel.
How does the Trabzon location differ from Sapanca and Ordu, and how do you book?
What sets the Trabzon location apart is that it offers an outdoor and an indoor pool together with a separate tiled hammam. The table compares the facilities with two other Beatus locations.
| Location | Hammam | Pool | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radisson Blu Hotel Trabzon (Ortahisar) | Separate for women and men | Outdoor and indoor | Sauna, steam room, VIP room, gym |
| Wellwood Sapanca (Sapanca) | Separate for women and men | Outdoor | Sauna, steam room, VIP room |
| Radisson Blu Hotel Ordu (Altınordu) | Single hammam | Indoor | Sauna, steam room, gym |
The location's details and address are on the Radisson Blu location page for Trabzon, where opening hours are kept up to date. For other options in the region, see our Black Sea locations. For the massage side, see our massage page.
To book, use the call card on this page to phone the Trabzon location or message on WhatsApp. Include the date, time, number of guests and the ritual you want. Don't share health details by message; tell your specialist at the spa.
