Turkish delight
Hürrem Hammam
CULTURE & LEISURE • FOUND Spa
The first thing that hits you at Hürrem Hammam isn't the heat – it's the opulence. Walking through the entrance hall feels like stepping into a sultan's private quarters, with Turkish paintings lining the walls and chandeliers casting a glow that bounces off display cases filled with jewelry. The 20,000-square-foot space brings Ottoman bathing culture to North Miami with painstaking attention to detail, from rose petals floating in the fountains to orange-flavored water that appears just when you need it. After a lengthy soft-opening period, Hürrem officially opened its doors last month.
I spent a recent afternoon exploring the circuit of thermal experiences. While I stuck to the bathing areas bedecked with marble-lined washing stations and rose petal-filled fountains, the spa offers a variety of treatments in private rooms, from traditional kese scrubs to the signature Secret of Ottoman Court ritual, an 80-minute service combining scrubs with spice-infused mud wraps.
→ Hürrem Hammam Wellness & Spa (North Miami) • 14652 Biscayne Blvd • Daily 930a-10p.
Entry Price: Weekday passes $85 for unlimited access, weekend/holiday passes $125 for four hours (additional hours $25 per), treatments booked separately. Includes robe, slippers, flavored water and fruit.
What's Inside: A proper Turkish hammam complex that makes Miami Beach's hotel spas feel positively quaint. I started in the pristine locker rooms before joining the thermal spaces, beginning with the Himalayan salt room where four loungers offer a gentle warm-up. From there, the thermal circuit intensifies: two saunas (120° and 190°), a steam room stocked with rosemary salt scrubs, and an arctic room where ice falls from above (fear not, into a container). Two plunge pools complete the experience, one at a brisk 50° and another at a breath-stealing 40° (both conveniently located right next to the hot tub).
Food: Topkapi Restaurant serves a full Turkish menu, from mezze to grilled lamb chops. The standout for me was the Hurrem's Favourite Salad with walnuts, pomegranate, and tulum cheese. And yes, you can dine in your robe — which is, of course, encouraged. –Olee Fowler