While Miami is typically known for its Latin and Caribbean culture, Hürrem fuses Turkish and Caribbean wellness traditions. “In Latin American and Caribbean traditions, heat, water, and collective relaxation rituals play a significant role,” explains Pınar Çetiner, senior interior architect at Juno Design & Manufacture. Herbal saunas, steam baths, and heat-based practices have been used for centuries for purification, relaxation, and healing,” she explains in an email. “This is where I believe Turkish hammam culture aligns perfectly with these practices in Miami.”
Çetiner notes that hammams have historically served as centers for health, social connection, and cultural events for centuries. According to Medical News Today, sweating helps flush toxins, promotes relaxation, boosts circulation, and eases muscle tension. Regular sauna, hammam, and steam room use can even strengthen the immune system. But for many, the appeal goes beyond just physical benefits.
“People find they can practice mindfulness and meditation more effectively in these environments,” adds Çetiner. “With the rise in health awareness after the COVID-19 pandemic, interest in these practices has surged. As a result, more people are turning to heat-based rituals to support both physical and mental well-being, manage stress, and detoxify naturally.”
Let the isolation sink in
While business is booming for bathhouses, some people are worried about the sacredness of Turkish bathing practices being lost—reduced to a commercialized wellness trend destined for the next Goop newsletter. Paris-based Turkish artist Deniz Bedir has qualms with the modern “Turkish Hammam,” claiming it has lost its cultural significance and become “more for tourists.” For him, the most authentic experience occurred in 2018 while visiting his familial hammam for the first time in Kızılcahamam, Turkey. “I recall my mom telling me she went with my late grandmother and the other elder women would take care of each other,” he says. “It wasn’t like a spa—it was a communal space.”
