text: HIGH-END hotels are proliferating in Istanbul, and with them come ever more upscale spa services in the guise of traditional hammams, a welcome addition for anyone who has ever felt trepidation about entering a Turkish bath.
  
  After all, hammams are places of steamy intrigue, full of shadowy movement and unreliable light, where an assembly line of large, damp attendants wearing only bikini underwear vigorously uses well-worn kese cloths to scrub dead skin off strangers. It is an intriguing scene to be sure, but one with a certain eeew factor.
  
  Even so, a Turkish bath is an unforgettable experience and thats why tourists in the Old City line up to pay anywhere from the equivalents of $35 to $65 to pour themselves into a musty beauty called Cagaloglu (Yerebatan Caddesi 34, Cagaloglu; 90-212-522-2424; www.cagalogluhamami.com.tr), or to squeeze into the smaller but charming Cemberlitas (Vezirhan Caddesi 8, Cemberlitas; 90-212-522-7974; www.cemberlitashamami.com.tr), just steps from the Grand Bazaar.
  
  While relatively inexpensive, their popularity brings other costs. In these tourist hammams, service can feel rushed, the massage perfunctory and the facility so crowded that it can be difficult to carve out enough space to lie down on the central navel stone. But its worth asking: At several times the cost, are luxury hammams worth the price?
  
  At the Laveda Spa in the Ritz-Carlton Suzer Plaza, Elmadag, Askerocagi Caddesi 15; 90-212-334-4444; www.ritzcarlton.com), the menu of services for the separate mens and womens hammams is as delectable as a fancy restaurant menu. You can really splurge with the Sultans Royal Six-Hands Massage (50 minutes, 500 Turkish lira, or $420.16 at 1.19 lira to the dollar), the Citrus Detox Reviver (2.5 hours for 420 lira) or the Caviar treatment (90 minutes, 400 lira).
  
  And depending on how long you lingered at your Turkish breakfast buffet, you could easily be tempted by treatments like the Revitalizing Honey Cocoon (70 minutes, 190 lira) or the Coffee Form Body Wrap (70 minutes, 190 lira).
  
  The Traditional Turkish Hammam (30 minutes, 110 lira) runs about double what it costs to be buffed and scrubbed at Cemberlitas, but the experience can be stretched out to last for hours with access to the hot tub, sauna and lounge. Instead of mildewy odors, there are pleasant aromas of orange and eucalyptus. Instead of stiff, scratchy towels, there are fresh, soft cotton pestemels, or Turkish bathhouse wraps, and fluffy robes.
  
  The spa zone is immaculate, with no shortage of uniformed attendants who only seem to be around when you need them. The hammam space itself is a jewel, all lined in marble with the colorfully tiled individual washing stations and curlicue fixtures.
  
  During a recent visit, soft arabesque music wafted overhead as the attendant, Fatma, gently removed a customers wrap and motioned her to recline on the warm surface. Fatma loofahed and soaped and shampooed. Then came a brief but adequate body and foot massage. Afterward Fatma led her client to a low divan in a beautifully decorated antechamber, with small copper-topped tables and colorful carpets. She applied moisturizer neck to toe and left the visitor to revel in her own thoughts: Would the Sultan be arriving soon?
  
  The Ritz has been joined by some swank newcomers in the race for spa dollars, euros and rubles.
  
  Birgul Akgul, manager at the Day Spa by Estée Lauder in the W Istanbul Hotel in Besiktas (Suleyman Seba Caddesi 22; 90-212-381-2121; www.whotels.com), said that while W does not have a formal hammam space, it does offer a range of 90-minute hammam-like services. People can come here for a whole body exfoliation, after which we do a body masque, wrap them in a hot blanket that is very good for helping the body detox, she said. One package named Prelude to Seduction costs 225 lira.
  
  But the most exciting addition to the hammam scene is just down the road at the elegant new Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus Ciragan Caddesi 28; 90-212-381-4000; www.fourseasons.com). The hotel, a converted Ottoman Empire mansion, features three Turkish baths, one for men, one for women and one for couples.
  
  A 45-minute hammam service of body scrub, foam massage and shampoo costs 180 lira per person, while Bosphorous Under Your Feet, an hourlong foot massage, goes for 170 lira.
summary: High-end hotels are proliferating in Istanbul, and with them come ever more upscale spa services in the guise of traditional hammams.