L T I P S V E R T

And there I was laid out in Istanbul – enjoying the authentic experience of a Turkish bath.

The steam room, the lathering, massage and exfoliating scrub were agreeable enough to make up for the two later stages I didn’t fancy.

One was plunging into icy water, the other was struggling to open the locker containing my clothes.

But real Turkish baths in Turkey, called hamams, have no freezing pool. Here your attendant rinses you with scoops of water that get progressively cooler – a much more pleasant sensation.

Then you can rub your skin with tingling handfuls of ice.

And to my relief it was also a doddle to open the hi-tech lockers in the spa at the Ramada Plaza Istanbul City Centre hotel.

Istanbul is a great destination for a city break with some mind-boggling sights. I’d recommend a hotel with its own hamam, usually an extension of standard spa facilities.

It means you can easily go back to your room while still blissed out.

Because the best part of it is how you feel afterwards, wrapped in towelling, reclining on a lounger in a shaded, scented room sipping BRUSH up on your six-times table for currency conversion. Think six Turkish lira to the pound. IF trying a Turkish coffee for the first time, don’t sip straight away but wait for two minutes for the grounds to settle into the sludge at the bottom – which you must leave. A Ten-minute taxi ride cost me £3 and a metro journey was 50p. A prepaid Istanbul card, Istanbulkart, makes multiple journeys on buses, trams, tubes cheaper.