Gediz Murat Dağı Thermal Baths (Kocahamam and Hacıdâna)

What to expect

Kütahya Province, in inner western Turkey, sits on a set of faults that make it one of the richest thermal areas in the country. Gediz district alone has two of the province’s official thermal tourism centres: Ilıcasu, in the valley west of town, and Murat Dağı, on the mountain to the southeast. This page is about the Murat Dağı baths. The Ilıca resort is covered further down.

Murat Dağı is the highest mountain in the region, reaching 2,312 m, and forms the border between Kütahya and Uşak provinces. In antiquity it was known as Dindymon, the mountain of the mother goddess Kybele. The thermal area is lower down, at about 1,450 m, in pine and beech forest among the summer pastures (yayla) that Gediz families have used for centuries. Evliya Çelebi described them heading up here for the summer when he visited in 1671.

The baths themselves are two old stone hamams built side by side, Kocahamam and Hacıdâna. Gediz Municipality believes they date from the Germiyanid emirate, the Turkmen state that ruled Kütahya in the 14th and early 15th centuries. Inside you find the classic layout: a heated central marble slab (göbek taşı), wash basins and showers, changing cubicles, lockers and a rest area. One of the two buildings also has a thermal pool.

Anadolu Ajansı has reported the spring water at 106°F41°C, and the municipality’s mayor gave 109°F43°C in 2018. That is a proper hamam heat, warm enough to sweat in but comfortable for a long soak.

How the hamams work

The arrangement is simple but unusual:

• Men and women at the same time. Each hamam has its own entrance and its own facilities, so men and women bathe in separate buildings at the same hours.
• The pool alternates. Because only one hamam has a pool, the municipality swaps the buildings between men and women day by day. Both sexes get pool days; just not the same days.
• Self-service. There is no tellak (male attendant) or natır (female attendant), and no scrub, foam wash or massage. Bring your own kit, or buy a towel, peştamal, slippers and a kese mitt at the baths.

Getting there

• From Gediz town: The baths are about 25 km (16 miles) from Gediz by the municipality’s figure; allow around 40 minutes on the mountain road, which climbs steadily into the forest.
• From Kütahya city: Gediz is about 90 km (56 miles) southwest of Kütahya, around 75 minutes by car.
• From Uşak: About 85 km (53 miles), a little over an hour, approaching from the south.

You need a car. The municipality’s website has a directions link to the mountain. The municipal Teras Cafe & Restoran sits at about 1,453 m, roughly the same height as the baths, with a viewing terrace over the mountain. In winter the road can be snowy; carry chains and check conditions with the facility.

When to go

The hamams open every day of the year. Summer and early autumn are the yayla season, when the meadows and forest are at their best and families come up for picnics, camping and walks. The municipality also points visitors to the Karapınar waterfall. Winter brings snow, and the attraction is a hamam session after skiing. The ski centre lies higher, at 1,780-2,080 m, with three runs for beginners to experienced skiers, a 728 m T-bar and a separate sledging run. It opens only when snow cover allows, and the municipality advises checking announcements before you travel.

Prices and booking

The hamams charge an entry fee, but the municipality does not publish the price online. Guests staying in the Murat Dağı apartments pay half. The baths open 09:00-22:00 every day, and you do not need to book.

Accommodation is run by Gediz Municipality as self-catering apartments spread over several yaylas: Kirazlı, Dokuzçam, Gökoluk, Yeniyayla and Kıcıroğlu. The municipality’s FAQ says:

• Check-in is 14:00 and check-out is 11:00.
• Units have a main bedroom, a second room, an open kitchen with a stove and fridge, and a bathroom; bed linen is provided.
• Plates, cutlery and pans are not included as standard, but you can rent a kitchen basket.
• Heating is electric. There is no thermal water in the apartments, so you soak at the hamams.
• There are barbecue areas outside the units.

Book online through the municipality’s site or call +90 274 412 74 96.

Bathing culture

A Turkish hamam is a place to wash, sweat and sit, not to swim. Wrap yourself in a peştamal or wear a swimsuit; full nudity is not the custom, even in single-sex rooms. Rinse off before you get into the pool. Lie on the warm central slab to sweat, then use the basins to wash. Here you scrub yourself with a kese mitt, since no attendants work at Murat Dağı. Keep your voice low and do not let soap reach the pool. Families often split up at the door: men go to one building, women and young children to the other.

Gediz Ilıca Termal Tatil Köyü

If you want a bigger, more modern spa, Gediz Municipality also runs the Ilıca Termal Tatil Köyü at Ilıcasu, 13 km (8 miles) from Gediz on the Gediz-Balıkesir road. The Ilıca springs were declared a thermal tourism centre by cabinet decision in 1987. The complex has separate men’s and women’s aquaparks, hamams, a sauna, jacuzzi, steam room, salt room, private family baths, a restaurant and pide salon, a mosque, children’s play areas and rooms to rent. Contact it on (0274) 431 52 00.

Where to stay nearby

The municipal apartments on the Murat Dağı yaylas are the obvious base, and the site also has camping and caravan areas. Ilıca Termal Tatil Köyü has its own rooms, 13 km (8 miles) from Gediz town. Kütahya and Uşak are the nearest cities with a wide choice.

Safety notes

• Heat and altitude: Hamam heat at 1,450 m can make you light-headed. Keep pool sessions short, drink water and cool off between rounds.
• Wet marble: Hamam floors and the central slab are slippery. Wear slippers and move slowly.
• Mountain weather: Summer storms and winter snow arrive fast. Carry warm layers, and do not drive the mountain road at night in snow.
• Health: The municipality itself advises anyone with a chronic illness to consult a doctor before using the thermal water.