Oylat Thermal Springs (Oylat Kaplıcaları)

What to expect

Oylat is a small spa village in the hills south of İnegöl, in Bursa province. It sits at about 840 m (2,760 ft) on the foothills of Uludağ, the mountain that also feeds Bursa’s own hot springs, and the setting is forest rather than city: pine, chestnut and beech on steep slopes, with streams and small waterfalls running down the valley. People come for a few days of thermal pools, the hamam and walks in the woods, and most stay in one of a handful of hotels clustered around the village square.

The water is the selling point. It comes out at about 104°F40°C, with a 2014 report giving up to 105°F40.5°C. That is warm enough to soak in straight away and cool enough that the pools do not need to be run much below source temperature. The operator calls the water rich in minerals and publishes a long list of conditions it says the water helps. Those are the operator’s claims; treat them as marketing.

Most of the spa is run by Oylat A.Ş., a company that a 2014 report described as chaired by the İnegöl mayor. It operates four places to stay and two bathing facilities:

• Çağlayan Otel: the largest, with 127 rooms including two suites and one accessible room.
• Aşiyan Otel: 51 rooms, including three with jacuzzis, on half board with breakfast and dinner buffets.
• Aşiyan Apart Otel: 71 self-catering rooms with kitchens.
• Orman Otel: 29 rooms, with a sauna, steam room and shock shower included, and a single hamam and pool shared on a rotating schedule.
• SUGESAM SPA: massages and treatments.
• Oylat Meydan Hamamı: the hamam on the village square.

At least one independent hotel, Güven Otel, also uses Oylat water and lists separate pools for men and women plus a Turkish bath.

A daily village market by the square sells local produce along with bath and pool supplies, which is handy if you forgot flip-flops.

Getting there

Oylat is in İnegöl district, about 70 km (43 miles) from Bursa city and 27 km (17 miles) from İnegöl town.

• From İnegöl: drive about 8 km (5 miles) to the Tavşanlı-Domaniç junction, then turn off for Oylat and climb about 11 km (7 miles) through forest to the village.
• From Bursa: head east to İnegöl on the Bursa-Ankara road, then follow the directions above.
• By public transport: take a bus from Bursa to İnegöl, then a minibus from the İnegöl district terminal to Oylat village.

A free car park was built as part of the village’s redevelopment, and most hotels are a short walk from the square.

When to go

The hotels and pools are open all year. Winter is the classic thermal season, when a hot pool after a cold walk in the forest makes the most sense, and at 840 m the drive up can see snow, so check road conditions before you set off. In summer the forest walks, the cave and the waterfall trail are the extra draw.

The busiest times are weekends, the mid-year school break and the bayram holidays. Oylat A.Ş. prices those holidays separately and requires a minimum two-night stay at weekends, so weekdays are both cheaper and quieter.

Prices and booking

Oylat A.Ş. publishes per-night room rates for its three main buildings, with a weekday and a weekend price. Checked in October 2026:

• Çağlayan Otel: single ₺4,200 weekday / ₺5,250 weekend, double ₺6,000 / ₺8,000, suites for three to five people ₺8,750 to ₺19,000.
• Aşiyan Otel: single ₺3,500 / ₺4,900, double ₺5,000 / ₺7,000, suites ₺7,250 to ₺16,750.
• Aşiyan Apart Otel: one person ₺1,600 to ₺1,950, two people ₺2,300 to ₺2,800, suites for three to five ₺3,750 to ₺6,250.

The thermal pools and saunas are included. Private family baths cost extra. Children up to 6 stay free and ages 7 to 12 get 50% off. New Year, the mid-year school break and the bayram holidays are priced separately, so call for those dates. The operator does not publish day-visitor prices for the pools or the hamam online; call 444 6 483 or +90 530 764 4320 to ask. Turkish prices change often.

Oylat Meydan Hamamı runs in three sessions: 08:30 to 11:30, 13:00 to 16:30 and 19:00 to 21:30, with cleaning breaks between them.

Bathing culture

Oylat runs on Turkish thermal bath customs. In a hamam, men wrap a peştamal (thin cotton cloth) around the waist and keep it on; women usually wear a swimsuit bottom or a wrap. A kese is a scrub with a rough mitt, often followed by a foam wash, and is booked separately. Rinse at the basins before you get into any shared pool, and keep soap out of the pool water. Traditional baths separate men and women, either in different halls or at different times, and couples and families who want to bathe together book a private family bath (aile banyosu), which costs extra here.

Hotel pools are usually swimsuit pools. Ask your hotel whether its pools are mixed or split by sex and what the hours are.

Where to stay nearby

Staying in the village is the point, since pool access comes with the room. The Oylat A.Ş. hotels above cover most budgets, from self-catering apartments to half-board rooms, and Güven Otel is an independent option (0224 733 11 00). İnegöl, 27 km away, has town hotels. Bursa, about 70 km away, has a far bigger choice, plus its own historic thermal baths.

Safety notes

• Time in the water: at 104°F40°C a soak feels mild, but long sessions still raise your heart rate and dehydrate you. Get out every 15 to 20 minutes and drink water.
• Health: people with heart conditions, high or low blood pressure, or pregnancy should ask a doctor before using hot pools and steam rooms.
• Wet floors: hamam marble and pool decks are slippery. Wear flip-flops or bath clogs.
• Forest road: the final 11 km climbs through forest. Drive it in daylight if you can, especially after snow.

Nearby stops worth adding

Oylat Cave (Oylat Mağarası) is about 2 km below the spa. The operator describes it as Turkey’s second-largest cave, about 750 m long and 93 m high and roughly 3 million years old, with stalactites that grow about 1 cm every 16 years. Inside it stays near 64°F18°C with about 90% humidity all year. Oylat Waterfall (Oylat Şelalesi) is reached on a walking trail from Çağlayan Otel, past smaller falls in the forest. For more thermal water, the Ottoman baths of Çekirge in Bursa are about 70 km away.