Part I. Tellak
We arrived at our hotel at 4 pm. It was very hot. They say July and August are not the best months to visit the Mediterranean and they are right. Nonetheless, Sonya and I were excited to come to Turkey on this beach holiday. It was the first time since our honey moon twenty years ago that just the two of us were going to spend 7 nights in a resort by ourselves. Our two kids, aged 19 and 18, had decided to go with friends to Spain for two weeks, so we were by ourselves!
Since we had opted for half-board accommodation to be able to explore the local cuisine and culture at dinners in the town, my wife and I were delighted to spot several nice looking restaurants on the way to our hotel.
A young man grabbed our suitcases straight from the coach and brought them with us to the reception. When I handed him some coins as a tip, he declined with a smile.
"No, Sir. You and your lovely wife are our guests. It is a pleasure to help."
The lad was in his twenties, nice looking chap with dark hair, black eyes, very slim but still muscular body, and he was smiling politely. I liked him. Sonya liked him too and she smiled back at him.
There was an elderly couple in front of us at the reception so we had to wait in the lobby before we could check in.
"Do you like it?" I asked Sonya and hugged her.
"I love it, Peter!" she replied and cuddled in me. "I hope our suite is as nice as the lobby. And everyone is so polite and hospitable. The Turkish men are real gentlemen. This boy, and the folks that helped us with directions to our coach at the airport, all very kind people."
"Indeed," I agreed with her.
We had read about Turkish men flirting with Western women as they thought they were "easy" compared to the local girls, but so far we had witnessed only politeness and care for the guests. Having said that, the man that had just helped us was joined by two other young guys, also in hotel uniforms, who started to joke with him about something in Turkish. I figured out from their looks and gestures that they were teasing him about something related to us. Our guy was dismissing their jokes, laughing and occasionally glancing at my wife.
I was not too surprised. My wife of twenty years even at 38 was still quite a catch. 5 foot 5 inches tall, with shoulder length light brown hair, greenish brown eyes, smooth white skin, B-size round shaped firm breasts, slim but not skinny body with almost perfect proportions, sporting a nicely shaped firm butt and long slim legs, she was still turning men's heads.
Men have been constantly checking out my wife ever since I've known her, but she has never paid any attention to their flirtations. Sonya has always been polite and smiling, however she would never reciprocate any advances, not only because we loved each other and have always had great sex, but because she is shy by nature and a very prudent woman.
As soon as we checked in at the reception, our guy came to us to help with the suitcases.
"What is your name?" my wife asked him.
"Kadir, madam. And you are?"
"I am Sonya; and this is my husband Peter," she introduced us.
"Nice to meet you," I said.
"You will like it here. The hotel is great, the beach is wonderful and I am sure you will fall in love with the Turkish food," Kadir praised the resort while walking along with us towards our apartment block.
"Are there any nice restaurants for dinner that you could recommend?" I asked.
"I can recommend some. Are you interested in Turkish cuisine?"
"Very much."
"OK. I know a place nearby where they serve authentic Turkish dishes that I can take you to. My shift finishes at 6:30 pm. If you would like to settle, get around the hotel, explore the beach and I will wait for you at the reception at 6:45."
"Oh, that's very kind of you," I said. "It's a deal then."
We reached the block with our suite apartment.
"You have made a great choice. Your apartment has a sea view with private SPA suite consisting of Jacuzzi, Hammam and sauna," Kadir pointed out. "Do you know what Hammam is?"
"A Turkish bath," I replied.
"Yes, but do you know what is special about it?"
"Not much," I admitted.
"It is like sauna but there is less steam, it's between a bath and a spa. In your apartment, there is a small sauna room that transitions to a small Turkish bath, the Hammam, and then Jacuzzi next to the shower cabin. You can always order a "tellak" if you wish to experience the authentic Turkish way."
"What is "tellak"?" asked Sonya.
"It is a person that helps you exfoliate and provides a traditional Turkish massage."
"Oh, I am not into massaging, least exfoliation," replied my wife. "Peter loves massage."
"With all due respect, madam, but you don't know what you are missing. I love sauna followed by oil massage on the slab, too bad I cannot afford it often. OK, maybe you won't like the exfoliation, but at least try the traditional oil massage."
"Are these tellaks some special masseurs?" I asked.
"Yes, they are," replied Kadir. "In our hotel, I and Mehmet have been trained, we had to pass an exam to become tellaks."
"So you know how to massage the Turkish way?" my wife asked.
"Not only that, but how to operate the bath. You just need to book me at the reception, usually it requires 24 hours' notice," clarified Kadir.
"We will book you, we really appreciate that you explained how this works. Sonya and I are keen to experience the local traditions."
"No problem at all. I will look after you all the way through, you can experience the full Turkish way with my help," said Kadir smiling with delight.
He placed the suitcases in the middle of the room and asked us, "Is there anything else I can help with?"
"No, thanks," I replied.
"See you at 6:45 pm."
"See you," both Sonya and I responded.
The apartment was spacious. The bath was exactly the way Kadir described it. A small sauna room with a door to a bathroom with ceramics and a marble slab in the middle to lie down for massage and exfoliation, and then a Jacuzzi next to a cabin with a shower.
"We should try this," I told Sonya.