The pleasure of a hot bath has been known to man since ancient times. It seems that the hammam tradition has its origins way back in time, in the Byzantine period and, even before, in the public baths of the Roman Empire. The word hammam means steam baths and hammams are typically divided into three zones: the changing room, the hot and the cold room. At its peak, the Ottoman empire had a hammam with hot and cold baths beautifully decorated in every district and neighbourhood of Istanbul. Hamam was extremely important in the Ottoman Empire and the Islamic world in general since, according to the Quran, water is the origin of life. During the centuries, hammam became a meeting place for the people; a hub where they would catch up while indulging in a hot bath and a massage.