Bozori Kord Bathhouse — Attraction in Bukhara City

Traditional medieval bathhouse open to men and women. Both of our (M and F couple) masseurs were men. We went about noon without a reservation. Reservations may be helpful at busier times.

The process began when we were led behind a wooden partition and given linens to wrap around us. We were told to remove all of our clothing (my female friend was asked if she had a bikini top. She did not and wore the linen wrap only).

We then were taken into a warm stone sauna room where we relaxed for maybe 5 to 10 minutes before being taken to the scrub.

There was a large stone platform where the scrub was performed. Our backs, chests, arms, legs and heads were washed with soap and then rinsed.

Next was the massage. This lasted maybe five minutes. Back, neck, arms and hands, and feet and legs were massaged. Then a couple of stretches of my arms and legs.

Then came the honey and ginger scrub. This is supposed to increase circulation. The mixture was rubbed on and we were led to a hot sauna.

The ginger rub really started to heat up as we sat in the stone sauna. We were both very ready to have it rinsed off when they finally came to get us. Two buckets of cool water were dumped over our heads to rinse off the ginger.

We were led to another room where we were given dry towels to change into and told to wait "2 minutes" for our spiced tea. More than two minutes passed and we were unsure if we were supposed to go to get our tea or wait for them to get us. Eventually they came to get us.

We changed back into our clothes and sat and enjoyed our tea and a snack

The whole process was about an hour and a half. It cost 450K som per person plus tips.

Credit cards accepted...

Certainly get a feeling of “history” here as the domes and marble floors are supposed to be 400 years old

The actual experience? The hot rooms (two of them) are not hot at all, just barely lukewarm. One has warm plates you can lie on, but only 2-3 people fit. They are also extremely dark. We came right at dusk, so they were slightly lit up at first and then darkened to almost pitch black. An interesting experience, but I couldn’t really stop thinking about that I can’t see how clean or dirty they are. We were in a group and did our best by chanting/singing in the dark room, which was quite fun and helped pass the time.

Then there is the massage and scrub experience. The massage is… less of a massage and more like a chiropractor. They really twist your shoulders and bend your legs. All while lying on a hard marble floor that the last person was on. I was ok with it, but it was disquieting as I didn’t get the feeling the “masseuses” were experts. A couple of the ladies in our group reported having an almost NC-17 experience since the covering is just a body wrap

Finally they rub you down with a very intense mix of honey and ginger and it burns and burns. Interesting but too strong for me. Subsides after an hour

So a unique experience, but… I donno. It was refreshing and energizing, like any hot/cold contrast experience. But I’m not looking to go back. Also at 400,000 som it is quite expensive, as others note. You can pay 200,000 for only bath, no massage/scrub, but as noted above it doesn’t really work as...

Went there in mid November 2023 with another friend. Both of us paid USD35.00 for a 1 hour Turkish bath experience.

Firstly, after undressing, we were left into a heated domed room for a bit of a sauna. You are to lie on a heated hot stone slab for 15 minutes. The attendant threw a bucket of warm water on the slab once. The slab was unevenly heated and had a large extra hot spot which meant I had to lie close to the edge of the bench.

My friend went first when we were called out for the famous bath scrub. I remained in the sauna for another 15 minutes.

When I went for my bath, I was asked to sit on a large marble slab and with a loofah glove, he proceeded to scrub me down with a just water. It took only 5 minutes. :(

Then, I was told to lie on my stomach for the bath. Using shower gel and his hands, he proceeded to bath and occasionally massage the muscles. It took perhaps less than 10 minutes. Bummer!

Then was smeared with ginger powder and asked to go back into the sauna for another 10 minutes. Then we were rinsed with warm water, informed it was over and asked to change.

After changing, we could sit at a table to enjoy complimentary green tea and sweets.

They didn't have enough staff to attend to us, so we had to share ONE staff between us. So the experience was very condensed and lousy. They should have informed us of that limitation.

Overall, was an abject disappointment. But if you never had a Turkish bath, then it's an experience. If you like hard massages or scrubs, be prepared to be...