I had a holiday in Turkey late last year and visited a traditional turkish bath (a hammam). I loved it, although I did feel slightly black and blue after all the pummelling. Public baths used to be all over London and other cities when the Victorians became obsessive about cleanliness, but began to disappear when indoor plumbing became the norm. There are a few still around, particularly in the East End.  There’s a very popular hammam in Paris, attached to the big mosque, where they serve mint tea and pastries afterwards. Very relaxing.