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An American's qualms melt away in the steam of a Turkish bathhouse, under the ministrations of the graceful Nurgül.

ISTANBUL, Turkey - 'You must go," insisted my Turkish friend Sule. "Hammans, Turkish bathhouses, are important social gathering places all over the country. They're like your coffeehouses. When I go home to my village in Anatolia I ring up my girlfriends and arrange a meeting at our favorite hamman. My husband and brother do the same."

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