ILLUSTRATION RORY MIDHANI
I have been raised in a culture where I have seen friends awkwardly change into their swimsuits at lightning speed at the leisure centre. I have seen giant breasts on page three and body shaming in teenage magazines. And this is why the sight of naked women of all ages dousing themselves and each other in water without sucking in their bellies or striking seductive poses is both strange and beautiful to me.
At the Shokofabrik hamam, Berlin, you are asked to bare all. Manager Helga Röhle explains to me that nudity is essential for an authentic hamam experience. “It’s usually the British, American and Russian women who don’t want to get naked. I really don’t understand it!” she laughs loudly. I politely smile along while firmly clutching my bikini bottoms.