Relaxing together in the water — and possibly getting a vigorous rub-down — was the perfect opportunity to gossip and do business, not to mention get clean. The social side of bathing has endured in Baku , especially in the Old Town where communal, single-sex bathing remains common.
Accommodating men and women on different days of the week, the spa is an atmospheric oasis set right in the Old Town, and is entered through an archway beneath a canopy of trailing vines. The vaulted interior is attractively painted in warm tones, and the ambience is simple and unpretentious.
Ask for a hamam package, which includes a fragrant scrub made of coffee, honey and salt, leaving your skin feeling incredibly soft. Run back and forth between the ice plunge pool, the salt bath and the steam room, enjoying a variety of traditional Azeri, Finnish and Russian bathing experiences. Atilla is a professionally run, well-organised spa with lockers for your valuables, plenty of clean towels and an efficient wristband system to show the staff you have booked a massage.
It gets busy at the weekends, so come early to avoid the crowds. The blue glass Hilton Baku looks out over the business district and the waterfront, a short walk away from the Old Town. The Eforea spa is on the 23rd floor, enthralling visitors with views across the city through floor-to-ceiling windows.
Here, there is an 18m 59ft indoor pool, a yoga studio, a Turkish hamam plus whirlpool and saunas, along with five treatment rooms and a spa suite.
