


Women's Hammam
Women's Hammam
Explore how women and infants experience traditional healing methods in Bukhara, Uzbekistan
Explore a compelling ethnographic journey into a time-honored, female-centered tradition in Bukhara, a historic crossroads of the Silk Road. The journey starts with the adult women's rigorous physical treatments. Viewers witness the traditional Uzbek hammam massage, followed by the rare and intense practice where women are wrapped tightly and massaged with feet in a powerful, centuries-old Bukharian method of deep purification.
We then pivot to the most unique and tender practice: the intimate ritual performed on a female infant. This practice is rooted in ancient Central Asian folk medicine, utilizing a gentle, hypoallergenic mixture of clay and salt to cleanse the baby’s most sensitive areas. A practical and symbolic gift for the child's future womanhood is performed with a treatment allowing her to grow up free of body odors.
Combining these powerful adult techniques with the delicate care of the infant, we explore enduring themes of community, generational healing, and the sacred knowledge held within women's traditional practices. This is an authentic and rarely-documented view of folk medicine and female communion in Central Asia.
About Women's Hammam
Crew
DP / Director - Sasha Kulak
Location Manager - Rakhmanov of Pilgrim Travel
Editor / Color grading - Ben Kaplan
Voiceover - Ani Khatchikian
Drone - Sardor Anvarov
Cast
Washerwoman - Mahfusa
Guest - Hammomi Kunjak
Address
Khakikat Str. 7, Buxoro, Buxoro Viloyati, Uzbekistan
Running Time
4:13
Released
2025
Continent
Asia
Country
Uzbekistan
Episode Details
Crew
DP / Director - Sasha Kulak
Location Manager - Rakhmanov of Pilgrim Travel
Editor / Color grading - Ben Kaplan
Voiceover - Ani Khatchikian
Drone - Sardor Anvarov
Cast
Washerwoman - Mahfusa
Guest - Hammomi Kunjak
Address
Khakikat Str. 7, Buxoro, Buxoro Viloyati, Uzbekistan
Running Time
4:13
Released
2025
Continent
Asia
Country
Uzbekistan











