John William Hall opened Turkish baths in three of the main cities of New Zealand—Wellington, Christchurch,  and Dunedin before his death in Wellington on 22 May 1900. He was succeeded by his son Robert who moved to Australia in 1905 and opened these baths in Elizabeth Street, Sydney.

Robert emphasised the bathers' privacy.   'There will be no promenading through the cooling rooms to the dressing rooms, and patrons who are enjoying the luxury of a shampoo will be equally private.'¹  There were separate baths for men and women. Each had their own hot rooms and cooling-rooms, and there were 23 dressing-rooms for women and 28 for men.

There were also roof gardens and, uniquely, pianos in the cooling-rooms—though whether this was an advantage or a disadvantage, one can only hazard a guess.

It is not known when the baths closed, but at some stage the building was demolished and a new building stands on the site today.

This page last updated 01 January 2023