The Monocle guide to hammams

The ritual of hammam has played an important role in the region for millennia. Visiting Turkish baths for the first time can be intimidating, so let Monocle be your guide. Join us as we glide from the hot room to the cold room via a foam massage, and plunge into this living part of Turkish history.

Want to know what makes us – and our readers – tick? This short film about our publications, broadcasts, events, community and retail ventures will fill you in. Since 2007, Monocle has grown from a print magazine offering fresh, optimistic perspectives into a globally influential media company that sets the agenda in everything from diplomacy to design, onscreen and on air. Today, we have HQs in Zürich and London, as well as bureaux and correspondents in cities from Paris to Tokyo. With a trusted and still-expanding presence in digital news, books, bricks-and-mortar retail, brand collaborations, podcasts and more, we’re the place that people (and businesses) come to for smart solutions and an engaged, common-sense read on the world.

French newspaper kiosks might have evolved but they still play a key role in the life of Paris. And there’s one that has become a star in its own right – Le Kiosque de Paris, in front of Le Bon Marché. It’s run by the brothers Médéric and Nicolas Bogo, who are following in the footsteps of their great-grandparents, grandparents and parents. And it’s not just the line-up of titles that pulls in so many regulars – and passers-by – but also the siblings' rich knowledge about the titles that they sell and the time they take to talk to their customers.

Crisp sunny days call for gloves and soft knits; cosy evenings for cheerful hosting and long reads. Konfekt’s latest issue will deliver on both fronts: it’s our ode to winter style, packed with festive inspiration and expansive, high-altitude reportage. Follow us on snowy forays to the Alpine village best known for sledging and promenading with white goats, and allow us to recommend the spots where you can stock up on presents from Copenhagen and Kyoto to Dresden. Our resplendent jewellery special will provide plenty of covetable gift ideas too, as well as a chance to reflect on the world of craft, design, goldsmithing and gemmology. From a wooden chalet in Oslo to a Tbilisi bolthole and a modernist opera house in Turin, we take a tour of sumptuous interiors and recommend recipes, robust reds and musical soundtracks for a season of parties and soirées.