So. Istanbul ended up being a really cool place (tourist wise). I went to three hammams and was underwhelmed, but will say they all seemed to be totally gay (one guy even told me everyone in the one I was at WAS gay). Went to Cihangir (it was one block from our hotel), Firuzagha (felt exactly like a western bathhouse), and Yesildirek (big place but only 3 clients there, including myself). I liked Cihangir the best, I think, just cuz of the cruisy atmosphere and it had a reliable mix of ages (both younger and older).
Other than that, we really enjoyed our trip there and didn't have the old "drop the shoe brush" scam tried on us until the last day (9th day) in Turkey. The guy didn't seem too pleased we didn't stop for it, though we did laugh once we realized what had happened, lol.