In Syria's Aleppo, the customers are back in the bathhouse

FILE PHOTO: Mansour and Wafai families wrap themselves with towel in Aleppo's Bab al-Ahmar public bathhouse, Syria April 11, 2019. Picture taken April 11, 2019. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki

ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) - Swaddled in white towels, the Mansour and Wafai families sat in an arched alcove of Aleppo's Bab al-Ahmar public bathhouse, reviving their once-weekly tradition after years of war in Syria.

With steamy stone rooms, masseurs and traditional singers, the bathhouses have been a staple of Aleppo life for centuries. But located in the battle zone of the Old City, most had to close.