What REALLY Happens at a Moroccan Hammam?
Getting a hammam was at the top of our to-do list when we visited Morocco. The hammam is a traditional spa enjoyed by both locals and tourists alike. Hammam was and still is an integral part of Moroccan culture for many reasons. First, cleanliness is very important in Islam. Purity of both the mind and the body go hand in hand; it is not uncommon to find public hammams near mosques in Morocco. Also, historically, hammams provided a social outlet for the women in the neighborhood. The hammam was one of the few places a woman could go without her husband. At the hammam, women could chat and gossip together with friends.
However, the hammam is equally important for both genders. Public hammams have separate entrances for men and women. Typically, women go in the morning and afternoon until 4pm, and men go after 4pm. Most Moroccans go to the public hammam weekly. Also, it is an important part of wedding rituals as the bride goes to the hammam the day before her wedding. Most areas have a hammam- it is considered one of the essential elements in a neighborhood along with a mosque and a school. For these religious and social reasons, it's easy to see why the hammam is such an integral part of Moroccan life!
So, what exactly happens at a Moroccan hammam? We’ll get to the details in a minute. First, it's important to understand the difference between public and private hammams. Luis and I opted for a private hammam as it was our first time, but the two experiences are very different. At a public hammam, you are in a room with multiple people. You are expected to bring your own soap and kessa glove. The kessa glove is a special rough glove used for scrubbing. You can buy hammam kits in the souks of the medina as well as the special soap. You do all of the scrubbing and washing yourself. If you are brave, you can ask a stranger to get your back or the hard to reach spots. Alternatively, you can also ask one of the hammam attendants and they will help scrub you for a tip. This public option is a less luxurious, but much more traditional, version of the hammam. The private hammam, on the other hand, is done in more of a spa setting where you have the option to go as a couple or alone and have an attendant with you who guides you through the whole process.
Now let's get into our personal experience at the Moroccan hammam! We chose the Heritage Spa which was a fabulous choice. Luis and I both got the traditional hammam and we added on massages afterwards for something extra special. It came to a total of around $70 each. Pricing varies greatly and can range anywhere from 25 to 100 USD.
We arrived fifteen minutes early as instructed for our 6pm appointment. We were greeted at the door and led to a cozy waiting area with a fireplace where they served us fresh mint tea and cookies. The sweet attendant brought us a tray of scented oils and asked us to each pick our favorite for the massage. I chose rose oil- Luis chose verbena. Next, we were led upstairs to a changing area and locker room. We were given disposable underwear and robes. We stripped naked except for the g string underwear and then we were led into the area where the action happens- the hammam.
It was a small heated room made of marble. We were instructed to lay on the marble slabs where two women hosed us down and lathered us with special black soap (called Beldi soap). They instructed us to turn on our stomachs, and we flopped like fish on the slippery stone tables as we turned (butt naked!). Once we were nice and lathered (I’m talking every crevice), the women (who only spoke French and Arabic) swiftly left the room. The room seemed to become hotter and hotter as we laid on the table and sweat. I could feel my pores opening the longer we waited. It was really relaxing, and I was glad Luis was there with me. Luckily, they provided two water bottles for us so we could hydrate as we sweat!
After what seemed like an eternity in the heat, the two women came back in. It was time for the kessa glove scrub, and boy did they SCRUB. It was a hard, rough, serious scrub of every part of our bodies. They lifted our arms and scrubbed our pits, scrubbed in between our legs, flipped us over to scrub our backs and butts… everywhere. For a brief moment I looked down at my arm and saw gray sheets of skin actually peeling off of my body.. I thought because I showered daily I was clean… This gave clean a whole new meaning. Luis had it worse than I did as his lady was bigger and rougher than mine- by the end of his scrub he was as red as a lobster! After the kessa glove, the women had us sit up and they hosed us down to clear away all the dead skin. They lathered us up with a beautifully fragrant shampoo and body wash. They scrubbed our bodies and even washed our hair.
Next, they applied a clay mask that they rubbed all over our skin and let sit for a few minutes before coming back for one final rinse. Afterwards, they wrapped us up in our robes and shuffled us across the riad to another waiting area with more mint tea and cookies. We sat on the pillows drinking tea, half in shock and half asleep. My skin felt like a newborn. Another 20 minutes or so passed and we were taken by the hand once more- back downstairs to the massage room. Our massages lasted about an hour. We made sure to tip all of the women who helped us that day, and then literally floated out of the spa. We were both glowing- I had never felt so soft in my life. It took us the rest of the night to process exactly what had just happened. Luis said he had never been man-handled like that in his life- LOL! We really let all inhibitions go- there is no such thing as being shy at the hammam!
Hardly able to move after our relaxing- and jolting- hammam experience.
The Moroccan hammam was a fantastic experience and a glimpse into a tradition that we didn’t know much about before coming. It was a lesson on culture and religion, and we will remember it forever!
Thinking about booking a hammam in Morocco? Here are a few spa suggestions of ours in Marrakech:
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