Relax in a Moroccan Hammam
When in Morocco visitors should not miss out on the experience of going to a Moroccan hammam. It can also be described as a bathhouse; however, privacy is not on the cards. Most hammams work under the same principle, although some do go about things differently. The main objective though, is to get so clean that you sparkle on your way out, and the Moroccans know how to get clean.
On entering a traditional Moroccan hammam, visitors will see tiled rooms everywhere with hot water faucets on the walls. Visitors should ensure that they have their own bucket, olive oil soap and a towel. These bathhouses were originally created because most houses did not have indoor plumbing, and it was part of the Islamic rituals. Today, however, it is still a great part of the culture, but has also become a place where most can soak, exfoliate and catch up with friends. Conversation inside the hammam is often deafening.
In the hammams that are a little more luxurious, they do cater for international visitors. While the locals scrub, brush and talk their way through a cleansing session, visitors will get their own hammam magician. Ladies will obviously be escorted by a woman, as the men and woman do bathe separately. Women will keep their bikini bottoms on while in the bathhouse.
Depending on the hammam, the treatments might be done in different variations, but the full treatment consists of basically the same methods of cleaning. Visitors will receive a full scrub down, a mud paste application and an oil treatment, before stepping into the sauna. A loofah scrub ensures that all the dead skin is removed and after being pulled and scrubbed into an almost raw, red glow, visitors will get treated to a massage, a rose bath and a cold bucket of water.
The constant chatting and soothing aromas that fill the air make this a truly unique experience, and it is relatively easy to find a hammam in Morocco. Just follow the hordes with toiletry filled buckets. If going to a hammam where the scrubbing is done by one’s self, it is advised to remember that taking more than two buckets of water is considered greedy. Most locals go to the bathhouse at least once a week to relax with friends and have ample time to catch up on the latest gossip.
