Whether it was by a friend who’d seen or via a Google search, hammam spas kept popping up after I had been exploring things to do in Morocco.
And while I am no spa connoisseur, going to a Moroccan hammam spa that I needed to do on my excursion. Here is what it was like to have nude at one.
What’s a Moroccan Hammam Spa?
Moroccan hammams are a part of many Moroccans’ daily life. Similar to a Turkish bath, a public hammam is a steam room where folks go to wash themselves. This is generally a weekly ritual and is thought of as a social action in villages and towns, together with people, and kids all engaging. Sex separates baths and individuals would spend hours here chatting with buddies. They are fully naked at hammams while are covered from head to toe in public.
Upon entering the hammam spa you are going to find a bucket, a pad to lie on, some black soap, and exfoliating gloves (or you can hire a person to exfoliate you) and you basically clean and exfoliate yourself in big steam rooms one of everybody else, with your bucket and water out of a tap.
A Moroccan hammam spa in a resort would be different. Treatments vary by resort, but the overall procedure is that you soak in a pool or sit in a steam room you are rinsed, exfoliated, and massaged. Here are of the details of my experience.
What to Bring into a Moroccan Hammam Spa
Based on what kind of spa you’re going to, then bring a change of makeup and clothing, hairbrush, toiletries, underwear, and flip flops. Each spa is different, but it’s far better to be over-prepared compared to beneath.
If you’re uneasy going entirely naked, bring a bathing suit. Some hotel spas will provide paper panties. Ask when you are making your reservation what’s provided so that you can decide what you are most comfortable with.
Things to Expect at a Moroccan Hammam Spa at a Resort
The receptionist said “take everything off” when she passed over a robe, newspaper thong, and flip flops. Obviously if you are going to some Moroccan hammam spa in Morocco, your spa pro may not talk English. It was obvious this would be true when my attendant handed me a towel motioned that I just take off my robe, also led me into a steam room once I walked out of this locker room.
I traveled with a friend, which helped ease some of the awkwardness. We had read in the treatment description that we would be in the steam space for approximately ten minutes, but after what seemed like forever, an attendant came in and gave us water bottles. Unclear when we could depart, we remained in the steam room just another 15 to 20 minutes, and ultimately chose to walk outside when we couldn’t handle the heat anymore.
The attendants didn’t seem to mind, though looking back they thought we were crazy for staying in there so long. They directed us to this hammam’s beautiful (but totally open) mosaic showers. My friend was directed through another opening into a more private shower, and that I had been asked to take my towel and paper underwear as I was rinsed off. I was then asked to lay down on a marble slab where my attendant said “henna” (such as the tattoo) and applied a thick, thick brown-blackish paste to my body. After letting my own skin absorb this goo, it was back to be rinsed.
Then came exfoliation. This region of the experience is taken, and Moroccan. I was scrubbed with what appeared like sandpaper from head to toe, and think that an entire layer of skin came off my body by means of this process, as I wondered exactly what a normal number of dead skin to come of was … it felt unbelievably good, but was absolutely extreme. I am sure if there was not a language barrier I might have asked her to wash softer, but I endured it before heading into the shower for still another rinse.
Next came a clay mask. After application, the attendant covered me with a cloth and motioned for me to close my eyes. After about 30 minutes placing on the marble slab, she came back, led me into the shower to wash off again, and pointed to a given hair products. I fully showered this moment, was (finally) passed a towel and led to a room where I had been asked if I needed a massage. Unsure if this was included in the purchase price, I politely said no. Rather, she quickly applied lotion over my entire body and handed my robe back.
After an overpowering but finally relieving experience, I followed her into the relaxation area, where a pot filled with mint tea was waiting for me. My buddy soon joined and we reasoned that we were happy we experienced a Moroccan hammam, but we would likely never need to perform it again. We then headed back to reality from the crowded streets of Marrakech … with a less layer of epidermis.
How to Choose a Moroccan Hammam Spa
Marrakech is known for its hammams, also is one of the best places to get hammam spa therapies in Morocco.
I obtained my Moroccan hammam spa therapy at La Mamounia, a lavish resort. If you’re searching for a specific degree of comfort, book in a different resort like Royal Mansour (of Instagram fame) or Selman Marrakech. You can readily call or email for a reservation ahead of time, and the spa in hotels will be in English. Since the exchange rate is indeed favorable right now, remedies are approximately $100 USD, and it is a bargain compared to U.S. and European health prices.
For a cheaper (under $50) Moroccan hammam spa therapy, book in a riad, a traditional Moroccan house, like Riad les Jardins Mandaline or Riad Camilia. Other traditional hammam options include the popular Hammam de La Rose and Le Bain Bleu, both situated in the Marrakech medina.
For the most real experience, consider a people hammam spa, like Hammam Dar el-Bacha. It’s the city’s largest traditional hammam with women-only hours in the day and evening.