I treated myself to first Hammam this week. It is a traditional cleaning ritual that many Moroccans take part of once a week and are found in each neighbourhood. The Hamman is Moroccan Bath-house, similar to a Turkish bathhouse. As part of their weekly rituals it is a place for men and women to separately catchup on neighbourhood gossip, politics and family. I believe even more so for women who don't participate in the local cafe scene. From what I've read women will usually go with their friends or family, both to chat and socialise, but also to help each other with the ritual.
When you enter there is a menu of options to choose; cleanse, scrub, massage. I went for the package deal to get the full experience. Part of this means purchasing a tool and a hand glove to be used for the full body scrub to exfoliate.
Once you enter you strip down to your underwear. You give your clothes and valuables which are stored in a locker. I was escorted to a shower stall and then went into a hot steamy sauna which left me wondering how long I could survive it. I laid down for about 5-10 minutes and then came out and was escorted to a marble table where the I was enthusiastically scrubbed down with an exfoliate glove for a good 10 minutes. Your then washed down and off to the masseuse. He applies an oil to your complete body and then spends about 30 minutes giving a full body message although more time was spent lying on my back then face. Throughout the process a body tap was the signal to turn over. After the message, it was another shower, another suana and then a complete soap and shampoo wash down applied on the marble table with another shower. The whole experience lasted about 1hr 20 minutes.
All of this was had for about 280 Dirham including tip which is about $37 CDN. Plus it was the best I've felt in a while, skin all tingly and feeling very alive. You can not spent time in Morocco without enjoying a Hammam. I can completely understand why this is a big part of Moroccan culture.
No comments:
Post a Comment