What happens in a Moroccan Hammam?
Hammams – a very Moroccan ritual
Hammams are woven into the rich tapestry of Moroccan life and can be found all over Morocco from the centre of large cities to small neighbourhoods. But why? What are they for? In this post I shall shine a light on this timeless traditional ritual.
What is a hammam?
Hammams are heated rooms that are slightly steamy, but not super steamy like the steam rooms you may find in Europe. They date back to the Roman and Byzantine times and were a practical solution to not having running water in homes. Hammams offered a space where people could wash, cleanse and relax. There may be just one heated room or several of varying heat.
Today, many Moroccans consider the hammam an integral aspect of their regular routine. It offers a chance to not only cleanse and relax, but a place to catch up with friends and socialise.
Hammams vary widely in style and appearance, but the general procedure in all hammams is the same.
The benefits of hammams
The heat, steam and exfoliation can help to:
- open your pores and leave your skin glowing and exceptionally smooth
- eliminate toxins from the body through sweating
- reduce muscle tension
- improve circulation
- relieve stress
Public and private hammams
There are 2 types of hammams in Morocco – public and private. Public hammams are relatively cheap and as the name suggests very public. They can get very busy, especially in the evenings and weekends. Private hammams are usually located in spas or hotels and offer a much more luxurious and private experience.
During my time in Morocco, I experienced one communal and two private hammams. My communal experience (just two days into arriving) threw me in at the deep end, took me by surprise and bamboozled me slightly!
My two private hammams were gorgeous experiences that elicited a range of unexpected emotions that helped me to reconnect with different parts of myself, and enhanced my ongoing healing.
You can read about my hammam experiences here:
Dar Al Hossoun’s earthy Hammam & Spa, Taroudant
Hotel Riad Dar Daif- a grounding hammam and exquisite massage in Ouarzazate
My first public hammam – it was an experience!
The hammam assistant
In both a public and private hammam you can opt to have an assistant who will be with you from start to finish.
The general process is as follows:
- Changing area – depending on where you are, you can choose to remove everything, keep your underwear on or some places offer disposable underwear. My advice is to go with what you are comfortable with and also check the website of the hammam as it will probably tell you their protocol.
- The assistant will lead you into the hammam and you’ll be asked either to sit or lay down. It is common practice for the assistant to be undressed from the waist up.
- You may then have some time to relax and absorb the warmth of the hammam.
- Next, you’ll be bathed with warm water usually scooped out from buckets.
- You’ll then be lathered from head to toe with savon beldi, a traditional soap made from olive oil.
- Using an exfoliating mitt, the assistant will then proceed to scrub every inch of your body (and I mean every inch). They will direct and ask you to move into different positions so they can access each area of your body. The rubbing is quite firm, but not necessarily unpleasant and of course you can tell them if it’s too harsh. The purpose of the scrubbing is to remove your dead skin.
- Once the exfoliation is completed, you will continued to be bathed with warm water to wash off the soap and dead skin.
- The assistant may then wash your hair and give your body one final cleanse with shower gel.
The process takes about 45 minutes.
I had an assistant in both the public and private hammams, and each was a very different experience but roughly the same procedure was followed.
It is not essential to have an assistant in a communal hammam and if I were to go again, I would probably choose not to as I’d prefer to relax into the experience a little more.
Public hammam – what you need
In a private hammam the spa/hotel will provide you with everything. However, in a public hammam you need to take the following with you (whether you choose to have an assistant or not):
- savon beldi (olive soap, this is available in most markets or you can buy it at the hammam reception)
- a kess (exfoliating mitt, also readily available)
- soap and shampoo
- any other toiletries you may want to use
- a towel/robe
- plastic flip flops
My advice for visiting a hammam
Leave your inhibitions at the hammam door – particularly in a communal hammam where you will be sharing the space with a lot of other people
Be open to the experience and your emotions – if you choose to have an assistant, this is quite an intimate experience and can elicit a range of emotions. Being washed and cared for in this manner is quite a primal experience, so allow yourself to soften into the experience.
I found during my first private hammam, I was awash with emotions – I went from feeling Empress like, to childlike, to very womanly, and the feeling I was taking back my feminine power. It was unexpected, but I felt radiant afterwards!
However, in my second private hammam, I felt very grounded and rooted in my experience, and I gained a profound sense of tradition and connection to the past which felt elemental and beautiful.
Of course, you may simply enjoy the experience and feel little in connection with emotions. In many respects, I believe my raft of feeling is as much to do with where I’m at on my healing journey, as it is to do with the hammam. However, I do suggest that you give yourself permission to let the armour of your personality drop away during the process. Who knows where it will take you…
Set your intention – I think it helps with all new experiences to set your intention. This can help you get more out of it. A good intention might be to ‘simply be with the experience’ as this enables you to stay in the present moment.
Related Posts
Dar Al Hossoun’s earthy Hammam & Spa, Taroudant
Hotel Riad Dar Daif- a grounding hammam and exquisite massage in Ouarzazate
My first public hammam – it was an experience!