A First Timer’s Guide to Visiting a Hammam in Marrakech
I’m going to put a little disclaimer on this one. If you’re at all shy about the human body, move along and skip to the next post. While I had previously experienced a luxurious and modest hammam experience in Granada, what we experienced in Marrakech was much more, let’s say, authentic. Even at a tourist hammam. It would have done me some good to read a post about what to expect. So, I’m sharing my thoughts so you can prepare for your first hammam in Marrakech, or anywhere in Morocco for that matter. It’s absolutely a must-do activity. But I do recommend you mentally prepare as a Westerner who hasn’t done something like this before!
What is a Moroccan Hammam?
A hammam is a traditional bathhouse. They typically have multiple rooms with pools of varying temperatures and a hot steam room. It’s a spot where locals go to purify body and soul, which is a beautiful sentiment! Here’s a great article about the traditions and history by Morocco World News if you want more detail. When planning your Morocco itinerary, you should definitely include one!
How to Choose a Hammam in Marrakech
Marrakech is known for its hammams, and there are plentiful options to choose from.
The important thing to know is that there are two types of hammams in Marrakech: the local hammams and the tourist hammams that are more like spas. We chose to do the tourist hammam because we don’t speak a lick of Moroccan Arabic or French, and let’s be honest, I like a little luxury and pampering in my life.
Local Hammams (aka public hammams)
A good indicator that you’ve stumbled across a local hammam is the entrance to an underground oven. The pools in the hammams are heated by subterranean ovens, most of which are also used to bake bread and slow-cook pots of tangia for the community. It’s a perfect marriage, really! Moroccans tend to go to the hammam weekly and use it as a social outing. They spend hours chatting and catching up. So, if you do choose a local hammam, you’ll get a real peek into daily life and traditions in Morocco.
The main feature of these hammams is the pools, not the spa-like washing and cleansing experience I detail below. You’ll need to bring your own soap and hammam glove (called a kessa) for exfoliation which you can easily grab at the souks on the way.
Men go with boxers or bathing suit bottoms, whereas women go naked or with bikini bottoms. The telltale sign that you’re not from around there is if you’re wearing a top, apparently.
You can hire someone to exfoliate you to get “the full experience”. And you’ll leave feeling soft and supple, just like a tourist hammam, without the high cost. They only cost about 10 dirhams, which is equal to $1 USD.
Tourist Hammams (aka private hammams)
So we didn’t make fools of ourselves in a local hammam, we chose a tourist hammam that paired your treatment with a massage after at La Sultana, a luxury hotel in Marrakech. It was stunning, everyone was so kind, and while it was an interesting experience, I think we chose the perfect spot for our fist hammam in Marrakech.
The Whole Play-by-Play Our Experience at a Hammam in Marrakech
When we arrived, while we brought bathing suits, we were instructed to put on the lovely mesh spa underwear they provided. Now, I’m not sure who the heck these mesh thongs fit. It covered literally nothing in the back and could be pulled up well above my belly button if I really wanted it to. Uncomfortable is an understatement. When provided with this, I figured we were doing massages first, then hammam. I was wrong.
Get Ready to Don That Birthday Suit…
They took our robes, and we were ushered (butt naked with our mesh paper underwear, boobs out) into a steam room that was about as hot and humid as a Caribbean Island in the middle of August with zero ventilation. For someone who has panic attacks brought on by extreme heat, not the ideal locale. But it was part of the experience, I told myself as I practiced a little deep breathing.
I had one woman to wash me, and my husband had another. They started by taking buckets of water and dousing us with them. I’m talking ice bucket challenge-style dousing. While the water was warm, it flooded my eyes, ears, mouth, and every crevice of my body.
And Be Really, Really Hot…
From there, we were instructed to lay on the hot marble benches with a forceful pointer finger signal. They turned off the lights and told us to “relax” for 10-minutes. Now, someone with anxiety disorder in a place that encompasses a whole lot of things that cause panic attacks, this wasn’t in the cards for me. So, I sat upright to cool myself off a bit, and twiddled my thumbs (literally) until they came back. My husband on the other hand, was so relaxed he may have fallen asleep. Somehow, he was soothed by the heat of this steamy dark fortress we were seemingly locked in.
Lose 10 Pounds of Skin…
When they returned, it was time to get soaped up. They rubbed a copious amount of Moroccan black soap all over my body and then, I was instructed to lay on the hot stone again for the exfoliation part of the ritual.
They scrubbed so hard I’m amazed I had any skin left at the end. I felt like a piece of furniture being abraded by sandpaper and primed for paint. And let me tell you, they left no body part untouched. I thought Thai massages got up close and personal, but this was next level. She scrubbed my nipples to the point that I was surprised they were still there and not bleeding out by the end. Sorry if any of this came off as TMI or vulgar, but I am always here to keep it real.
Now, there was a pretty serious language barrier. So, if I spoke a lick of Arabic or French, I may have been able to ask her to scrub with a little less fervor. But, I chalked it up to a part of the experience and endured.
After the scrubbing was over, it was time for another dousing.
Then, we were coated in a clay mask that felt (and looked) like grainy mud and instructed to lay down on the hot stone bench for another 10-minutes while they left us again in the heated darkness of this hot-as-hell chamber. I literally looked at my husband, whose face was shadowed by the red uplighting of the water fountain, and said, “I think this may be what hell feels like.”
Potentially Have Differing Opinions from Your Hammam Partner…
Now, my husband totally disagreed. He loved it. He thought it was relaxing, loved how soft his skin felt, and said he’d do it again in a heartbeat. So, maybe it was just my anxiety that tainted the experience for me. I am very happy sticking to my massages in the future, but very glad I tried it! I’ll try anything once.
After that final 10-minutes of “relaxation,” the women came back, rinsed off the clay, and then came for the final cleanse. She shampooed and conditioned my hair and washed my body with a different kind of soap. It is an interesting experience standing naked in front of another woman shampooing your hair, that is for sure. Even more interesting was her sticking her finger in my butt crack and belly button to cleanse every inch of my body. Eek.
Then, the last rinse. This came with progressively colder water until it really did feel like we were doing the ice bucket challenge. Talk about a shock to the system. But it honestly felt glorious to have a release from the surrounding heat!
And Be Oh So Smooth at the End…
While I have to be honest and say it was not my favorite experience, it’s part of getting to know the local culture. But, I will say, my skin was as smooth as a baby’s bottom when it was all over, and that was pretty nice! So, be brave, get ready to rock that birthday suit, and just have fun with it. You’ll be glad to experience this part of traditional Moroccan culture!
If you’ve been to a hammam, what would you add? Share in the comments!
