At first, the idea of cleansing yourself in a room full of nude strangers-sitting on the floor, using buckets to dump water on yourself-may sound unappealing. However, after further analysis of this practice, it’s clear that this experience is vital to fully experiencing Moroccan culture.
After a long day of exploring, soothe your tired self and cleanse your dirty skin with a visit to an authentic Moroccan hammam, or public bath. A visit to Morocco is incomplete without a visit to one of these traditional Moroccan hammams. Hammams allow you to explore a basic part of Moroccan culture, view a type of Moroccan architecture, interact with local Moroccans and leave with spa-smooth skin. The experience of using a hammam can definitely be improved if you prepare yourself with some knowledge and tools beforehand, however.
Hammams are a part of traditional, daily Moroccan life. Most families go at least once week, but others without the luxury of baths in their own homes go on a daily basis. As a result, hammams are very affordable to visit. Depending on the location, most public hammams cost anywhere from one to five dollars. Once you’ve paid and entered the premises, men and women go through different entrances, as genders are separated in the hammam. Follow your own gender into the “locker room.” There, strip yourself down to your underpants. Although quite awkward at first, this is standard practice (if you don’t, you will be openly mocked for being an aloof foreigner).
Before entering, make sure you’ve brought your standard soaps and bathing products. If you’re curious, most Moroccans use natural bathing products made from olive oil and clay. These are available for purchase at the entrance of the hammam or in the medina. You should also bring a plastic bowl with which to scoop the water from the larger buckets offered at the hammam. If you feel more comfortable, you can also bring your own large bucket, although it’s not necessary. Also, don’t forget the obvious towel and change of clothes.
Once inside the hammam, you’ll notice multiple rooms. Each room will have a hot water reservoir connecting to the very back room, which is closest to the central heat. The further back you go, the hotter the steam and water is. Most people will sit in the medium-heat room on the tiled floor, close to the walls. Be aware, each room’s floors slope downward in the middle towrd the gutter. As such, make sure to sit further up so you don’t sit in anyone else’s grime. For those uncomfortable with sitting on the floor, you can also bring a small stool or a mat to sit on.
Once you’ve found a spot, take your maximum two buckets and fill them up with hot or cold water. Take the buckets to your area and use the small plastic bowl to scoop the water or mix the temperatures. Using the steaming water, cleanse and scrub away the soot. For the adventurous, you can buy a scrub down from a hammam attendant at a relatively inexpensive price. Such scrub downs require a loofah-like glove called a kiis, which can be purchased at the medina. At the end of a Moroccan hammam experience, you’ll leave refreshed, cleansed and exposed to a wonderful aspect of Moroccan culture.
Written by Anna Sandor of Journey Beyond Travel, a Morocco tour company.