What you need to know about the Moroccan hammam

Secular place in Morocco, the hammam is a real place of purification of the body and the soul but it is also the place of all meetings. Where men, separated from women, talk about their lives.They introduce each other’s children and make friends.

What makes the Moroccan hammam special?

It is a very different heat bath from the sauna, which is based on dry heat. It is also different from the Turkish bath, which is almost completely steamed. The Moroccan hammam heats with a coil system up to half height. Unlike the Turkish bath, it is wet but not filled with moisture.

Inspired by the Roman baths that the Arabs discovered to conquer Syria, the hammam is currently and often composed of one piece or two for the exfoliation. However, it is its shortened version that we know today. Traditionally, it includes several rooms (minimum 3) that will increase in temperature to reach the hottest room of 50 °. The goal is to evolve within these parts by accustoming the body to a gradually more intense heat. Thanks to this heat, the skin will become suppler, the pores will open.

The Moroccan hammam, a beauty ritual with multiple benefits

To enjoy the benefits of a hammam, stay there for a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 1 hour, rest and lie on the floor or on the benches. During this time, a Kessala (name of the women practicing the scrubs in the hammams), can apply natural moroccan black soap on your whole body. Then, after a pause of about fifteen minutes where rest is required, the Kessala will rinse the black soap, using a Kessa glove, before rubbing your body to remove impurities.

Thanks to these different steps, it is a real deep exfoliation which, for novices, is sometimes incredible as the dead skin comes off and is unclogged. After a thorough rinse, the Moroccan Rhassoul clay is used on the body and hair. Excellent washing product, Rhassoul will definitely wash the body and make it soft and supple.

After these treatments, a nourishing massage nourishes the skin and the little extra that remains is the mint tea to finish this moment of incomparable tranquility.