Was this about to be the most memorable story of our trip? Those unfamiliar with this activity might ask, so what IS a hammam? How does it differ from a spa? And where should I start with finding a good one? A hammam is a public bathing house, now often synonymous with the practice that takes place there, where a number of steam rooms are used for bathing oneself as part of daily life in Islamic culture. Using a similar traditional method akin to Roman baths, the process inside a hammam allows visitors to perspire in dry heat, followed by full body scrubbing by oneself or another , and finally being washed by cooler water.
Baths are separated by gender, and are seen as a place to socialise, relax, and cleanse. Particularly in Morocco, a hammam is considered a space where one can perform ritual purification, often before prayer hence why hammams can often be found near mosques. Moroccan hammams are sometimes misnamed as Turkish baths, which is a misnomer as Morocco never came under Ottoman rule a technicality, but worth noting. As visitors to a hammam, you can pay to have someone else provide the products, and scrub you down for a treatment.
First of all, they might be harder to find than you expect. Intended to be discreet and seamlessly blending into the medina, finding the entrance or signage of one might well require a bit of looking.
Oftentimes, locals will be near the entrance eager to entice you in, or offer you a flyer of info about the hammam. The hammam we attended was thankfully one of the easiest to find. Which was totally fine, in fact it made a change from the incessant heckling from vendors in the souks outside! Mostly, just yourself!
In any case, bringing a change of clothes especially underwear if nothing else! You can buy kits for such an experience from plenty of souk stalls, or ask your accommodation for tips. For most of us, this is probably the most nerve-wracking aspect. Is your friendship ready for this level of exposure?
