What is a Hammam

What is a hammam

Hammam is the Arabic word which translates to “spa” or “public bath place” and can be used to refer to all bathroom or spas.

Hammam / spas, are public places where you go for bathing, spa treatments and cleansing rituals. It is a place to relax and to perform a deep body and mind cleanse, helping to easily release toxins from your body, while relaxing the mind.

Hammams come in many different shapes and sizes, a traditional hammam usually are dome shaped with around 3 room adjacent to each other, with different levels of heat, from cool to very hot, looks like a big wet room, with heated, floors, marble a slabs , with flowing water from the taps, theres a continuous flow of warmth in the room with different temperature to keep the body warm and perparing for the vigorous cleansing ritual.

Moroccan & Turkish Hammams

Where hammams orginated.Moroccans baths are influenced from the Romans and the hammam ritual was adopted by the Ottoman Empire, when The Turkish invaded Morocco in the 1500 hundreds

The difference between the Moroccan hammam and the Turkish bath is in the air, products and technique. The hot air in the Turkish bath is usually dry like a sauna, compared to the Moroccan hammam which is often a steamy wet room, both styles are incredible benefical to your skin and health.

Hammam bathing and self-care rituals are an important part of good health as well as mental health & healing, deep relaxtion & glowing skin.

Modern day people want a place to escape their busy lives and enjoy a treatment to detox, heal, cleanse, feel nourished and connected back to self to peace and contentment, for their wellness, which improves mind, body and soul.

Hammam Culture and History

The Moroccan hammam ritual has been around for centuries and has been passed down through many generations, it's a bathing ritual that is used in the whole of Morocco and the most preferred spa treatment for a deep invigorating body cleanse, which are performed in many steps.

The traditional Moroccan Hammam is an incredibly important part of Moroccan culture, as cleansing is very important in Islam, the word hammam is mentioned everyday in a Moroccan household.

Men, women and children visit their local Hammam, a minimum once a week, and spend at least three hours bathing, following the long rituals for cleansing their bodies and deep cleaning their hair, leaving the hammam glowing with radiants and feeling super clean.

In local traditional hammams men and women bath separately, they enter the hammam in different entrances, the buildings are usually next door to each other.

Family and friends meet up occasionally at the local hammam, helping each other with the beauty ritual, especially when it comes to those hard to reach places such as the back. There is always a therapist which is called a kessia for hire at the bath house, to help assist with the hammam treatment, locals mostly preform their own cleansing ritual.

The hammam ritual is rather simple, but it does involve several steps, all aimed at cleansing the body, relaxing the mind and giving you glowing skin by exfoliating layers of dead skin and dirt whilst indulging in traditional purifying wellness products in a lovely, warm chamber. The steps are very similar to a facial, but for the whole body.

The locals strip all their under garments off and cleanse naked in the hammam, like they did in the roman times, however this is not a necessity, you can keep your swim wear on or just keep your swimming bottoms, when you have finished the cleansing ritual, many take a quick power nap in relaxation area.

Traditionally hammams are also used as part of celebrations such as bridal/hen showers, The bride to be invites her closets family and friends to have a deep cleanse and pamper day at the hammam, preparing their skin for her big day, as well as taking time out from all the wedding preparation, Hammams are also an important part of a postpartum healing

in Morocco, usually the day after the new mother giving birth to her new born baby (naturally).Studies have shown that nourishing the new mother after she gives birth, helps prevent postnatal depression. In Morocco new mothers are celebrated like a new bride, she given lots of care, love and attention.