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What is a Hammam in Marrakech ?
A day trip to marrakech Hammams is very unique experience and can be a wonderful way to know about the Moroccan culture .
Our Blog guide will help you to understand more details about the bath and and its imortance in Morocco.
That is why we recommend it highly for you as it will make you so rejuvenated and fresh like the Marrakechi people .
A day trip to Marrakech Hammams will make the whole experience in the kingdom unforgettabe.
Tradtional local hammams are bathhouses where the Marrakechi people clean and scrub themselves .
It is a lso a place where the locals clear their minds and socialize with their family members and friends too .
Yes , it is a good bonding experience ,indeed.
More than this , the tradional hammam is deeply rooted with Islam religion , ablution .
Tradionally , thursdays and fridays are the buziest days within the week for muslims to purify themselves before the prayer.
Inside the old medina of Marrakech , every single neighbourhood has a Hammam near the mosque.
In Marrakech there are different types of Hammams which vary from affordable to luxurious ones.
Tradional Hammam rooms:
The oldest Hammam in Morocco was the one in Volubulis during the 8 century.
When Arabs reached North Africa , the number of hammams in Morocco grew higher and higher ,
Like the Romans , Arabs equipped their Hammams with three to four
long spacious rooms with different temperature.
The first room is very hot , helps to open the pores of your skin and speed up the circulation of blood .
The second room is warm , very useful for scrubbing and massage treatment.
The third room is used for relaxation and rehydration.
The Hammam s ceilings have small glass windows for the sake of light .
Besides, the Farnatchi plays a very important role for the hammam.
He is the person who heats the hammam with wood , sawdust and cooks Tanjia on slow fire.
What you should expext before you make a day trip to traditional Marrakech Hammams:
Normally , people take off their clothes and leave them in the reception room .
While men bathe with their underwear , women bathe with bikini or totally naked.
After a quick rinse , your attendant will escort you the hottest room within the Hammam .
In a communal Hammam , friends and family members scrub each other , though.
If you are alone , you scrub yourself with the help of no one or hire a washer to do the job for you .
Afterwards , you will have your skin smeared with Savon noir or black soap .
By the way, black Soap makes the skin soft and prepares it for exfoliation with a harsh glove (kess).
The hottest room has some wooden beds where you lie for some time to relax and then perfom the scrubbing .
Furthermore , the scrub should cover the whole body , every inch of it .
If the scrubbing is too much for you to stand , please use the moroccan dialect word bshwiya , which means slow down .
We have seperate washers : men wash men and women wash women .
For some people the whole experience looks weird and scary , given the fact everyone is naked in women section.
Therefore , leave yourself to your attendant who will scrub and massage you from head to toe .you will not regret it .
When the scubbing is over and layers of deadskin is washed , you will be escorted to the cold room for relaxation and rehydration .
If you want your body cleaned and your mind cleared , go to a traditional hammam in Marrakech.
The items to take to the tradional hammam:
- Some coins to pay the hammam
- Full clean clothes
- Savon beldi ( made from black olive oil and bees wax and argan oil )
- A kess ( hand mit)
- Shampoo
- Plastic mat to sit on
- A towel and robe
- A small bucket to scoop water
- A plastic flip flop
- Hair brush ,razor, toiletries and afterwash products you may need .
The social aspect of the traditional hammam:
Instead of going to coffe shops , some locals go to the hammam to talk : men talk about women and women about men .
Tradionally , when males reach the age of puberty , they don t go with their mothers anymore to the hammam .
In other words , young men go with their elders ,as sign of adulthood.
The hammam is also a spot where brides bathe with their friends before the wedding celebration.
It is also an opportunity for the bride to know about her new family and get used them .
The hammam is also a place where grooms may take advices and tips from the already- married friends.
Women can t do without Ghassoul in Morrocan tradional Hammams
The top product that women use inside Moroccan traditional hammams is Rhassoul or Ghasoul .
For centuries , Women use this clay product for their hair , skin and body ,all the time, inside hammams .
Actually , the history of the Ghasoul dates back to thousands years and it is still useful til today .
The Ghassoul is extracted from the mines of Morocco in the middle Atlas Mountains in Moulouya valley , near fez.
A lot of researchs have showed that Ghassoul contains so many minerals like : iron,calcium ,silica,potasium oxide and provitamins .
Because of these menirals it makes the skin well sustained and anti -aging .
In other words the Ghassoul works miracles :
- It improves the skin
- It gets rid of the impurities and bacteria
- It removes the excess dirt , allowing the skin pores to open up .
- It reduces acne , blackheads and pimples
- It reduces the skin dryness
- It removes the deadskin
- It cleans the hair from dandruff and scalp problems
To conclude , when you make a trip to Marrakech Hammams make sure you have the golden clay in advance.
If you want to know more about all this , the Private Tour will help you to understand it better .
By the way , we do the following tours too
Foodie Tour
We hope that our blog post will help you to venture and try the Hammam experience while you are in Marrakech .
It is a good experience and we want you to live it fully .