The Ultimate Guide to Moroccan Hammam Ritual

The Ultimate Guide to Moroccan Hammam Ritual

The Ultimate Guide to Moroccan Hammam Ritual

What is a Hammam?

To begin with, the word « Hammam » means House of Steam (Warmth) in Arabic. The concept of the hammam dates back to the Roman and Byzantine. This concept dates from the Byzantine and Roman. It’s considered a public space where people go to take deep baths and cleanse, not only that, but also to socialize, this experience reflects both physical and spiritual wellbeing.

The Moroccan hammam is a traditional steam bath that is a part of the Moroccan lifestyle and culture. It’s a weekly ritual experience with certain practices that slightly differs from one person to another but the concept remains the same. It’s a unique blend of social engagement, tradition, and wellness.

The hammam ritual in Morocco is an ancestral experience, It's not just a cleansing routine, but a true rite of purification and relaxation, a ritual that most Moroccans do once a week. We represent to you a detailed guide to Moroccan Hammam, describing all the steps starting from preparation, explaing its benefits so you will be able to enjoy the full experience without missing a single detail.

Hammam RItual: The process

Preparation :

Your Hammam Choice: 2 types of Hammam exist in Morocco, public hammams (often modest and popular) and private hammams (usually luxurious and part of wellness centers or SPAs).

Preparation: Before the ritual, you should drink water to stay hydrated, bring extra clothes, a Kessa glove, black soap, and a towel.

The warm bath :

Heating: as you enter the Hammam, you’ll be escorted to hot rooms with different degrees of temperature, a little bit like Sauna that helps open your pores.
Fill your bucket with Hot water (Adapt the temperature with cold water, don’t use cold water) and pour it over your body and head. Moroccan women will often help one another by pouring water over each other’s heads and bodies. It is not uncommon for perfect strangers to do this to each other in the neighborhood’s Hammams.

Relaxation: You'll spend some time in the hottest room, sitting or lying down, allowing the moist heat to relax your muscles and open your pores.

Applying Black Soap :

Black Soap : Made from crushed olives and potash, is applied to the skin (Avoid applying it to your face especially in the eyes area). This exfoliating soap, rich in vitamin E, prepares the skin for exfoliation by softening the surface layers of dead skin, some Moroccans tend to use some herbs too like Henna (Not the tattoos one, there is a specific Henna with no color specially made for Bathing) and mix it with the black soap.

After applying, you leave the soap on for 10 to 20 minutes to maximize its effects.

Scrubbing:

Using the Kessa Glove: The scrub is performed with a kessa glove, a rough exfoliating glove that removes dead skin cells.
Process: You or a professional will use vigorous movements to remove impurities, leaving skin clean and revitalized.
The process : you or the person in charge will use the kessa glove all over your body to remove impurities to leave the sking clear and clean.

Rinsing and cleansing:

Rinsing: After exfoliating, rinse thoroughly with warm water (colder than the one you used at the beginning) to remove soap and dead skin cells.

Shampoo and Final Cleanse: use your shampoo and shower gel for the final step (like in your daily shower) to cleanse.

Ghassoul clay:

Application : Optionally, you can apply ghassoul clay mixed with water or rosewater to your body. This mineral clay, rich in magnesium and silicon, has purifying and softening properties.

Final rinse : leave the clay a little bit then rinse again to leave your skin soft and smooth. In Traditional luxury SPAs, the Final Beauty Ritual in the Hammam is the massage with Argan Oil mixed with Rosewater and Orange Blossom water.

Relaxation and rehydration:

Rest: After the ritual, it's common to rest in a cool room to allow your body to relax and return to a normal temperature.

Tea break: In Traditions, it's essential Moroccan mint tea to rehydrate after the ritual.

The Benefits of Hammam :

The Hammam can help in skin purification by using the scrub to open the pores and leave the skin radiant and smooth.

Relaxing and getting rid of muscle tension and relieves stress.

Improving blood circulation through exfoliation.

Eliminating toxins from the body through sweating (Detoxification).

The Hammam is considered a social ritual where neighbors, family or even people that don’t know each other meet to talk and socilalize.

Tips to have a perfect experience in the Hammam :

For a better experience, make sure to bring all the tools and accessories you’ll need for your hammam like the Kessa glove and black soap.

Stay hydrated: you should drink water before and after Hammam, and make sure it’s not too cold.

Avoid heavy meals right before the Hammam ritual, you might get an upset stomach or feel tired during your activity.

Take your time: Moroccan Hammam can take more than one hour so make sure to enjoy all the phases of the ritual.

For a relaxing Hammam in Marrakech Book your Experience Here.

The hammam ritual in Morocco is a traditional experience that offers not benefits for the body and health, but also a great insight into Moroccan Culture. Whether it's a traditional Hammam or a modern SPA center, the ritual will take you back thousands of years of tradition, an immersion that will satisfy and relax you.