Hammam in Morocco

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In Morocco, as in many other countries, there is the tradition to go to hammam and get clean. There are many different ways to do this, and in Morocco, it can be a luxurious experience. At first I was hesitant, but then I decided to take part in the culture and step outside my comfort zone. So here is a bit about how hammam works.

First you must choose your location. You can go to the local baths where there are hours for men and hours for women. Or you can go to a spa where you pay more but have access for as long as you want to pay. Or you can go through your riad and have hammam there. 

What you should bring with you is a towel and slippers or flip flops. Depending on if you go to a spa or the public baths, you should also bring any shampoo that you may want. But usually in your riad you can go straight back to your room and wash your hair then.

The process begins by getting completely naked and getting washed with soap. It is a little weird at first since a stranger is washing you, but for them it is normal and that is what I kept telling myself. A nice lady pours hot water over you and washes your complete body with soap. Then comes the deep scrub where they take a scratchy towel and some clay and scrub down your whole body. Finally, they wash you one last time and you are good to go.

For the men, you usually get some massage where they contort your body and crack it while scrubbing you. For women, I got a nice head massage while she lathered soap into my head. In all, it wasn't a bad experience once I got over my insecurities and my skin felt amazing afterwards. So I recommend it to anyone that wants to try.