Getting Squeaky Clean at a Hammam

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity of going to a Moroccan hammam, or bathhouse. It is remarkably similar to the Roman bathhouse of antiquity and remains an integral part of Moroccan life today. Most Moroccans go to the hammam a few times every month. It’s a cheap way to get clean and especially useful for families who don’t have showers or bathtubs. Most hammans have 3 rooms: the first is cold, the second is moderately warm, and the last is as hot and steamy as a sauna. First you strip to your underwear, then grab a bucket and proceed to the third and hottest room with your soap, shampoo, and washcloth in tow. Once there you fill your bucket with water from the spigots that surround the room and rinse yourself off. Next you lay down on the hot tile floor for about ten minutes, letting your pores open amidst the heat and steam. You are then scrubbed vigorously by one of the attendants. In my case, this was a hairy 40-something-year-old man in a swimsuit with a modest potbelly and a huge mustache. He indifferently scrubs you with a rough washcloth akin sandpaper. You bite you lip as you see layers of dead skin rolling off in grey clumps. Once you are all scrubbed, he rinses you off and lathers you up with soap. After he shampoos your hair and vigorously scrubs your head, he rinses you off again. The next bit they only do for men. I guess I would call it a mix between aggressive stretching, yoga and contortionism. He pulls and bends you every which way, sometimes in rather painful ways. For example, one stretch involved me laying face down while my hairy friend stood on both of my hamstrings. He then grabbed my arms and pulled me up off the ground while continuing to stand on my thighs. This is supposed to stretch and loosen you. After that, the attendant is done and you can proceed to the colder rooms to cool down and close your pores again. Although very rough and at times painful, you feel remarkably clean afterwards. Plus the vigorous scrubbing leaves your skin soft and smooth for days afterwards.