These are just some of the words that should describe a traditional Moroccan Hammam massage. Take my husband and me, for example. We found ourselves being slathered with a mudlike substance whilst sitting in our underwear. We also later found ourselves swimming in said underwear. Our experience is certainly right up there with some of our most hilarious travel fails ever! Interestingly, Morocco was one of the first countries to embrace public bathing once the Ancient Romans had introduced the idea.
With all this in mind, then, during a Hammam massage, you can expect to find yourself within some sort of steam room. Whether your massage happens within the steam room or later on depends on the type of massage treatment you choose and where you have it done. But β strictly speaking β you can pretty much guarantee that a steam room is involved. Despite the traditions associated with a Hammam massage, you may experience different things based on where you go to have one.
You may also end up going for a swim or dip later on in the experience. With that in mind, be sure to wear your swimming gear. Or else you could find yourself swimming in your underwear β just like we did. Off we went to join several other couples in a swimming pool to swim in our underwear. And we felt very foolish! Please note that some hammams require you to be completely naked during your experience. While some parlours use black soap made from black olives , others offer a type of mud wrap.
Either way, expect to get messy and scrubbed every which way! We were then also asked to shower before and after swimming.
While some steam rooms in Morocco are starting to allow men and women to stay together, many are more conservative. So you may find yourself separated from your partner. While Scott and I were allowed to sit in the steam room together, we were ushered into separate changing rooms.
