What to Expect at your First Hammam | Heights & Sights of Agadir

Agadir, Morocco

After three incredible weeks on the Canary Islands with Mac’s parents, it was time to get back to backpcaking. Considering the close proximity to Morocco, Mac and I opted to make this north African country our next destination! We flew from Gran Canaria to Agadir and quickly had our worlds turned upside down. I’m so thankful our CouchSurfing host and his friend met us at the airport – I don’t know if I would have been able to handle the chaos of negotiating a taxi into the center. We spent three nights with our host in Agadir, and he definitely set the bar high for the rest of our time in Morocco. At his house we enjoyed meals prepared by his family, went for walks through his village with his neighbourhood friends (they were so excited to show us the ‘forest’ – I wish I had pictures of a true Canadian forest to show them!!).

A “Classic” Moroccan Forest!

We also spent a day by the coast. The coastal Agadir – with its huge hill, silky smooth sand & blue waves, and bright & shiny hotels and casinos – was worlds away from our host’s small village just south of Inezgane (a suburb of greater Agadir).

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On our last day with our host, he asked me if I wanted to accompany his sister to the local hammam. Knowing only that a hammam is some sort of spa-like-thing, I quickly agreed, thankful to have a local as my guide! It turns out that my understanding of what a hammam is was not so correct, ha! So, if you’re a newbie to Moroccan culture like I was, here’s what to expect at your first hammam.

What to Expect at your First Hammam

En route to the local hammam, our host’s sister stopped at a small shop and bought a cold bottle of water, and some weird slimy dark brown substance wrapped in newspaper. I soon learned that both of these items would be very important to my hammam experience. We arrived at the building and entered through the female door. (The building is split into two sides, one for males and one for females). After paying our entrance fee (8dh), we entered the change room and joined our fellow bathers. All of the women unwrapped their headscarves and undressed down to their underwear. For a country where modesty is held in such high regard, it was initially quite shocking for me to see so much skin!

I quickly got over my prudishness and my new friend and I stored our belongings and gathered the necessary items. In addition to the bucket of supplies she brought with her, we were also given four extra buckets by the hammam attendant. And then it was time! Though a large door we entered the first of three large, steam filled, water-logged rooms. We had picked a busy time to go, and much of the floor space was already occupied with women. Thankfully we found a spot on a wall and my friend got to work. She filled a bucket with hot water and proceeded to clean our wall/floor space. Then out came the pre-organized supplies.

Hammam Supplies

• A small stool for me to perch upon

• A mat for her to sit on

• Small handheld ladle-like buckets for controlled water splashing

• Glove-like scouring pads scrubbers (known as kessa gloves)

• That weird slimy dark brown stuff which turned out to be black soap made from olives (savon noir/ savon d’olive)

• Five buckets filled with steamy hot water from the taps

Hammam Procedure

Soaping Up (Using Black Soap)

Sensing my complete and total lack of understanding as for what to do next, my host kindly (took pity on me and) showed me the ropes. Using a small bit of the olive oil soap, I proceeded to lather up and rub the slimy goo all over my body. I quickly learned that a hammam is not a place to expedite the bathing process. Women can be in there for two to three hours!!! So when soaping and lathering up, really take the time to ensure you’re getting every nook and cranny.

Exfoliating (Using a Kessa Glove)

Once sufficiently covered in brown goo, the real fun begins. The next step is a full body exfoliation using the scrubbing glove. For these women who come to hammams weekly, this exfoliation practice is nothing new to their glowing skin. For a freckled pale gal like me, my skin was completely and utterly confused by the abrasiveness. Almost immediately after the first rub of my arm I started turning a shocking red. Knowing it would eventually fade, I continued with rigour and watched in amazement (and partial disgust) as clump after clump of dead skin was rubbed off. “Spaghetti” is the slang term for these little strands of dead cells. Appetizing, right?

Like the soaping up step, the exfoliating step also is meant to take time. After doing what I thought was a pretty thorough job of exfoliating my entire body from head to toe, I looked to my friend for guidance as for what to do next. She retorted with a gaze that could only be interpreted as “you’re done already??”. And so I proceeded to rub another layer of skin off my – now permanently red – body for a second time.

I was a little unsure of how to contort my arms in a way that would allow me to sufficiently exfoliate my back. Thankfully I didn’t need to worry as my friend came to the rescue and did my back. I offered to return the favour, but she declined, indicating her sister was coming and would do it instead. Whether this was out of modesty, or lack of faith in my ability to effectively scrub with my little chicken arms, I can’t be sure (but it’s probably the latter).

Rinsing Off

Using the smaller buckets, we doused ourselves in hot water and I watched with satisfaction as my many bits of ‘spaghetti’ were washed down the drain. Because the water is so hot and the rooms are extremely not ventilated, I found myself becoming a little woozy. Sensing my discomfort, my friend whipped out the bottle of water she purchased en route. Never has water tasted so refreshing. (Since the hot water used for bathing is from the wells, it’s not drinkable.)

Hair Washing

Now adequately glowing with a new layer of skin, it was time for hair washing. This is something with which I have experience, so I was happy to do this part of the hammam unassisted. After the hair wash, out came a second soap and a mesh-like washcloth. This soap was more sudsy and definitely left my skin feeling oh so soft. A few more hefty splashes of hot water for good measure, and my first hammam was done. We towelled off, changed into dry clothes, and headed out the door… where we were immediately greeted with the dust from the unpaved roads which undid two hours of cleaning in about two seconds!

Practical Information

I wore my bikini bottoms and brought a clean, dry pair of underwear to change into afterwards. All of the other women simply wore their underwear.

The cost was 8 dh (about $1CAD) and lasted about two hours (though depending on your technique, it could take longer).

If going alone (without the invaluable help from a local friend) you’ll need to bring a towel, olive oil soap, an exfoliating glove, shampoo (& comb if desired), a mat or stool to sit on, and a change of clothes. Buckets are provided. Most of these things can be bought at the hammam or at nearby shops.

In larger cities there are fancy hammams which can cost up to 150dh and include your own personal attendant. They will usually include a massage as well.

Takeaways

Seeing how much dead skin I rubbed off, I’m eager to make exfoliating a more consistent practice in my bathing routine. I’m also wondering how I can get my hands on some of that olive oil soap! That stuff was wonderful! Bathing practices aside, I’m so thankful that I was able to experience a local hammam with a friend. It was fascinating for me to see this side of daily Moroccan life. As I mentioned above, for a country where the majority of women dress very modestly, I was initially surprised to see how effortlessly they undressed and bathed in each others company. Coming from a society where women are highly sexualized (see any cover of any women’s magazine ever), it made me curious how this tradition would be welcomed back home.

From a woman’s perspective, for as much as we’re willing to witness swimsuit competitions and compare body types because of television and print ads, I feel we lack the intimacy and the ability to be comfortable with one another in the (nearly) nude. It was amazing for me to see friends partake in this hammam experience together. Women soaped up beside each other, exfoliated and massaged one another, all without a single judgmental eye. Despite my difference in religious beliefs and the colour of my skin, I felt so welcomed during this experience and would highly recommend visiting a hammam to anyone going to Morocco! If you do partake in this classic Moroccan experience, I hope this guide for what to expect at your first hammam comes in handy!

Have you been to/heard of a hammam? Would you go to one in Morocco?

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