More Than A Spa:
The Moroccan Hammam
Photos and words by Joy Grant
Centuries of tradition meet a personal pause: the Moroccan hammam is a ritual, a respite, and an experience that lingers long after the steam fades.
Women’s wellness has historically been a communal activity. In Japan, onsens provided women a place to soak in mineral-rich hot springs. In Russian banyas, women would gather for heat, steam, and herbal treatments. Women in South Africa have traditionally used herbal steam baths prepared and shared in the community. And Morocco has hammams.
On the search for a restful final day in the city, I navigated my way through the Medina’s maze, looking for the hammam that my riad’s manager had suggested. When she let me know there were a few good nearby options, I told her that I wanted something with a touch of luxury but rooted in traditional treatments. After walking past the same side streets for a second time, I stopped and asked a group of men if they knew where Le Bain Bleu was. This must have happened often, because before I finished my sentence, they pointed someone out who immediately began leading me in the right direction.
“Traditionally, women used hammams as a place to cleanse, connect, get a break from duties at home, and create a world of their own, one where they could relax, share, and open up. “
Hammams were born out of Roman and Byzantine bathhouses. In Islamic culture, Hammams became essential for ritual purification before prayer as well as for community life. While hammams have always served both men and women, they became especially important places for women to care for themselves outside the home. Traditionally, women used hammams as a place to cleanse, connect, get a break from duties at home, and create a world of their own, one where they could relax, share, and open up. In modern upscale hammams, the communal aspect is mainly reserved for groups. Solo visitors receive their treatments alone and are given time to clear their minds and connect with themselves.
Entering the reception area, I could immediately tell that the atmosphere I wanted was understood. The decor was a blend of Moroccan touches with a luxury finish. From just this room, you would think that the building was small. But as the staff led me around, it opened up into a full haven beneath the Medina. After changing into a robe and slippers, I was led down a candlelit stone staircase toward the treatment rooms. The air grew warmer, heavier, infused with steam, and the faint scent of eucalyptus. The main room held a soaking pool and lounge chairs, and curved into small hallways that held individual chambers set aside for cleansing rituals. The space felt both intimate and expansive.
When it was time for my treatment, I was brought into a small stone room, hazy with steam and lit with a soft glow. Two stone benches sat across from each other, attached to the walls with a deep stone sink between them. This is where the hammam began. After lying in the heated chamber, relaxing and allowing my pores to open up, it was time to rinse. Warm water was poured over my body, followed by black soap. After each step, I was told to lie down for ten minutes. Whether it was to give me time to relax or to allow my body to prepare for the next step, I was grateful for the break. Being in such an intimate space with a stranger took a moment to get comfortable with and required a level of trust that grew deeper as the process went on.
Next, an exfoliating glove was trailed across my skin for the first part of the exfoliation process. After, a ghassould stone (clay pumice-like tool) was used to polish the tougher skin along my heels. Once smooth head-to-toe, a clay mask was applied, and I was left alone for my final and longest break. Steam twisted upward toward the ceiling, and I closed my eyes, allowing any stress I carried to float away with it.
As I prepared to leave the city, I understood why rituals of the hammam had stood the test of time. This experience allowed me to take a long pause to soak in Morocco’s traditions and left me with a sense of renewal, connection, and calm.
