The Middle Eastern bathing ritual of steam, black soap and kessa scrub
A hammam is the traditional bathhouse of Turkey, Morocco and the wider Middle East, and the ritual that takes place inside it. Clients warm up in a humid, marble-lined room, then an attendant applies black olive soap (savon noir), scrubs the whole body with a coarse kessa mitt to remove dead skin, rinses with warm water and often finishes with a rhassoul clay mask and a foam wash. A rest with mint tea completes it.
In the UK, hammams are found in a few dedicated bathhouses, Moroccan spas and larger hotel spas, as well as in the Victorian Turkish baths that still operate in places such as Harrogate and Manchester, where the emphasis is on hot rooms and plunge pools rather than the scrub. It is a treatment for people who enjoy heat and want visibly smoother skin; the scrub is vigorous.
A hammam ritual of 45 to 90 minutes costs around £60 to £130, and historic Turkish baths charge £20 to £40 for a session in the hot rooms. Avoid it with sunburn, recent waxing, broken skin or in pregnancy without medical advice, and expect to wear swimwear or disposable underwear.
Also known as: Turkish bath, Moroccan hammam, hammam ritual.
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Riverside spa with hydrotherapy pool, salt room and hammam
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Victorian Turkish baths with a hammam, plunge pool and swimming pond
A full hammam ritual with scrub and mask costs about £60 to £130. A session in a historic Turkish bath without treatments is £20 to £40.
Swimwear or the disposable underwear provided. In the UK hammam rituals are almost always single-sex or with swimwear on in mixed sessions; the venue will explain.
It is vigorous rather than painful, and leaves skin pink for an hour or so. Tell the attendant if you would like it lighter, especially on sensitive areas.
The habits that make heat and cold a pleasure rather than a risk, and the warning signs to leave on.
