The Hammam culture of Marrakesch
Our brief ‘The olive garden’ travel guide
Welcome to the Hammam !!!
If you want to disconnect in the city of Marrakech, we recommend a hammam (Arabic bath). It’s the ideal place to relax. This is true for the private hammam, which is mainly used by tourists. Here, as in the case of the Arabian hotels, it’s all about old Riads with romantic, Arabic lighting and decoration. There are all sorts of wellness and beauty treatments; ranging from a Moroccan massage to facial masks and massages with various creams and oils. For relaxation, the bathrobe is served with green tea and mint. A hammam is a warm closed room, but neither a sauna, nor a Turkish steam bath – as the heat comes from the floor and marble benches on which one is seated. A classic hammam is heated with straw. After getting wet (with buckets and a ladle in the classic hammams, and with a shower in the modern hammams) and having perspired for a bit, you are then rubbed with an almost black soap-like cream, and then rubbed off with a black rough glove. After the peeling you will have a soft skin like a baby. In a private expensive hammam one has the whole hammam for itself. You can rent a hammam on your own or with your partner (both male and female). The price is between 15 and 30 euro depending on the offer.
Important information about Hammmams
You should know that you have to bring a traditional hammam towel and everything else. Do not carry any valuables, as there are often no lockable compartments. For the expensive hammams you don’t need to take anything (except comb, make-up, etc.). You get everything there: disposable panties, bathrobe, slippers and of course also drinking water.
We recommend the following three hammams:
Heritage Marrakesch
http://www.heritagespamarrakech.com/info.html
The riad is located in the medina and is number 1 on Tripadvisor. The owner is a Frenchman, and the hammams are located on the upper floor on the former rooftop terrace. While waiting on the ground floor, you get tea with mint and water. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. The price for the Hammam is 280 dirhams, about 26 euro. This riad has many small hammams. Afterwards, you will be led into the resting room (also on the former rooftop terrace) in bathrobe. Here you will be offered not only with tea with mint, but also with delicious Moroccan pastries.
Les Bains d’Azahara
The riad is on the other side of the mosque, so to speak around the corner of the other Hammam. It is easy to find because it is almost directly at the corner of a small street, almost next to the famous and one of the most expensive hotels / restaurant “La maison arabe”. The lady at the front desk speaks all sorts of languages, except Chinese, and is very sympathetic. The owner is a Spaniard from Malaga. The small house is decorated with detail and love, and has two hammams, which are larger than the Hammams in the more expensive Heritage. The massages on the second floor are amazingly large. The Hammam is the cheapest in Marrakech. It costs only about 13 euro. To be recommended is the present offer for a pack of hammam and whole body massage from 10-14 clock for 350 dirhams, about 32 euro. In this case, the hammam is free, and only the price for full body massage is calculated.
Hammam de la rose
http://www.hammamdelarose.com/
This hammam is beautifully decorated and is located near the other two hammams on the same side of the medina. Although the lighting should be intentionally romantic, it is, in our opinion, too dark. Otherwise recommendable.
Other interesting hammams in Marrakech:
Les Bains de Marrakesch
http://www.lesbainsdemarrakech.com/fr/accueil
Les Bains del Alhambra
http://www.lesbainsdelalhambra-marrakech.com/es/presentacion/
Les Bains bleu
Also in many hotels is offered Hammam and Spa, but it is of course much more expensive. Anyone who is well informed can pay for 13 euro either in „Les Bains d’Azahara“
or in „Les Bains del Alhambra“ for the same price a hammam book.
The traditional hammam consists of several rooms, which pass into one another (without a door), each additional room being warmer than the first. It is very cheap, but also less romantic. Men and women are separated here. It is not on benches, but on the ground. It is also not a place of retreat or a place to relax, but it is primarily a social meeting place, where women can finally be among themselves, and can talk about everything. The “scrubbing” is made among friends or friends or even as a social service. Many people wonder about the Moroccan woman who seemed to be shy or ashamed on the street with her headscarf. It is washed everywhere without shame, and rubbed with the black glove. The Arab woman knows no shame in the hammam, and our sense of shame far surpasses in this respect the shame of the Arab women, for whom the hammam is a part of their everyday life. If you have a longer time in Marrakech, you should definitely try both hammams. The traditional hammam is of course more authentic, and definitely worth to get to know, but of course not so confortable, and partly for our understanding but something simple and dirty. If you want to be fully integrated and get to know other customs, the traditional hammam is certainly the best choice. The private hammam in the Riads is a place of leisure, recreation, and also the admiration of beautiful Arabian decoration, where one should not miss a Moroccan massage. There are also some private hammams in apartments: although they are not so much cheaper than a nice hammam in a riad and most have nothing special to offer.