The Hammam: My experience getting a massage from a topless old woman in Morocco

In Morocco there exist public and private spas in most communities which are called Hammams. Each day, the facilities are open in the morning to men exclusively, the afternoon women exclusively and then later at night men again exclusively. The spas are used as a sort of public bath where men and women have the facilities including cold rooms and hot steam rooms to bathe themselves thoroughly. There are also services offered such as massage and bathing.

Services in developing countries are always very affordable, so Adam and I decided that it would be silly to turn up such an inexpensive ‘massage’ even though we had no idea really what to expect on the inside of the Hammam. I went first in the late afternoon. I walked into the Hammam and was met by a room of Moroccan woman only one of whom spoke a little French. She said the fee would be 120 Dh for the full massage and bath. (This was another situation where I was given the tall white girl fee, but honestly the price was still 5 times less than what I pay in Canada so I couldn’t really complain.) Next I was told to strip down to just my underwear while a very old woman was called down from upstairs. The woman, wearing only a black pair of underwear and a while head towel, came to me and grabbed my hand like a child to lead me into the bathing room. She grabbed a plastic mat for me and laid it down on the tiled floor next to a collection of large green buckets. She rinsed off the mat and floor and told me to sit while she went to get the supplies. (The old lady did not speak any French, so our entire interaction was through hand signals and eye contact for the duration of my experience.) As I sat in the room, I was able to watch some of the other women bathe. Most bring their own supplies and even their daughters which appear to be used as the water collectors filling the bathing room buckets with either hot or cold water from the hot and cold rooms as their mothers demand.

The old lady came back with a small plastic stool, a tub of dark brown balm and a scrubbing glove. She started by having me sit with my back facing her to undo my hair and cover me with water. She then brushed my hair out, then moved into soaping me down, then scrubbing me down for the best exfoliation I’ve probably ever had, and last she had me lay on the tiles for a massage before rinsing me all down again and then braiding my hair into an up-do in the Moroccan style. The whole experience was quite refreshing. It was fun to constantly have someone poor water onto you and to clean your skin so well. (It’s gross, but she even showed me all the skin that she had rubbed off of my body.) It was also neat to be welcomed into the presence of so many Moroccan women who are typically completely covered in such a vulnerable situation.

I enjoyed the experience, but I could definitely see how it might not be so comfortable for other women. You walk into a public institution and are immediately naked with strangers. Then, since we don’t have the custom of bathing one another in Canada, being scrubbed all over your body could feel inappropriate. Plus, the person doing the service is naked (and an old lady too) so the close proximity to another person under such circumstances could also be uncomfortable. Last, the massage is done on the tiled floor which isn’t exactly the cleanest – it’s like laying on your stomach on the floor of a public shower floor to get a massage.

Still I highly recommend the experience for other women travelling to Morocco.

Adam’s experience being bathed by an old Moroccan man

Adam went to the Hammam after I, not sure exactly what to expect for the male version of the experience I had described to him. When he walked in, he was more brave and asked for the Moroccan rate of 60 Dh for his visit though the best they would give him was 70 Dh. He then stripped down to his underwear and an old man that Adam describes as being ‘near death’ approached him. Adam was immediately suspect as to how this old sack of bones was going to be able to provide an adequate massage experience, but was more than surprised with the service he received.

According to Adam, as soon as the two were in the bathing room the old man starting barking commands in Arabic at Adam and pushing him around into contorted positions. The way Adam tells the story he swears the old man must have some sort of specialized training or he is either a former Moroccan wrestler, because the positions into which he was able to force Adam’s body had him both yelling out in pain and drooling in pleasure simultaneously.  After the series of contortions finished, which lasted about 15 minutes, Adam was happy that the man hadn’t dislocated any of his joints, and was able to take full pleasure in the scrub down he received while laying on the tiled floor.

The last part of the male Hammam experience was for Adam to be soaped down and massaged simultaneously. There was some confusion about this last part, because though I was provided with soap during my visit, it is standard for individuals to bring their own soap, and Adam had had difficulty  communicating to the old man that he did indeed have soap. Adam was then rinsed off and dismissed a new man.

Though more painful than he had anticipated, Adam too would highly recommend the Hammam experience for other men travelling to Morocco.