The Pleasures of the Hammam

After my big day walking and shopping with Abdou, I decided to take a short walk around the square — and got myself impossibly lost in the labyrinthine streets. It was inevitable, but I got a good four miles in!.

Afterwards, over mint tea, Amanda and Youssef outlined a proposal for my remaining days here, actually nearly two weeks. Tomorrow Abdou will take me to the High Atlas mountains, then on Friday we’ll set out north and east, first stop: Casablanca. The rest I will keep under wraps till we’re underway. Abdou will be my driver and guide.

Today I experienced the pleasures of the hammam, which is a weekly ritual for folks here. It starts with entering a marble chamber, nude except for underpants. The attendant (I’ll have to find out what they’re called), Aziza, dipped dish after dish of hot water from a metal basin and dumped it all over me, then I lay down on my stomach and she continued. Once I was thoroughly soaked, she used an abrasive mitt to scrub me with black soap, taking off accumulated layers of dead skin. Next she packed on a fragrant herb mixture and scrubbed some more, including my face. Finally came a thorough rinse with hot water. After I had dried myself I had a deep tissue massage. I have to say, my skin has never been this soft since I was five.

This would be a very civilized thing to do every week.