Brave Dispatches II: So Fresh and So Clean

Ahhhh, hammam. Hammams (pronounced as two syllables - ham-mam) are Moroccan bathhouses. Locals do most of their bathing at these public steamrooms, heading to them twice a week to scrub themselves with black soap made from olive oil and charcoal and rinse themselves clean with scoops of water.

The hammams are heated by pipes running under the tiled floors. Everyone brings a bucket or two to fill with water from the pipes. Get your bucket, sit your (naked) butt down, and get scrubbing. It's also a super social experience - kids play together while their moms chatter and wash.  There are, obviously, seperate hammams for men and women (or divided hours).  

As you've probably guessed by now, I'm telling you all this because we visited one today. Our riad offers a visit (scrubbing included) and we couldn't resist. It took about an hour in all - we were scrubbed briskly, pulled around the place by the hand, lain on the ground to enjoy the heat coming through the tiles and rinsed clean via buckets of water over our heads.  It really does feel like we have new skin after all the scrubbing - getting rid of a couple of days worth of Marrakechi grime sticking to your body is a great feeling, let me tell you.

All in all, a good experience. I think my mom is starting to itch for some home comforts (she needs a GIANT cup of coffee, not a teacup of coffee, people!) but I'm just getting the adventure ball rolling. She'll be sipping tiny, super sweet mint teas with the rest of us in no time.  Until next time, bon voyage on all your own journeys (be they to the Casablanca or Casa Ritchie).

To Essaouira tomorrow! (Unless we change our minds...)