Say Yes to Soaked and Slathered! Morocco Hammam.

During a recent spa afternoon with my dearest friend and her visiting daughter, we chatted about about Hammams in Turkey and Morocco. I laughingly explained that there are no similarities in a U.S. Spa procedure compared to a Hammam in Morocco or Turkey.

My first Hammam Istanbul

When visiting Morocco, there are several Must Do’s: try tajine, haggle with a souk vendor, visit a hammam! Scrubbing by a stranger is an enlightening experience.

My first scrub was in the oldest public Hammam in Istanbul, where the female attendants in black underwear spoke no English – nor do I speak Turkish. Led by hand, like a child, the guest is often required to wear totally useless paper undies. A massive round heated marble slab covered with other paper panty clothed women is the first step, washed with buckets of warm bubbly water, we then gingerly sloshed across the marble floor to small private room, watery light emanated from sapphire glass in the domed ceiling. Deep steaming before the vigorous body scrub. A question in Turkish, I nodded yes, the response: a brass bucket of water hurled at my head! Waterboarding was my first thought, no, merely hair wash.

Marble is the key building component in these glorious ancient bathing palaces, I am always in awe, no matter the city.

The Hammam is one of the most ancient wellness rituals in the world.  For centuries in Arabia, the ritual was propagated by the Turks. When the Ottomans discovered Roman bath habits and combined these with their own, a whole new divinely purifying ritual emerged.

The process is similar in Morocco, I am a dedicated hammam junkie – every six days, I willingly let a stranger scrub me spotless, polish my skin and wash my hair by tossing a bucket of water at me. A practiced Hammam expert, I now know when the water bombardment treatment begins. The language complications are still widespread, Madame Like? Is Good?

In the old cities of Morocco, every public square has five things: a Koran school for children, a Mosque, a communal oven, a public fountain and a hammam. Public baths or hammams are an important ritual. Old Hammams in Morocco consists of a similar 3 room structure and offer a similar bathing procedure as the Turkish Hammam. Located near a mosque, they facilitate the purification of body and soul before prayers.

A five-star hotel, of course, offers an utterly luxurious experience! Marble palaces oozing opulence, dreamlike brass lanterns splash light patterns across marble or intricate tiled walls, scented steam, and a reverential hush create an intimate sanctuary devoted to your senses. Hammam is a fully immersive traditional treatment at most hotels. Just nod Yes!

In Marrakech, our exceptional guide took me to the oldest Hammam in Marrakech, Hammam Mouassine, built in 1562. Walking underground, he introduced me to the men who feed a hot fire all day and night to heat the huge water cauldrons which produce the steam in the hammam! I love that technology has not replaced these men; if you know where to look, ancient culture is still in place in many locales.  In the medina, a heap of wood and fragrant smoke usually leads to a community oven or here, to the underground caldron in the oldest hammam. Astonishing – a modern city which treasures its culture and history.

La Sultana Hammam

Customarily, the heat for the Moroccan hammam is provided by the farnatchi, the man in charge of tending the fire beneath the bathhouse that heats its floors and walls.  Women would bring a ceramic urn known as a tanjia of a beef stew to cook outside the fire all day – one of these pots was resting at the edge of the stove. Tanjia is the name of both the stew and the ceramic urn it’s cooked in.

You don’t need to drag the tubs of black scrubbing soap home, it’s available online! Elbahya Moroccan Black Soap for Hammam. With Eucalyptus and Olive Moroccan black soap also known as hammam beldi soap have been used for centuries to clean and nourish skin with vitamins and minerals. Made with olive oil and olive paste, this soap is extremely rich in vitamin-e it is a great moisturizer and emollient.

An ancient ritual as integral to Moroccan life as mint tea and tajine. Every Saturday is scrub day in my shower!

Why Stay? Sexy, Tribal, Do Dress for Dinner! Fairmont Taghazout Bay

Chilly fall days and I’m pining for more Beach Therapy in Morocco, near the small area of Agadir. The fabulous Fairmont Taghazout Bay is plopped right on the ocean cliff, providing miles of beach walking, a surfer’s paradise, and divine dining. What’s not to love?

Sunset every night from my Suite Balcony

The Fairmont is a unique resort overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, where memories are created. A luxury five-star wellness resort nestled on the cliff above the Atlantic, Agadir is often overshadowed by Morocco’s Imperial cities; I would love to return for a few days at this beautiful resort.

The warm climate tempered by the ocean makes Taghazout Bay the idyllic spot to unwind and enjoy exquisite relaxing days. The resort offers 146 rooms, suites and villas all overlooking the ocean. A large selection of Deluxe and Fairmont Gold rooms and Suites in addition to four signature villas of two, three, four and five bedrooms are available for guests. Also noted on the Condé Nast Hot List 2022, the bright and breezy property is an absolute delight.

Forty-five sun baked beach acres to explore, miles of sandy beach to stroll at dawn and again at sunset. The low-rise buildings on the cliff are constructed of local stone and wood which blends flawlessly with the desert-like atmosphere, perched on one of Morocco’s most pristine coastlines. Long treasured by the yoga and surfer set, it is the place to stay along the coast. Rumors of a new Royal Mansour property financed by the Royal family denotes Dirhams are moving to the beach!

Gleaming floor-to-ceiling windows bring the intensely blue sunshine into rooms and public spaces highlighting contemporary Moroccan handcrafts and furniture. All doors seem to open onto comfortable, shaded terraces, or sunken gardens, scented by the herbs and flowers that eventually make their way into your cocktail. Wake and fall asleep to the soothing sound and scent of the sea. Royal Moroccan Blue is a dominant theme in the locally sourced glassware, metal work and fabric. I loved the serene colors of my spacious suite, an important design maxim: don’t compete with nature, the Fairmont sits amid one of the most beautiful beaches on the coast.

Subtle Sexy Night Lighting

This is not Marrakech; the style reflects the cultural tribal style of the Agadir region. The designers were inspired by the dwellings of the semi-nomadic Imazighe people – known as the Berbers – rather than the riad style of architecture in the bustling city markets. A strong sense of place exudes from suites, villas and public spaces.

A beach walk will yield ponies, surfers and spirited football matches by locals, some playing barefoot! Don’t be surprised if you see a sauntering camel on the beach or a pack of pups on a day long beach outing, chasing birds at the edge of the rolling surf.

Two granite-lined pools – one for families, the other adults-only complete with swim-up bar and four-poster day beds discreetly veiled by purple-tinged elephant grass and fragrant lavender. Gnarled Olive trees line the paths, at night, the lights are magical, subtle garden lighting for romance and star gazing.

A spa spread over two levels offers traditional Moroccan beauty rituals, several massage rooms, a yoga studio, hammam and salt-water pools. Don’t ever say no to a Moroccan hammam, I am addicted to the soothing scrubs!

A boardwalk runs from an iconic surf break at Devils Point along the length of the beach, and a carefully curated program of locally immersive activities ranges from surf and yoga workshops to visits to Argan oil co-operatives, hiking in the Anti-Atlas’ hidden valleys and sunset fishing trips.

Dress for Dinner at Morimoto, his first Africa outpost, another reason to escape to the Fairmont! Morimoto is a Japanese restaurant designed in a stylish upbeat space offering world class international experiences with immersive dining and fresh ingredients in a dramatic sophisticated setting. Outside dining with music and sexy lighting with views over the garden, so yummy, I dined twice!

Highly Recommend a few days at this exquisite environment if you are roaming on a Camel Caravan through Morocco!