Hammam magic

Not the hammam I frequented, as I would
 never be able to take a picture of a hammam.
Here is an internet substitute.

For those of you who are dying to know about hammams, I now have information for your eager ears.  Last night I joined four of my fellow students on the way to the hammam.  We ended up at one which is two blocks from my current home.  It was called Sunsilk.  Yup.  Like the shampoo.  We entered and walked down a very long blue tile corridor to a small window.  There we purchased soap, scrubbing gloves, and a ticket to enter.  From there we entered the locker room where four short-tempered middle aged women took our bags and watched us undress.  This was the only uncomfortable moment: the moment when you enter the unknown.

The rest was heaven.  As strange as it was to be among almost naked friends, we found ourselves quickly adjusting to the nudity in the humid sauna beyond the locker room.  Adventurously we walked straight through the first two chambers to the third, hottest chamber.  To any Bikram yoga followers it was tepid.  After a few minutes it became quite hot due to the high humidity.  The ceiling literally dripped on us.  We used the scrubbers to the best of our newbie abilities and soon found ourselves dumping buckets of cold and warm water over our heads.

The soap is a particularly interesting feature.  It is made with argon oil, which is unique to Morocco, and is nearly black with a cookie dough consistency.  The exfoliating qualities of this soap are superb.  By the time we left I had rolls of dead skin rubbing off on everything I touched.  It may sound disturbing, but it is a wonderful feeling.  We only lasted in the chambers for 30 minutes, but it was thoroughly exhausting and I came home completely at peace with the world.

Now, the sights you see within the hammam should remain within the hammam, but I know you are all dying to know if it is really like the sensuous bath houses of old.  It is not.  It has almost a primal nature to it because you see all sizes, including the most unappealing, relaxing against the walls.  The walls in this particular hammam were whitewashed, not tiled.  Also, there were no benches as one would have assumed.  However, it was an experience to remember and I will go back very soon.