Hammams are open steam showers well known all through North Africa, and especially in Morocco and Tunisia. Generally, they were the main places that individuals could come to wash and scour since a private restroom in a house or condo was an extrav

agance few could manage. There are less hammams now since the appearance of current pipes; notwithstanding, hammams stay especially a piece of the way of life in Tunisia and Morocco. They offer an open door for individuals to meet, get up to speed and trade tattle, and visiting a hammam is an incredible path for guests to drench themselves in the neighborhood culture. 

Finding a Hammam 

Hammams can be found in pretty much every Moroccan and Tunisian town. The ones with the most character are found in the old medinas, and in the memorable heart of urban communities like Tunis, Marrakech and Fes, hammams frequently twofold as instances of dazzling Moorish design. Frequently, they are situated close to a mosque, since it is standard for Muslims to wash before imploring. Solicit the counsel from a cordial neighborhood, or ask at your inn or closest traveler office. 

Numerous upscale lodgings (known as riads in Morocco or dars in Tunisia) have their own hammams. These private hammams offer a more Westernized understanding, with rub tables and fragrant healing oils. Open hammams, in any case, are the genuine article - without any laces and a lot of character. They can be a touch of scaring, with low lighting and a lot of naked or semi-naked outsiders. Be that as it may, for those with a feeling of experience, they likewise offer a brief look at North African culture at its generally legitimate. 

Your Hammam Checklist 

Hammams are either only for men or ladies, or they will have separate opening occasions for both genders. Men's hours are for the most part toward the beginning of the day and night, while ladies' hours are regularly toward the evening. This implies the clothing regulation in the hammam (for the two people) is clothing as it were. Ladies generally go topless, so if blending with naked outsiders causes you to feel awkward, you might need to reevaluate visiting an open hammam. In case you're despite everything sharp, here are a couple of the things you should carry with you: 

Save clothing since the pair you're wearing will get splashed 

Towel 

Cleanser (in Morocco, consider purchasing ghassoul, a mud from the Atlas Mountains customarily used to wash hair) 

Razor 

Clean flip-lemon or shoes 

Cleanser (in Morocco, purchase conventional dark cleanser produced using olive gum) 

Scouring glove (known as a kassa in Tunisia, or a kiis in Morocco). 

Filtered water 

Tangle or stool (for sitting on - this is discretionary) 

A couple of expressions of Arabic 

A sharp comical inclination! 

The Hammam Experience 

The initial step is to pay your entrance charge, which is typically negligible. Select to pay for a back rub also - this is a piece of the experience and is commonly far less expensive than kneads in Europe or the United States. Next, check your resources in at the front work area, and follow bearings to the evolving zone. Here, you can strip down to your clothing and reserve your garments until you're prepared to get dressed once more. 

Each hammam is marginally extraordinary, so once you enter the steam-filled shower zone, investigate what others are doing to get a thought of how things work. Typically, you'll be given two pails and a bowl (or an old can). One can is for cold water, the other for hot. Some hammams will have a specialist to top these off for you, yet regularly it's self-administration. 

Discover a space to plunk down, and spend a second absorbing the warmth while allowing yourself to loosen up. Hammams are frequently very dull, and you may require time to acclimate to the low light. The commotion level is critical, as tattle is overflowing and echoes flawlessly around the hammam's conventional domed roof. For ladies, the sound of washing youngsters adds to the general racket. 

When you get your course, it's a great opportunity to fill your basin and begin soaping, scouring and shaving. Some hammams will have separate zones for shaving and shampooing. Watch your kindred bathers cautiously, since grimy water by and large streams a single way - and sitting downstream of others' bathwater is rarely charming. Continuously utilize your own can or bowl to wash with clean water. 

Your back rub starts when one of the specialists calls to you in Arabic, motioning for you to sit down on a stone section in the focal point of the hammam. Wearing a rough glove, the chaperon will scour your skin until it feels crude - while you watch in surprise as your dead skin is sloughed away, leaving you feeling cleaner than at any other time. 

After your back rub, you can proceed with washing in the event that you need to. There's no limitation on the measure of water you can utilize, and a key piece of the hammam experience is basically sitting and getting a charge out of the boiling water while tuning in to the individuals around you. At the point when you're done, make a point to utilize the washroom before getting dressed. Most hammam toilets are the hunching down kind, and you'll need to wash off before you get dry. 

In the wake of leaving the hammam, make a point to rehydrate by drinking a lot of water.