Benefits of a Hammam Experience

There are many reasons why hammam rituals, one of the oldest water therapies of mankind, are still popular today! As we bid farewell to summer days and start to shiver with the autumn winds, taking time for a warm and unwinding hammam experience must be on the minds of many of us...

After all, hammams provide us with the physical cleansing and relaxation we need with the water’s healing power, all the while awakening our mental and emotional replenishment. Please read on to find out what exactly a hammam ritual is and how it can contribute to our wellbeing...

What is Hammam?

Etymologically, the term hammam derives from the Arabic word ‘hamm’, which basically means "to heat, to be warm". 

Dating way back to Ancient Greek culture, hammams were communal structures dedicated to cleansing body with hot water. During the Roman Empire, bathing culture began to be treated as a more ritualistic self-care process. Roman baths, called ‘thermae’, similar to today’s ‘thermal’, were grand, centralized structures regularly visited for both cleansing with water of varying temperatures and for social and cultural interactions. They usually consisted of four main areas: apodyterium (reception area); caldarium (hot area); tepidarium (warm area) and frigidarium (cold water area).

Inspired by these Roman baths, the Ottoman Empire increased the number of hammam buildings and introduced the culture of double baths separated by gender, based on the approach that hygiene is a religious ritual that everyone needs. 

For more detailed information about the history of hammam culture and its place in the Spa world, see also our article “Hammam Culture and Spa”.

What are the Common Types of  Hammam Today?

The most popular types of bathing are Turkish and Moroccan hammams.

Moroccan Hammam

A traditional Moroccan bath, which usually is adorned with a white-toned, Moorish design in its architecture, take the curative power of steam at its core. That is why the steam room is considered the most important area of the Moroccan bath. Moroccan hammams are a little closer to a steam bath concept in Spas, given the steam provides an intense level of humidity through heated walls and floors. In addition to the steam room, a typical Moroccan bath also has two other rooms with varying temperature levels.

The cleansing ritual is performed with black soap made from olive peels to exfoliate your dead skin. Afterwards, the peeling stage is started with a scrub. In today’s Moroccan spas, you can also find mud and clay masks and other body treatments like body wraps with Moroccan herbal ingredients such as ghassoul and saffron, and hair treatments such as Takhlita, during your hammam ritual. 

Turkish Hammam

Blending the Roman thermal approach with the Ottoman bathing ritual and practice of homage to water, Turkish hammams focus on the direct invigorating powers of hot water along with the steam. 

In the warm (Iliklik) section of the hammam, usually crowned by a fountain referred to as ‘sadirvan’, you relax and adapt your circulation, while calming with the water flowing from small marble sinks called kurna. In the heat (Sicaklik) section, which has a round marble belly stone at its center, your purification process continues with natural hot water and steam from the halvet cells. In the warmth or heat section, you can also float for a while in the thermal pools, if available in the hammam.

Turkish hammams are less humid and thus closer to saunas than steam-room-alike Moroccan baths. Hence, if you are one of those who definitely add the steam room to your spa journeys, you might choose a Moroccan hammam; or if you are a hot water enthusiast who cannot stand humidity, you can opt for a Turkish hammam. Or even better, if your state of health allows, you may rather experience both at regular intervals.

What Happens in a Hammam Experience?

Whether the Spa you are visiting is itself a hammam or a wet area that includes a hammam, your ritual usually consists of the following steps of moving through areas of various temperatures: 

Prepare in the changing room: This is where you put on your peshtamal, slippers, bathrobe and disposable underwear, most likely all provided for your personal use by the Spa. If you wish, instead of the offered disposable underwear, you can also wear your own bikini/swimsuit by taking them with you inside your peshtamal.

Adapt to the raising temperature in the warm area: You spend time here under the guidance of your therapist (natir/tellak in a customary hammam) to prepare your body before moving to the heat section.

Mingle with the heat: In the hottest area of the hammam, your metabolism undergoes a natural detoxification process as your blood circulation accelerates. 

Detox with kessa and foam: In addition to the cleansing treatment performed with black soap in Moroccan baths and redbud and olive oil extract soap in Turkish baths, a kessa exfoliation is carried out to purify your skin from bacteria and dead skin cells.

Rinse off and revive: Your body is rinsed with a lukewarm temperature close to cold which allows your cleared skin pores to be closed and smoothed.

Rejuvenate with massages and other treatments: In hammams and spas with hammams, you most likely receive body treatments with natural oils and lotions after your ritual, as well as rejuvenating facials, repairing hair treatments, manicures and pedicures. Hammam rituals also do help you prepare for your following spa treatments. So, before a sensorial aromatherapy or full body massage, experiencing a tranquil hammam ritual can enhance your journey and sense of wellbeing.

Enjoy the refreshments: In both hammam types, you are offered refreshing herbal teas, traditional drinks like the infamous Ottoman sherbet in Turkish baths, and healthy snacks such as walnuts and figs, while you relax in the cold room. 

Benefits of a Hammam Ritual 

The benefits of this holistic ritual that refreshes your body, soothes your mind and unwinds your spirit can be summarized as follows:

Cleanses your skin: In the hammam ritual, receiving kessa scrub and soap treatments with the support of heat, mineral-rich spring water and steam that contribute to your blood flow and circulation is a great way to open up your pores, regulate your skin’s sebum balance, and flush out all those dead skin cells and toxins from your body. That’ also why hammams are highly opted in combating acne, scars and skin problems such as eczema. 

Relaxes your muscles: Even before you get to the massage step, you will feel your muscles stretching and relaxing thanks to the intense heat and humidity of the interior. When you lie down on the heated marble or immerse yourself in the steam, you will begin to feel the fatigue and muscle pains slip far away.

Invigorates your senses: From the first heat treatment to the detox scrub and massage in the hammam, the process significantly increases your blood flow and circulation throughout the body, stimulating and awakening all your senses. Your energy increases and you embrace mindfulness with a rebalanced body-mind-spirit connection.

Helps boost your immune system: The heat and humidity inside the hammam strengthens your immune system by dilating your blood vessels and increasing lymphatic and blood circulation throughout your body. Hammams also release your sinuses and nasal passages, making your breathing much easier.

Unwinds you holistically: Hammams naturally help you break out of your everyday stresses, and depressing emotions. Thanks to therapeutic effects of the hot water and steam, you will step by step feel removed from the outside world and relaxed all around your body and mind. 

Promotes your sleep quality: The comprehensive benefits of a hammam also help you fall asleep more easily and with better quality when you return home.

Makes for fun get-togethers: One of the best things about the hammam experience is that it can provide relaxing moments of self-care, whether in a men/women-only hammam with your BFFs or in the unisex area with all your loved ones. Hammams can host rituals full of fun and self-care, such as the bride and groom’s hammam, a must-have Turkish tradition, or they can be a joyful experience for spa-goers to meet and rejuvenate altogether. 

In short, hammams can offer you the perfect experience to melt away your physical and mental stress, strengthen your stamina and enjoy contended moments of self-care, with your inner self or your loved ones. A hammam ritual alone is quite invigorating and wholesome in itself, but it's also pretty useful to gently prepare your body and mind for the other spa treatments you have planned for your day of self-indulgence.