Marrakech's Hammam Ziani: Thoroughly Cleaned, Oiled, and Rinsed Away!
In the heart of Marrakech, Hammam Ziani offers a unique and immersive wellness experience that transports visitors to the rich history of Moroccan spa traditions. The Hammam Ziani experience, lasting around 1.5 to 2 hours, includes a steam room, a cleansing body scrub, and a deep oil massage, all in gender-separated sessions [1][5].
Upon arrival, the author was given a fluffy gown and shooed back to the dressing room to change. The journey began with a visit to the steam room, filled with thick steam, making it difficult to see more than a foot in front [2]. After the steam, the author was ushered into the scrubbing room for a ghassoul body scrub using a scratchy Hamam Mitt and African Black Soap [3]. Large amounts of dead skin were removed, leaving the author feeling as if she had shed a significant amount of weight.
Following the scrub, the author and others waited in the hammam room to allow the heat and steam to unclog their newly opened pores [4]. After this, the author emerged feeling refreshed and relaxed after the wash [6]. The massage that followed was thorough, focusing on the author's left stiff ankle and relieving a previously unknown tension in the upper back, making the author feel like a new woman [7][8].
The author initially visited Hammam Ziani with apprehension, having opted for a private hammam and massage at a swish hotel due to nervousness about unisex public hammams [9]. However, the friendly and welcoming attitude of the girls at Hammam Ziani soon put her at ease. After the experience, the author felt so relaxed and dozy that she was beyond caring about the language barrier with the washroom attendant [10].
Despite initial reservations, the author later visited a public hammam with a group of colleagues. The author was washed while sitting on a stool in just a pair of pants, which had been hoisted up into a thong shape to make washing easier [11]. The author found the public nudity initially shocking but not so bad after getting over the initial surprise.
The traditional hammam experience in Marrakech is hundreds of years old, making Hammam Ziani a perfect place to immerse oneself in Moroccan culture while enjoying a rejuvenating spa routine [12]. For those seeking an authentic and culturally immersive wellness experience, Hammam Ziani is a must-visit destination in Marrakech.
The author, initially hesitant about public hammams, discovered a newfound appreciation for the traditional Moroccan experience during her visit to Hammam Ziani. Transforming the journey with a blend of travel, lifestyle, fashion-and-beauty (the ghassoul body scrub and African Black Soap), and home-and-garden (the steam room and hammam room), this unique spa session stood as a testament to the rich history of Moroccan spa traditions in the heart of Marrakech.
