I didn't Grow Up In a Naked House

Heady perfume-scented steam, total pampering, letting the cares of the world drift away. These are all images that the word Moroccan Hammam conjures up.

The Moroccan or Turkish Hammam (Arabic for bath) is considered one of the most ancient bathing rituals of all cultures. It is the Middle Eastern variant of a steam bath, which can be categorized as a wet relative of the sauna. They had played an important role in cultures of the Middle-East, serving as places of social gathering, ritual cleansing and as architectural structures, institutions, and (later) elements with special customs attached to them.

So the other day I decided to get a Moroccan Bath. I have seen the rooms at my gym/spa and seen the women being taken in and coming out looking so relaxed and clean. I often wondered what it was like, but my sense of privacy had always gotten the better of me. Until one day when I got a gift certificate for a full Moroccan bath and thought it was just to good to turn down. So I decided it was time to take the plunge and get naked.

Now, I am not know for being a prude. Meaning a person excessively concerned about propriety and decorum. Yes I am modest at times and even a little reserved, but not a prude. And yet I almost couldn't do it, walk into the private steam room, where my lady attendant waited and take off the robe. Let me interject here that in a Moroccan Bath you don't wash yourself, there is an attendant who washes you....hence the hesitation.

The hammam room was filled with steam, hot water and soft music, it was decked in cream marble, had beautiful cream walls, candles and scented oils, and a marble table in the middle with a cushion on it. To begin with I laid on the hot cream marble table watching the water and light patterns reflect around the room, for about 5 minutes, allowing my body temperature to rise closer to the temperature of the room. To start, warm water was poured over the bench and floor creating a sauna like atmosphere. I was then doused in warm water and asked to lie face down with arms outstretched. Sticky Moroccan black soap was rubbed into my skin and my muscles stretched and massaged, I then rolled over and this was repeated on my front. I was left to soak in the soap and steam for about 5 minutes, so my skin would become soft. During this time my attendant washed my hair and wrapped it in a soft towel. I was then rinsed off with copious amounts of warm water.

The black soap was again applied and this time rubbed vigorously in with a "gome" glove. This coarse mitt removes all the dead cells from your skin and stimulates the circulation, reducing the build up of cellulite. This was repeated on my front, but with less gusto. The amount of skin that came off was truly amazing and a little disgusting at the same time. My feet were enthusiastically rubbed with a ceramic foot stone, a terracotta foot rub with coarse grooves cut into the flat surface which is an incredibly effective remover of hard skin. I then sat up and was rinsed again with warm water.

Rhassoul clay (found only deep beneath the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, has been used for over 1,400 years as a natural beauty treatment for skin) was then applied all over my body and face. I then lay on the warm marble bench and cooked gently in the cleansing clay for about 5 minutes. I was then brought a glass of cooling water to sip, before the clay was rinsed off in warm water. At this point I had been pretty much laying down for about 40 minutes in a hot steamy room. So when I was asked to get up and finish rinsing off in the shower my attendant had to help because I was so relaxed. After showering off the remains of the clay my attendant dowsed me with freezing cold water scented with jasmine and rose water. I was expecting this at all and it took my breath away. Wrapped in a fluffy bath robe, complete with hood, I was served Moroccan mint tea, a refreshing end to a truly pampering experience.

So I guess you're wondering about the title. Well, there was this TV show where some friends were in a sauna and one of the girls was having trouble taking off the towel in front of anyone. She makes the statement that she has trouble cause she didn't grow up in a naked house....well I didn't either.