The Moroccan hammam ritual, explained
Six steps, a handful of natural ingredients and a few centuries of practice. Here is what happens in a traditional hammam and how it translates to a hotel bathroom.
The hammam is one of the oldest wellness rituals still practised every week by millions of people. In Morocco it is a neighbourhood institution, a place to clean the body thoroughly and to slow down. The sequence varies by region, but the structure below is the one most spas and riads follow.
1. Steam
Ten to fifteen minutes in a warm, humid room open the pores and soften the skin. In a hotel this step is a hot shower or a steam room.
2. Savon noir
A paste of olive oil and potassium hydroxide, applied to the whole body and left for a few minutes. It loosens dead skin without abrasion. Our ritual box uses a gentle gel douche with orange blossom for the same step.
3. Kessa
The exfoliating glove. Firm strokes over the whole body remove the loosened skin. This is the step people photograph and the one guests remember.
4. Ghassoul
Mineral clay from the Atlas mountains, mixed with warm water and applied to hair and body. It absorbs excess oil and leaves the skin mineralised.
5. Cleanse
Hair and body are washed with argan shampoo and olive oil soap.
6. Nourish
Argan oil on the skin, a veil of hair perfume, and a cup of mint tea. In a hotel the final step is the lotion and the hair perfume from the amenity set.
The Regalia Hammam Ritual Box packs this sequence into six products that fit a bathroom counter. It is the easiest way for a property to offer the ritual without a treatment room.
