Hmmam

Yes, that's an actual word, albeit spelled phonetically. Hmmams are the coolest! Actually, the hottest... they are communal baths here in Morocco. Sort of like a sauna, but with multiple rooms of various hotness, and wet. The idea is to get really hot, slough off skin, clean out pores, and wash hair and everything else in a good hot climate. I've really come to enjoy them, and think ther is really no better way to get turly clean.

That said, today takes the cake! I went to a Hmmam in a new city, a pretty big on with two sections for men an dwomen, as opposed to alternating hours like at smaller Hmmams. It was lovely and relaxing, and the people were most helpful. I am currently travellig, and so had to borrow a chair to sit on and a cup to pour water. All of this done in my Arabic... which is realy pretty bad. I call it 'Keyword Arabic'. But everyone was very helpful.

The way it works is you wet doan, and the put a special soap made of olive oil all over, and leave it for a couple minutes. It helps the skin come off once you rinse off and then start scrubbing. And scrubbing... there are special mitts for it. At some point shampooing and conditioning happen, and shaving if you are so inclined. I hear in the mens section they also strech eachother... women typically dont do this. Maybe its because many are also occupied with cleaning off their children.

So I had done all this and thought I was just about done, rinsed off all my soap and shampoo and the little chair and my mitt, and headed on my way. But, little did I know, I was not done! A mother and daughter who I had noticed enjoying their Hmmam together tugged on my hand, and motioned a question: did you have someone scrub your back? I motioned and tried to say that I had done it myself. She, understandind, shook her head in dissapproval, and motioned emphatically for me to sit down in front of her. So, after my protests met with no giving way, I sat myself down, and proceeded to be scrubbed more thoroughly than I have ever been scrubbed before. Back, arms, sides... all rescrubbed! She finished and rinsed me off, handed me my scrub mitt and motioned me to get to work on my legs... again... so I scrubbed away, and then rinsed off. I asked her if I was done (I was learning that my bathing was no longer only my own concern...), and she handed me a loofah with her own soap on it. Lovely soap it turns out. Must have been half oil, because it left my skin amazingly soft. I was finally rinsed off (think buckets helpfully splashed and dumped over my head), and then my things re-rinsed, and I was done. According to all involved. :) I turned, told her 'God bless your parents,' ie. thanked her, and went on my merry and smooth-skinned way. I don't know if I will ever be this clean again!