Now… the hammam.

We were not planning to do it. We like massages, but we’re always slightly disappointed. They’re expensive and I don’t always relax properly. So we said no. Everyone told us yes. The tour guide. The cooking class family. The riad. Literally everyone. So eventually we said fine — book it for us.

The concept? I actually love it. Sauna first and then massage. That makes sense to me so you relax your body, you warm up, you prepare yourself for the massage. Great idea.

The massage part was fine. Relaxing, as expected.

But the hammam scrubbing experience? I don’t know how to explain this without laughing. I genuinely felt like livestock. Buckets of hot water poured over me. Shampoo aggressively applied. Cold water. More hot water. Scrubbing. More water. It’s efficient. They are cleaning you. Thoroughly. But relaxing? Not really.

At one point I was thinking… I could just shower at home in privacy and this would feel calmer.

It wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t what I imagined. And I think that’s important. It’s not a Western spa. It’s cultural. It’s practical. It’s functional. You are being washed. Properly.

Would I recommend the sauna + massage concept? Yes. Would I do the full traditional scrubbing again? Probably only for the story.

But honestly, the fact that I laughed the whole time made it worth it.