showcase September 2016 60 www.womanthismonth.com The name hammam means spreader of warmth. It is a bathing retreat that has its origins over a thousand years ago in Rome and is still found today in Morocco as well as Turkey and Spain. Popular across the Middle East, this detoxifying body treatment brings the whole body to a state of balance and wellbeing and leaves your skin as smooth as a baby’s bottom! Guests often combine a visit to the hammam with a relaxing and energising massage or other luxurious beauty treatments and there is no better way to destress and detox. The floor and walls of the hammam are warmed with steaming water running through pipes under the surface to give a heated and steamy atmosphere. If you are in a private facility, you can enter the bathing area naked, otherwise keep your panties on. Fill the basin with hot water and sit and absorb the heat, which will help relax your muscles. After about 10 minutes, test the water and adjust to what is comfortable for your skin. Then use the containers to pour water over your head. Scoop up a palm-sized blob of black soap* – it’s called black but is more a beautiful dark amber – and smooth it all over your skin allowing it to sink in for about 10 minutes. Then use an exfoliating mitt to scrub the skin, stripping away all the dead cells. You can see the skin peel off like tiny rolls of dirt. This exfoliation is both painful and pleasurable; it’s like a chemical peel without the chemicals – in many hammams, a therapist will carry out the scrubbing. Use plenty of hot water to rinse, leaving your body cleaner than you’ve ever been in your life and your skin as smooth as silk. The water in the basin should be left clear. Use the cups or bucket to scoop clean water and to rinse yourself. There are bath robes to slip into when you leave the hammam and enter the relaxation area. It is recommended not to undertake strenuous activity after a hammam. Instead choose a relaxing activity, maybe even have a massage or other beauty treatment. * Black soap has 100-per-cent natural Top tips for visiting a hammam – what to wear, take, expect and do to get the best out of this traditional treatment. JOZ SALON & SPA HAMMAM 101 ingredients from the olive tree. It removes impurities from the skin, while hydrating and nourishing. It does not foam but becomes a cream as soon as you add (warm) water to it. Your skin will feel super clean and soft. It is particularly recommended for dry skin and for the treatment of acne. When used on the hair, it gently cleanses, detangles and strengthens giving volume and brightness. The soap can be used instead of shampoo and will leave all hair types soft, shining and healthy. Joz Salon & Spa has its own private hammam and also offers massages and other beauty treatments. Call 16 031-120 (Amwaj), 17 369-133 (Juffair), 17 756-449 (Awali).
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