What is the women's hammam experience like in Morocco?

The women's hammam is, for me, one of the most special and authentically female experiences Morocco offers — and there are really two versions, so let me describe both honestly. The traditional neighbourhood hammam is a public steam bath at the heart of local life, running separate women-only and men-only sessions (or with entirely separate sides). The women's hours are a warm, steamy, sociable world: local women of all ages soaking, scrubbing, washing their hair, looking after their children and each other, and chatting endlessly. It's communal, unpretentious, and a window into Moroccan women's daily life you simply can't get anywhere else.

Here's what actually happens, because first-timers like to know. You move through hot, steamy rooms that open your pores, douse yourself with buckets of warm water, and lather up with savon beldi — a dark, soft olive-oil "black soap." Then comes the famous scrub: either you do it yourself or, for a small fee, a kayssala (the scrubbing attendant) works you over with a coarse kessa glove, and the amount of dead skin that comes off is genuinely startling the first time — a bit vigorous, occasionally bordering on rough, but you emerge feeling reborn and impossibly smooth. People wash in underwear or bottoms; full nudity isn't the norm. It's matter-of-fact, not sexualised, and the other women are usually delighted to see a respectful visitor.

The second version is the tourist or spa hammam, found in riads and dedicated spas, and it's the gentler, more pampered route. Here you book a private or small-group session, often with a massage, rose or argan-oil treatments, candlelight and a serene atmosphere — far more spa than social bathhouse, with English or French spoken and everything explained. It's a wonderful, relaxing experience and an easy first hammam if the public bath feels daunting. Many women do both: a spa hammam to ease in, and a public one for the real, raucous, communal heart of the tradition.

My practical tips for either: bring or buy flip-flops, a change of underwear and a towel (spa hammams provide everything; public ones often don't). At a public hammam you can buy black soap, a kessa glove and a little argan oil at the door or nearby. Tip the kayssala if she scrubs you — it's expected and modest. Hydrate well afterward, because you'll have sweated buckets. Go in with an open mind and a smile; the women's hammam is a great equaliser, deeply female, deeply Moroccan, and one of the warmest, most human experiences you'll have on the whole trip.