The (Only) Hammam Experience in Massachusetts

I treated myself to a Hammam experience in Malaga (Spain) after Sensual Week 2018 and I was blown away by the experience. You can imagine my excitement when I came across a Groupon deal for a Hammam spa in Peabody (~30 min north of Boston).

This is also the only place in Massachusetts that one could get this experience, so their clients actually drive from NH, NY, RI, all over. They also use filtered water + every herb and oil is brought over from Morocco.

My appointment time could also have not been more perfect. After 4 nights of dance (3 of those 4 involved me teaching), I was ready to be alone and be pampered.

I made an appointment via phone, and I was told to arrive 20 minutes prior and wear a 2-piece bathing suit. I arrived 22 minutes prior to my appointment, signed a waiver, and I was shown to the dressing room where I robed up & put away my bag / clothes. We made way to the steam room, where all treatments were conducted.

·         Hammam ritual: started off being rinsed off with warm water

·         Custom detox herbs: first was a sage + lavender + a few other herbs scrub à second was being lathered by a black olive oil soap with eucalyptus à steamed for what felt like 10-15 minà body polish: I was scrubbed down every inch of my body. By this time, my bathing suit top was off and I was free and comfortable in my own skin. This is my favorite part of every Hammam experience. I feel so refreshed and soft (literally). I learned that our water, soaps, and sweat all accumulate, and it builds up on our skin over time.

So, I asked the question: how often should one be scrubbed down? Once a month was the answer.

·         Detox scalp and hair treatment: that being said, our hair also gets a lot of crap from the water that we wash it in, so it was amazing to get my scalp massaged a bit and scrubbed through for this portion.

For the hair treatment to settle, I sat in a corner of the steam room, extremely relaxed, while she brought in 6 candles and a homemade iced green Moroccan tea (YUM!). This feeling of alone was so blissful. I don’t remember the last time that I was just, being. In this moment, I was incredibly relaxed and content.

·         Mini facial with lactic peel: my face was lightly massaged with a scrub infused with saffron and turmeric before the lactic peel was applied. I don’t particularly love facials, but this mini one was really nice/all I needed.

·         Hand and feet treatment: this was done simultaneously with the mini facial, and the smell of the rose petal scrub that was on my hands/feet… I want that in candle form in my house ASAP.

·         Eye and face collagen masque: ^also done simultaneously with the above two.

·         Dark chocolate wrap with argan oil: I was upgraded (for free) to a 7-herbed combination instead, and the steam was turned on again for ~10 min as it seeped into my skin.

After all of this, I was rinsed off again with a couple buckets of water, and proceeded to the dressing room to change into my normal clothes. I was advised to change my bedsheets + pillow case tonight, so all the aroma of the oils we used would be in its full effect. The overall time I spent in there was 1.5 hours + another 10-15 min for the changing period. I left with an actual glow on my face and already booked my next appointment back. 🙂