01/20/2015

Hammam Ritual: Everything You Need to Know About the Treatment

Hammam is a very specialized spa tradition that dates back to ancient Arabia. At the Spa of the Rockies, the Hamman Ritual is one of six new Signature Experiences.

What is Hammam?  Hammam is a term for both the place and the practice of cleansing the body through the medium of water or steam. Four components comprise a traditional Hammam treatment.

  1. Welcome and relaxation. A tellek, the term for a staff member or therapist, welcomes guests to relax in a space called the iliklik. At Spa of the Rockies this is the Serenity Room, the place where treatment begins with a soothing foot ritual featuring freshly harvested mineral spring water.
  2. Acclimatizing to temperature. Guests are then escorted to the warm Vichy room where they relax under a colorful Turkish blanket called a pestimal.  The therapist warms the body further with heated water from a large ornate copper bowl, known as a kazan.  The water is sheathed onto the body with a taz, a smaller ornate copper bowl. 
  3. Full body scrub and cleansing. During this step, the therapist exfoliates the skin with a mitt called a kesa which improves blood circulation.  A black soap infused with eucalyptus is applied with the kesa and helps to stimulate both the body and the mind. 
  4. Rinse and massage. Finally, guests are rinsed beneath a soothing Vichy shower and wrapped in warm towels.  A scalp massage, hair wash and hydrating lavender body spray application complete the experience.

At the conclusion of a Hammam treatment, individuals are said to be physically and spiritually purified. Learn more about this new Spa treatment here.