Trip Log: Fes 2
March 10th, 2010What did you do last night? I got naked with a bunch of guys in a steamy room…Moroccan style. I’m talking, of course, about a hamman, the traditional Middle Eastern communal bathhouse, which is often the only way locals are able to bathe.
I decided to get down with the local Fassis (Fes citizens) and so I walked down to a nearby hammam. After stripping down nearly completely, a big hairy man gave me two buckets filled with extremely hot water that was being heated by a nearby fire. I walked into big hot tile-covered room and then wondered what to do. Where do I sit? Who do I look at? Am I sitting too close? Whose hand is on my butt?
I took a seat and sat for about 30 minutes as my skin soaked up the steam. I then rubbed a special black soap over myself. At this point, I could have taken advantage of one of the attendants to scrub the soap off of me, but I chose instead to do it myself. Had I used the attendant, I probably would have ended up like the poor guy next to me, who was forced to lie stomach-down on the floor while the attendant stood on his back, interweaved his legs around him, and then proceeded to perform painful moves that I’ve only seen on WWF wrestling. Maybe next time.
One last thing: attention potential future Lonely Planet Morocco readers. If you follow their instructions on proper hammam etiquette — which is a good idea — be careful not to make the same error I did. They recommend bringing an “extra pair of knickers”. I misread knickers (British for underwear) as kickers (American for shoes) and so I ended up showing up with two pairs of shoes…but zero underwear. Awkward. There was a full moon over Morocco tonight!
(Apologies if this photo makes anyone vomit.)
March 10th, 2010 at 10:54 am
Nice Persian rug.
March 10th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
this is hilarious…misread huh? i doubt it…but then again, that does sound schricker style. hope u get another bath there before you leave.