| Somewhere in the Middle East, 600AD...
Imagine that you’re journeying back in time. You’ve just entered an ornately decorated sanctuary designed to purify, relax and rejuvenate your mind, body and soul. You disrobe in a dimly lit dressing room and are then quietly led down a passageway to the “harara”, a steam room. This is where you experience a special massage performed by several “tellaks” or massage therapists. Then you are given a full body exfoliation, followed by a rejuvenating bath. The final step is the cooling process, which closes your pores. You enter the “moslak” or rest hall and lounge on the couches while servants bring you drinks and cool you with a fan.
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You have just experienced what the Eastern cultures called a Hammam, a “spreader of warmth” bathhouse and predecessor of the modern day spa. Centuries ago, these people believed that water had curative and healing powers and visited the Hammam to maintain physical health as well as mental and spiritual health. |
Historic Baltimore Row in Downtown Atlanta GA, Modern Day...
The Hammam is revived with a modern twist at a medical day spa of the same name, The Hammam. This spa recreates traditional water rituals practiced by the ancient Greek, Roman and Arab civilizations, but through the use of modern facilities such as an herbal steam chamber, whirlpool and dry sauna. I arrived at the spa about an hour early so that I could take full advantage of the amenities. After changing into my robe and slippers in the locker room, my massage therapist Sue took me into the actual Hammam. The atmosphere is perfect for cleansing the soul; I was surrounded by lush green plants, aromatic candles and mosaic tiles.
| Sue recommended a detoxifying water ritual prior to my service. She suggested three ten minute cycles that mix extreme hot and cold temperatures. I began the ritual with eight minutes in the whirlpool tub contoured for maximum comfort, followed by two minutes in the ice cold Swiss shower (with 5 shower heads!). |
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Then I spent another eight minutes in the steam chamber, followed by two again in the cool Swiss shower. The final step in my ritual included eight minutes in the dry sauna with a concluding cold shower. There was also a cool aromatic mist cascading waterfall in the Hammam; however, it was not working on the day that I was there.
Following the ritual, I lounged in my robe in a room similar to the moslak called the Sacred Space to wait for my massage (although there were no servants cooling me with a fan…) The large fountains in the Sacred Space enhance the relaxing atmosphere.
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Thinking that life couldn’t get any better than this, believe it or not it did! The Therapeutic Massage treatment was one of the best I’ve ever had. Sue started with a comforting foot scrub to transition me from the material to the spiritual world. She then tested my polarity to determine the type of massage that my body needed. She combined Shiatsu, Swedish, deep tissue, pressure point and stretching moves for a thorough 85 minute massage. |
The entire experience from the Water Ritual to the Therapeutic Massage left me feeling healed, restored and with not a care in the ancient or modern world!
The sources of information for this article include http://www.cyberbohemia.com/ and http://www.thehammam.com.
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