As I try to motivate myself to be productive this last week here in Spain, both with school work and finishing up the last parts of Morocco and Barcelona, I’ve been procrastinating by going out with friends for tapas and dancing (much more often than I should the week of finals, but eh, this is Spain.) Just last night several of the amazing girls I met in Morocco and I decided to try the always-talked-about Arab Baths. For only 23 euros (yay student discount) we were able to make a reservation for Friday evening, the time? Midnight. I really love Spain’s horario, schedule. After having had a few tapas and tintos de verano to fill us up we headed over to Plaza Nueva to visit the Al-Hammam Baños Árabes. The lobby is very tiny and has a very tall staircase that leads to the front desk. It was actually extremely crowded at 11:15 when we arrived to check in, with one family, one other group of friends and another group of American students studying abroad.
But once out of the lobby and into the vestuarios or changing rooms, everything started to lighten up and take on a relaxed atmosphere. Even though we could have each had our own digitized and personal code locker, we decided to stuff everything in one for time saving purposes. And it was a tight squeeze, but we were able to shove all 5 purses, pairs of shoes and boots, clothing and 2 pairs of glasses into the L shaped cubby with only a little bit of elbow grease.
In our lovely bathing suits (and me mostly blind from having taken off my glasses) headed into the next chamber, or rather chambers, from the changing rooms we walked into the mint tea area (with fancy little plastic cups that resembled laundry detergent scoopers), and then followed the attendant through the cold water room, the hot water room and in front of the tepid water room. She then directed us to shower before getting into the baths and said we were allowed to start cycling through the baths and the steam room until our turn for massages was called.
So we confusedly rinse off in the showers, I attempted to use a little soap here and there, but wasn’t quite sure the point of it all. And then we took our towels, hung them on one of the many hooks, and hopped into the tepid water bath. This was the largest and deepest of the baths, but that isn’t saying much. It was about the size of a normal squared pool, and a little less than average depth (around 4 feet) but was very roomy and we were able to swim and float a bit in this pool. Once we were bored with that room, we walked over to the middle room full of hot water – more or less a hot tub, but very very shallow, only deep enough to cover your entire body laying flat down. This was my favorite bath, so very relaxing and with less people in it than the tepid water bath (which, as the night went on, became VERY popular with the parejas, or couples.) I probably could have stayed there for the entire time, but I left when the rest of my group decided to change. Here is the most interesting bit of the system though: the cold bath. This water is ICY cold, very shallow – only comes up to the knees – but VERY important to the cycling of water. The cold bath, if you can manage to get in at all, helps with circulation and refreshes the body. I found it was easier to cool off first on one of the stone benches in the same room, then try to get as much of me as possible wet in the icy liquid. It stung every time I chilled off, but afterwards it felt so wonderful!
We went through this process several times, my friends and I, and I even got to try the steam room once before my massage was called up. But I can’t say I enjoyed the steam room at all. Some of the other girls had been to a sauna before and said this one was one of the thickest they’ve been in. But from the moment we opened the doors I felt the air thicken up, inside was a visible atmosphere of scented steam, it was hard to breathe and eventually the minty vapor began to sting my eyes. I wasn’t able to stay long enough to decide whether I enjoyed it or not, but I think I’d give it another attempt. If the steam was thinner.
Finally, about half an hour or 45 minutes after we were let in, my turn was called for massages. We were instructed to take another shower before lying down on the table, which this time I understood, I wouldn’t want to touch someone who hadn’t washed first!
After walking into the massage chamber I sort of ambled through to the masseuse farthest back, who was really nice and thought I was Spanish. =) Always makes my life. She then had me choose scented oil, and I picked rose, I laid down and she asked where I wanted the massage – back, legs, or both. I chose both, not sure how the whole thing would go, but I picked right in the end. She quickly worked out all the odd kinks I happened to have in my calves, and then started quickly feeling out and loosening all the knots in my shoulder blades. Her skilled hands with the lovely body oil felt like magic as the flitted over my muscles relaxing all the tenseness from my neck and back. Later, after everyone had finished their massages, I happened to pick one of the best masseuses of the lot.
After an hour and a half of cycling and the massage the attendant came around ringing a triangle like instrument calling us all out of the chambers. Thankfully we were in the tepid water bath when this happened – the perfect ending, in my opinion. We filed out, dried off, changed, blew dry our hair with their hair dryers, used their lotion pumps, and walked into the refreshingly cool night air.
It was such a lovely experience, so very revitalizing and relaxing, like a good yoga session. I can’t wait to try the different types of Spas in the States and the Arab baths that are throughout the rest of Europe. It will definitely be on my to-do list for every country I go to (assuming the service is affordable!) And I highly recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity to go to an Arab Bath. It is worth every cent!
(And sorry no pics of this one! Cameras not allowed once you are past the lobby area.)
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